Saints Peter and Paul depicted on the icon can be prayed together, or you can address them separately.

The holy chief apostles Peter and Paul are first of all prayed to be confirmed in the faith. They pray to the holy apostles, if necessary, to help in the conversion of non-believers to the Christian faith and in helping those people who have lost faith in Christ.
Saints Peter and Paul can help in healing from physical and mental ailments, they were given miraculous abilities to heal people during their lifetime.
The Apostle Peter is the patron saint of fishermen, July 12 is considered their holiday "Fisherman's Day". And prayers before the icon of St. Paul can help in their studies, he was a very educated person for that time.

The supreme apostles Peter and Paul did a lot to spread Christianity on earth and they, of course, can help in any of your charitable undertakings.

It must be remembered that icons or saints do not "specialize" in any particular area. It will be right when a person turns with faith in the power of God, and not in the power of this icon, this saint or prayer.
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HOLIDAY - THE DAY OF MEMORY OF THE HOLY APOSTLES PETER AND PAUL

On the day of memory of the holy apostles Peter and Paul, the Orthodox Church sings of two people who made great efforts in spreading faith in Christ. For their labors they were called the supreme ones.

These saints had a different path to heavenly glory: the apostle Peter was with the Lord from the very beginning, later he rejected the Savior, denying him, but then repented.
The Apostle Paul was at first an ardent opponent of Christ, but then he believed in Him and became His firm supporter.

The celebration of the memory of both apostles falls on the same date - they were both executed in 67 in Rome on the same day under the emperor Nero. Immediately after their execution, the veneration of the holiness of the apostles began, and the burial place became a Christian shrine.
In the 4th century, in the then still Orthodox cities of Rome and Constantinople, Saint Equal-to-the-Apostles Constantine erected churches that were consecrated in honor of the holy chief apostles Peter and Paul on their feast day, July 12 (according to the new style).

THE LIFE OF THE APOSTLE PETER

Before being called to Christ, the saint lived in Capernaum, was married, and then his name was Simon. Seeing Jesus Christ while fishing on the Lake of Gennesaret, Simon followed the Lord and became His most devoted disciple.
He was the first to confess Jesus Christ as the Messiah - Jesus is

"Christ, the Son of the Living God" (Matt. 16; 16)

and then from the Lord himself he received the name Peter, which in Greek means a stone or rock on which Jesus Christ promised to create the Church

“I tell you: you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My Church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it” (Mt. 16; 18).

It was said about the Apostle Simon-Peter that he was impatient and sincere, like a child, and his faith in Christ was strong and unconditional. Once, being at sea in a boat, Peter tried, at the call of the Lord, to walk on water as on earth.

Peter, together with James and John, had the honor to see with his own eyes the Transfiguration of the Lord on Mount Tabor. These were his words:

"God! It is good for us to be here…” (Matthew 17; 4).

Peter, with all his fervor, defended the Lord in the Garden of Gethsemane; he cut off with his sword the ear of a man who had come to arrest the Teacher.

The Gospel records how Peter denied being a follower of Jesus Christ three times. In essence, he denied the Lord, but then he deeply repented of this, after which Jesus Christ again “restored” him to his apostolic dignity when he instructed him (also three times) to shepherd His flock:

"Feed my lambs."

The Lord applied to the Apostle Peter the most powerful weapon - forgiveness. It is in forgiveness, and not in punishment, that a person remains with his shame, and perhaps, thanks to this situation, the apostle Peter became a real shepherd, a guide on the way of people to faith in God.

Fifty days after the Resurrection of the Lord, after the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles, Saint Peter delivered the first sermon in his life. The people who gathered were deeply touched by Peter's words about the life of Jesus Christ and His martyrdom.

« What should we do?' they asked him.

“Repent, and let each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins; and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:37-38)

After listening to his speech, about three thousand people became Christians that day. Not much time passed, Peter, with God's help, healed the lame man,

“who was carried and planted every day at the door of the temple”

The patient got up, began to walk, praising God. Seeing such a miracle and hearing that Peter said in his second sermon that the healing was not from him, but from God, another 5,000 people converted to faith. Once again, the Jewish priests rebelled against the belief in the resurrection of the dead, but this time their hatred was not directed at Jesus, but at His disciples Peter and John, who were captured and sent to prison. The members of the Sanhedrin tried to bargain with them, promising them freedom in exchange for not preaching about Christ. To this they received an answer from Peter:

“Judge whether it is fair before God to listen to you more than to God? We cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.”

