In the Acts of the Apostles, Joseph Barsabbas, also known as Justus of Eleutheropolis or Joseph the Just) was one of two candidates qualified to be chosen for the office of apostle after Judas Iscariot lost his apostleship when he betrayed Jesus and died by suicide. After the casting of lots Barsabbas was not chosen, the lot instead favoring St. Matthias to be numbered with the remaining...
Pope St. Symmachus was the 51st pope of the Catholic Church, serving from 498 to 514, and is venerated as a saint. Symmachus was born around 460 AD on the island of Sardinia, then part of the Western Roman Empire, to a father named Fortunatus. He was initially a pagan but was baptized in Rome, where he later became archdeacon under Pope Anastasius II. His early life in Rome shaped his...
Saint Aemilian of Dorostorium was an early Christian martyr who courageously defied paganism and was burned alive for his faith under Emperor Julian the Apostate.
Saint Aemilian, also known as Aemilian of Silistra, Emilian of Silistra, or Emiliano of Silistra, was born in Dorostorium, a Roman city in the province of Moesia, which corresponds to modern-day Silistra, Bulgaria. Little is known...
Andrew Zorard (Hungarian: Zoerárd András, Szórád, Zoárd; Polish: Andrzej Świerad, Żurawek, Żórawek, Świrad, and Wszechrad; Slovak: Svorad, Andrej Svorad, Czech: Sverad; German: Zoërard, Latin: Zoerardus) was a Benedictine monk originating from Poland but active in Hungary (now Slovakia), who is venerated as a saint in the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Churches.
Zorard was born around 980...
Athenogenes served as bishop in Sebaste of Armenia Minor (near modern Sivas), shepherding a pressured flock during the Diocletian-era persecution. When officials demanded sacrifice to idols—an act treating the emperor’s gods as worthy of worship—he refused, confessing that worship belongs to the living God alone.
After several of his disciples were seized, Athenogenes did...