Fearing the people's intercession for the apostles, they were soon released into the wild and continued to bear witness to the resurrection of the Lord with renewed vigor.
The new faith in Christ became very popular among the people, many people began to sell their lands, estates and brought money for the apostles to help those in need. This is what the Lord Jesus Christ taught. But this had to be done voluntarily, without regret, then the money would go to a good cause. " A certain man named Ananias with his wife Sapphira” also sold his estate, but by agreement, they decided not to give all the money to the apostles. When Ananias came to Saint Peter, he told him that God does not need such a sacrifice - this is not a lie before " people, but God". Ananias was seized with fear, and he died of fright. And three hours later his wife came and, still not knowing what had happened, also confirmed a smaller amount of money for which the land was sold. The saint asked:

“Why did you agree to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? Behold, those who buried your husband enter at the door; and they will take you out. Suddenly she fell down and breathed her last."

So, at the very beginning of the establishment of life according to Christ's laws, God's wrath was manifested against its violators.
In 42, Herod Agrippa, who was the grandson of Herod the Great, began the persecution of Christians. By his order, the apostle James Zavedeev was executed, and Peter was taken into custody. Being in prison, through the prayers of the Lord, at night an Angel of God appeared to Peter, freed the prisoner and brought him out of captivity.
Saint Peter put a lot of work in spreading the Christian faith. He preached in Asia Minor, then in Egypt, where he ordained the first bishop of the Church of Alexandria, Mark. Then in Greece, Rome, Spain, Carthage and England.

According to legend, it was from the words of St. Peter that the Gospel was written by the Apostle Mark. Two Epistles of the Apostle Peter, which were addressed to the Christians of Asia Minor, have come down to us from the New Testament books. In the First Epistle, the Apostle Peter addresses his brothers during their persecution by the enemies of Christ, thereby helping them, affirming their faith. In the Second Epistle, which was written shortly before his death, the apostle warns Christians against false preachers who appeared in the absence of Peter, distorting the essence of Christian morality and morality, who preached licentiousness.
While in Rome, the apostle Peter converted the two wives of Emperor Nero to Christianity, which greatly angered the ruler. By his order, the apostle was imprisoned, but Peter managed to escape from custody. And so, according to legend, the apostle, who was walking along the road, met Christ, whom he asked:

"Where are you going Lord?"

and heard the answer:

“Since you are leaving my people, I am going to Rome, to a new crucifixion.”

After these words, the apostle Peter turned and went back to Rome.
This happened in the year 67 (according to some studies in the 64th) from the Nativity of Christ. When Saint Peter was taken to the execution, he asked to be executed upside down, as he believed that he should be bowed under His feet. The apostle never forgave himself the triple denial of the Lord in the Garden of Gethsemane.
The body of the holy Apostle Peter was buried at the place of execution on the Vatican Hill by Christians led by Hieromartyr Clement of Rome.

THE LIFE OF THE APOSTLE PAUL

Unlike the Apostle Peter, St. Paul was at first an ardent opponent of the Christian faith. He was from the Pharisees, his name then was Saul. He received an excellent education and was firmly convinced that the persecution of Christians was pleasing to God. After all, the Christian teaching rebelled against the Jehovah of the Old Testament and offended the Law of Moses, which he loved.
Saul was among the persecutors of the faith of Christ, he was with those who executed the first martyr Stephen, who was falsely accused of blasphemy against Moses and God.
But one day, on the way to Damascus, about noon, a great light suddenly shone from heaven and, as Paul himself later told about it:

Blinded by this light, Saul was led by the arms to Damascus. After three days, during which Saul was in prayer, one of the disciples of the Lord, Ananias, came to him, laid his hand on him, baptized him, and Saul received his sight. Ananias at first did not want to go to Saul, but the Lord told him in a vision:

"... he is my chosen vessel to proclaim my name before nations and kings."

The apostle later wrote of this:

“What was an advantage for me, for the sake of Christ I considered loss. Yes, and I count all things loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord.”

By the will of God, Saul became a zealous preacher of that doctrine, which he had previously been a fierce persecutor. In Damascus, exactly at the place where he had previously sought to eradicate Christianity, he began to testify about the Messiah. Former associates of Saul (Paul), Jews, " agreed to kill”he heard new sermons and began to lie in wait for him at the exit from the city gates. But the disciples lowered Saul in a basket from the city wall at night and secretly escorted him to Jerusalem, where he arrived in the year 37. Saul wanted to get acquainted with the apostles, and above all with Peter, but at first they did not believe that he, too, had become a disciple of the Lord until Barnabas began to testify for him. Saul lived with Peter for fifteen days, and one day, while praying, he had a vision that the Lord was sending him away. far to the pagans". After that, he went to his homeland in the city of Tarsus, and from there, together with Barnabas, who joined him, to Antioch, where they taught a considerable number of people who accepted Christianity. After Antioch, Saul and Barnabas went to Cyprus, where the proconsul Sergius Paul wished to hear the word of God. After the sermon, despite the opposition of the magi, the proconsul

"believed, marveling at the teaching of the Lord."

After this incident, in Holy Scripture, Saul began to be called Paul. Around the year 50, the saint arrived in Jerusalem to settle a dispute between converted Christians from Jews and pagans about the observance of rituals. Having resolved this dispute, Paul, by decision of the Apostolic Council, together with his new companion Silas, set off on a new apostolic journey to " Syria and Cilicia, establishing the churches»
In Macedonia, the holy apostle healed a maid possessed by the spirit of divination, who, through divination, brought a great income to her masters". Her owners were terribly angry with Pavel, grabbed him and dragged him to the chiefs. Accusing the people of rebellion, Paul and Silas were imprisoned. In the night, after their prayers to the Lord, there was a great earthquake, the doors were opened, and their bonds were loosened. The guard, seeing this miracle, immediately believed in Christ. After what happened at night, the next morning the governors decided to release " those people but the apostle Paul answered:

“We, Roman citizens, were publicly beaten without trial and thrown into prison, and now they are secretly released? No, let them come and take us out themselves.”

Roman citizenship helped Paul, governors came to them and honorably released from prison.
After Macedonia, Saint Paul preached in the Greek cities of Athens and Corinth, where his epistles to Thessalonica were written. In his third apostolic journey (56-58), he wrote an epistle to the Galatians (about the strengthening of the Judaizing party there) and the first epistle to the Corinthians.

12 chapters of the New Testament are devoted to the works of the Apostle Paul, and 16 more are a story about the exploits of the saint, about his labors in building the Church of Christ, about the sufferings he endured. Saint Paul believed that he

“I am not worthy to be called an Apostle, because I persecuted the church of God” (1 Cor. 15; 9).

Like St. Peter, who suffered from denial of the Lord until the end of his life, Paul also remembered to the end of his days that in the past he had been a persecutor of his beloved Christ, whom God's grace pulled out of a destructive error:

“Thou hast given the image of the conversion of those who sin, both of Your apostles: oh, oh, who rejected You during the passion and repented, but resisting and believing in Your preaching ...”

As a troublemaker, the supreme apostle Paul was executed. Peter was crucified on the Vatican Hill, and Paul, as a Roman citizen, could not be put to such a shameful death, so he was beheaded outside of Rome.

Such different personalities, such different destinies!

As Metropolitan Anthony of Surozh said in one of his sermons on the Day of Remembrance of the Holy Primate Apostles Peter and Paul:

“The radical persecutor and the believer from the beginning met in one, single faith about the victory of Christ - the Cross and the Resurrection ... They turned out to be fearless preachers: no torment, no cross, no crucifixion, no prison - nothing could separate them from the love of Christ, and they preached , and this sermon was indeed what the apostle Paul calls it: "Our faith is that which has overcome the world."

Speaking about the importance of the days of memory of all the saints of Orthodoxy, Vladyka Filaret says:

"Remember your leaders, imitate their faith."

On July 12, we commemorate the holy chief apostles Peter and Paul, which means that in commemorating them, we must also imitate them, inherit their apostolic ministry to the best of our ability, joyfully testifying of the Lord Jesus Christ. How can we imitate them? What strength is needed for this? We most often do not have such strength, but this is not a reason for despondency, because Vladyka Anthony says:

“If we cannot achieve such strong faith as that of the Apostle Peter, to walk on the waters and resurrect the dead, if we cannot acquire such Divine wisdom as that of the Apostle Paul, to convert thousands of people to Christ with our words, then we will try to imitate them unhypocritical repentance and the deepest humility.

Magnification

We magnify you, the apostles of Christ Peter and Paul, who enlightened the whole world with your teachings and brought all the ends to Christ.

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When Saul was already approaching Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven shone on him (so suddenly, strong and dazzling that he fell to the ground), and at the same moment he heard a voice saying to him: “Saul, Saul! why are you chasing me?" He, full of amazement, asked: “Who are you, Lord?” The Lord said: "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting, it is difficult for you to go against the pricks." Saul, trembling and horrified, asked, “Lord, what will you command me to do?” And the Lord said, “Get up and go into the city; and you will be told what you need to do.

The soldiers who were walking with Saul were also terrified, and, amazed by the extraordinary light, stood in a daze: they heard the voice speaking to Saul, but did not see anyone.

At the command of the Lord, Saul got up from the earth and with his eyes open did not see anyone: his bodily eyes were blinded, but his spiritual eyes began to see.

Saul's guides and helpers led him by the hand and brought him to Damascus; there he stayed for three days, seeing nothing, and in a feeling of repentance he did not eat or drink, and only prayed unceasingly that the Lord would reveal to him His will.

In Damascus, there was the holy Apostle Ananias, to whom the Lord, appearing in a vision, commanded to find Saul, who lived in the house of a certain man named Judas, and to enlighten his bodily eyes with a touch, and his spiritual ones with holy baptism.

The apostle replied: “Lord! I heard from many about this man, how much evil he did to your saints in Jerusalem; and here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name.” But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is my chosen vessel, to proclaim my name before the nations, and kings, and the sons of Israel. And I will show him how much he must suffer for My name.”

Saint Ananias, setting off at the command of the Lord and finding Saul, laid his hands on him: and immediately, as if the scales fell from his eyes, suddenly he received his sight and, having risen, received baptism and was filled with the Holy Spirit, consecrating him to the apostolic ministry, and was renamed from Saul into Paul, and immediately began preaching in the synagogues about Jesus, that He is the Son of God.

And all those who heard were amazed (at this change in the thoughts of the persecutor of the Church of Christ) and said:

“Isn’t this the same one who persecuted those who called on this name in Jerusalem?” did you come here for this, to bind them and lead them to the chief priests? ()

And Saul grew stronger and stronger in faith and confused the Jews living in Damascus, proving to them that this is the Christ (ie the promised Messiah). The Jews finally burned with anger at him, agreed to kill him and guarded at the gates of the city day and night, so that he would not run away from them. The disciples of Christ, who were in Damascus with Ananias, having learned about the conference of the Jews who decided to kill Paul, took him and at night in a basket lowered him from the window of the house adjoining the city wall. And he, leaving Damascus, did not immediately go to Jerusalem, but first went to Arabia, as he himself writes about this in a letter to the Galatians: “I did not then consult with flesh and blood, and did not go to Jerusalem to the Apostles who preceded me, but went to Arabia, and again returned to Damascus. Then, after three years, I went to Jerusalem to see Peter.” ().

Arriving in Jerusalem, the holy Paul tried to join the disciples of the Lord, but they feared this, not believing that he was already a disciple of the Lord. The Holy Apostle Barnabas, seeing him and being convinced of his conversion to Christ, rejoiced and, taking him by the hand, led him to the Apostles, and Paul told them how he had seen the Lord on the way, and what the Lord had said to him, and how he was Paul – preached boldly in the name of Jesus in Damascus. And the holy Apostles were filled with joy and glorified the Lord Christ. Paul, the saint, even in Jerusalem, in the name of the Lord Jesus, competed with the Jews and Hellenists and proved to them that Jesus is the Christ foretold by the prophets.

One day, standing in church and praying, Paul suddenly and involuntarily went into a frenzy and saw the Lord. The Lord said to him: “Hurry and leave Jerusalem quickly, because [here] they will not accept your testimony about Me”. Paul also said: "God! they know that I imprisoned those who believed in You and beat them in the synagogues, and when the blood of Stephen Your witness was shed, I stood there, approved of his murder and guarded the clothes of those who beat him.. And the Lord said to him: “Go; I will send you far away to the pagans"(). After this vision, Saint Paul, although he wanted to stay in Jerusalem for a few more days, consoling himself by meeting and talking with the Apostles, he could not: the Jews, with whom he argued about Christ, became furious and wanted to kill him. Learning about this, the Jerusalem Christians accompanied him to Caesarea and from there they sent him by sea to Tarsus (to his homeland), where he stayed for some time, preaching the word of God to his compatriots.

Then Barnabas came here, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and took Paul with him to Syrian Antioch, knowing of his appointment to be the Apostle of the Gentiles; preaching here for a whole year in the synagogues, they converted many to Christ and called them Christians. After a year had passed, both the holy Apostles, Barnabas and Paul, returned to Jerusalem and told the holy Apostles what the grace of God had wrought in Antioch, and greatly rejoiced the Church of Christ in Jerusalem. At the same time, they brought abundant alms from well-meaning donors in Antioch, in favor of the poor and wretched brethren who lived in Judea, since at that time, in the reign of Claudius, there was a great famine, predicted, according to a special revelation of the Holy Spirit, by Saint Agab, one of the 70 Apostles.

Leaving Jerusalem, Barnabas and Paul again came to Antioch. When they had been here for some time in fasting and prayer, in the service of the Divine Liturgy and in the preaching of the Word of God, it pleased the Holy Spirit to send them to the pagans to preach. The Holy Spirit said to the elders in the Antioch meeting: "Separate Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them"(). Then the presbyter, after fasting and praying, and laying his hands on them, dismissed them.

Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Barnabas and Paul came to Seleucia and from there sailed to the island of Cyprus (to the homeland of the Apostle Barnabas). Here, being in Salamis, they preached the Word of God in the Jewish synagogues and went through the whole island even to Paphos, where they found a certain Elim (magician) false prophet of the Jews, named Variesus, who was with the local proconsul Sergius Paul, a wise man and, apparently, had influence on him. The proconsul, having called Barnabas and Saul, wished to hear from them the Word of God and listened to their sermons. And Elimas the sorcerer, resisting them, tried to turn the proconsul away from the faith. Saint Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, and fixing his eyes on the sorcerer, said: “Oh, full of all deceit and all villainy, son of the devil, enemy of all righteousness! will you stop perverting from the straight ways of the Lord? And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you: you will be blind, and you will not see the sun for a time. And suddenly gloom and darkness attacked him, and he, turning to and fro, was looking for a leader. ().

And suddenly gloom and darkness attacked the sorcerer, and he, turning to and fro, was looking for a leader.

Then the proconsul, seeing what had happened, fully believed, marveling at the teaching of the Lord. Many people also believed with him, and the congregation of the faithful increased.

Having sailed from Paphos, Paul and those who were with him came to Perga, which is in Pamphylia, from Perga to Pisidian Antioch. Here they preached about Christ, and when they had already led many to the faith, the envious Jews incited the first people in the city who were devoted to paganism and, with their help, drove the Apostles of the saints out of the city and its environs.

The apostles, having shaken off the dust from their feet here, went to Iconium and, staying there for quite some time, boldly preached and led a great multitude of Jews and Gentiles to faith, not only by preaching, but also by signs and wonders that were performed by their hands; there they also converted the holy virgin Thekla and misled her to Christ. And the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and their leaders to resist the Apostles and stone them. Having learned about this, the Apostles withdrew to the cities of Lycaon - Lystra and Dervia - and in their vicinity.

Evangelizing in Lystra, they healed a certain man who was lame from his mother's womb and never walked; in the name of Christ they raised him to his feet, and immediately he got up and began to walk. The people, seeing this miracle, raised their voices, speaking in Lycaon: "Gods in human form came down to us"(). And they called Barnabas Zeus, and Paul Hermias, and bringing oxen and bringing wreaths, they wanted to offer sacrifices to the Apostles. But Barnabas and Paul (hearing about this) tore their clothes and, going up to the people, said loudly: “Men! what are you doing? And we are people like you.”(). And they offered them a word about the One God, Who created the sky, and the earth, and the sea, and everything that is in them, and sends rains from the sky and fruitful times, and fills the hearts of people with food and joy. And saying this, they hardly persuaded the people not to offer sacrifices to them. While they were in Lystra and were teaching, some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium and urged the people to leave behind the Apostles, boldly saying that they did not say anything true, but were still lying, and even worse aroused the gullible, for Saint Paul , as the main preacher, was stoned and dragged out of the city, considering him already dead.

He (with the help of the believers), having risen, entered again into the city, and the next day he withdrew with Barnabas to Derbe. Having preached the gospel in this city and made enough disciples, they went back to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch, confirming the souls of the disciples and imploring them to remain in the faith. Having ordained presbyters for them in every church, they prayed, fasting, and committed them to the Lord, in whom they believed.

Then, having passed through Pisidia, they came to Pamphylia, and having preached the word of the Lord in Perga, they descended to Attalia, and from it they sailed to Antioch in Syria, from where they were originally sent by the Holy Spirit to preach the word of the Lord to the Gentiles. And having arrived in Antioch, they gathered the faithful, and told everyone what God had done with them, and how many pagan people had been brought to Christ.

After some time, a dispute arose between the believing Jews and Hellenists in Antioch regarding circumcision: some said that it was impossible to be saved without circumcision, others considered circumcision a difficult task for themselves. Therefore, it turned out to be necessary for the Apostle Paul with Barnabas to go to Jerusalem to the elder Apostles and presbyters - to ask their opinions regarding circumcision and at the same time inform them that God opened the door of faith to the Gentiles; With this last message they greatly rejoiced all the brethren of Jerusalem.

In Jerusalem, at a conciliar meeting, the holy Apostles and presbyters completely eliminated the Old Testament circumcision, as unnecessary under the new grace, and commanded only to abstain from food offered to idols, from fornication, and not to offend one’s neighbor in any way, and with this decision they released from Jerusalem to Antioch Paul and Barnabas, and with them Judas and Silas.

Arriving in Antioch, the Apostles stayed there for quite some time and again went to the pagans, parting from each other: Judas returned to Jerusalem; Barnabas, taking with him Mark, his relative, went to Cyprus; and Paul, having chosen Silas, went to Syria and Cilicia, and passing through the cities there, confirmed the faithful. Arriving at Derbe and Lystra, he circumcised Timothy, his disciple, in Lystra, just to quench the grumbling of Judaizing Christians, and took him with him. From there he went to Phrygia and the Galatian country, then he came to Mysia and thought about going to Bithynia, but this was not pleasing to the Holy Spirit. For when Paul was with his companions at Troas, he had the following vision at night: a certain man, in appearance a Macedonian, stood before him and implored him, saying: "Come to Macedonia and help us"(). From this vision, Paul realized that the Lord was calling him to preach in Macedonia. And sailing from Troas, he arrived at the island of Samothrace, the next day to Naples, thence to Philippi, the nearest city of Macedonia, a former colony of the Romans. In Philippi, he first of all taught the faith of Christ and baptized the woman Lydia, who traded in purple (cloths and clothes of purple or red color); she begged him to settle with his disciples in her house.

One day, when Paul was walking with his disciples to the assembly for prayer, he was met by some maid, possessed by an unclean spirit of divination, who by divination delivered a large income to her masters. As she followed Paul and his companions, she cried out, saying: “These people are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation” ().

She repeated this for many days.

The governors, having torn off the clothes of the Apostles, ordered them to be beaten with sticks, and having given them many blows, they threw them into prison. Here, about midnight, while Paul and Silas were praying, the prison shook, all its doors were opened, and the bonds were loosened. Seeing this, the keeper of the prison believed in Christ, brought the Apostles to his house, washed their wounds there, immediately baptized himself with his whole house and offered them a meal. And the Apostles again returned to prison.

The next day, the leaders of the city came to their senses that they severely punished innocent people, and sent ministers to prison with an order to release the Apostles to freedom - let them go where they want.

But Paul said to them: “We, Roman citizens, were publicly beaten without trial and thrown into prison, and now they are secretly released? No, let them come and take us out themselves.” ().

And the messengers, returning, recounted the words of Paul to the governors, the governors were afraid that the prisoners whom they had beaten turned out to be Roman citizens; And coming to them, they begged them to leave the prison and the city. They, having left the dungeon, first came to the house of Lydia, where they had previously lived, and rejoiced the faithful who had gathered there. After saying goodbye to them, they went to Amphipolis and Apollonia, and from there to Thessalonica.

In Thessalonica, when they had already won many by the gospel, the envious Jews, having gathered a few worthless people, rushed to the house of Jason, where the Apostles of Christ were staying. And not finding the Apostles there, they seized Jason and some of the brothers and dragged them to the leaders of the city, slandering them as opponents of Caesar, who recognize another king, namely Jesus. And Jason barely freed himself from this misfortune.

And the holy Apostles, having managed to hide from these hostile people, left Thessalonica at night and came to Beria; but even there the malicious envy of the Jews did not give rest to Saint Paul; when the Jews of Thessalonica learned that the Word of God was preached by Paul in Beria, they came there too, exciting and inciting the people and inciting them against Paul. The holy Apostle was also forced to leave from there, not out of personal fear of death, but at the insistence of the brethren, let him save his life, for the sake of the salvation of many, and the brethren let him go to the sea. The Apostle left his companions Silas and Timothy in Beria to confirm the new converts in the faith, since he knew that the Jews were only looking for his head alone. He himself boarded a ship and sailed to Athens.

In Athens, Paul was troubled in spirit at the sight of the idols that filled the city, and mourned for the loss of so many souls. He began to talk in the synagogues with the Jews and daily in the squares with the Greeks and their philosophers. The listeners brought him to the Areopagus (that was the name of the place where a public court was held at the idol temple). They brought him there partly in order to hear something new from him in the former assembly, and partly in order (as Saint Chrysostom thinks) to bring him to trial, torment and death, if you hear anything worthy of execution from him. .

But the saint Paul, having already seen some kind of altar in the city, on which was written: “to an unknown god”, began his speech on this subject and began to preach to them the True God, hitherto unknown to them, saying: “This one whom you, not knowing, honor, I preach to you” ().

And he began to tell them about God, the Creator of the whole world, and about repentance, and about judgment, and about the resurrection of the dead.

When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of the listeners scoffed, while others wanted to hear about it even more. And Paul went out of their congregation, not condemned, as innocent of anything: and the Word of God, which he preached, was not without profit in winning souls: for some men, having joined him, believed in Christ; among them was Dionysius the Areopagite and a certain noble woman named Damaris, and many others, were baptized.

Leaving Athens, Paul came to Corinth and lived there with a certain Jew named Aquila; Silas and Timothy from Macedonia came to him here and together they preached about Christ. Akila was with his wife Priscilla the craft of a barn; Paul was familiar with this craft, and he worked with them, and by his labor he acquired food for himself and his companions, as he himself says about this in the epistle to the Thessalonica: “They ate no one’s bread for free, but were busy with labor and work night and day, so as not to burden any of you”(). And again: “These hands served my needs and [the needs] of those who were with me” ().

And on every Sabbath he convinced the Jews in the synagogues, proving that Jesus is the Christ. But since they stubbornly resisted and cursed, he, shaking off his clothes, said to them: “Your blood is on your heads; I am clean; from now on I go to the pagans" ().

And when he decided to leave Corinth, the Lord appeared to him in a vision, at night, and said: “Do not be afraid, but speak and do not be silent, for I am with you, and no one will harm you, because I have many people in this city” ().

And Paul remained in Corinth for a year and six months, teaching the Word of God to the Jews and Greeks, and many believed and were baptized, and the head of the synagogue himself, Crispus, believed in the Lord with all his household and was baptized. And some of the unbelieving Jews attacked Paul in a crowd and brought him before the court to the proconsul Gallio (who was the brother of the philosopher Seneca), but he refused to judge Paul, saying: “If there was any offense from him, or malicious intent , then I would have reason to hear you and judge him; but in your dispute about your doctrine and your law, I do not want to be a judge.

And drove them out of judgment. After this, the saint Paul, having stayed there for quite a few days, took leave of the brethren and sailed away to Syria with those who were with him. Aquila followed him with Priscilla, and on the way they all stopped at Ephesus. There, preaching the word of the Lord, the holy Apostle Paul performed many miracles, and not only his hands were miraculous, healing every ailment with one touch, but also his handkerchiefs and headbands, saturated with the sweat of his body, had the same miraculous power: for, being supposed on the sick, immediately healed them and drove out unclean spirits from people. Seeing this, some of the wandering Jewish exorcists dared to call on the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying: "We conjure you by Jesus, whom Paul preaches." But the evil spirit answered them: “I know Jesus, and I know Paul, but who are you?”

And a man in whom there was an evil spirit rushed at them, and having overcome them, he received such power over them that he beat them and wounded them, so that they could scarcely run naked from the hands of the demoniac. This became known to all the Jews and Greeks of Ephesus, and fear fell on all of them, and the name of the Lord Jesus was glorified, and many believed in Him. And even of those who were engaged in sorcery, very many, after accepting the holy faith, collected their magic books, and counting their prices, found that they cost 50 thousand drachmas, and publicly burned all the books. So much did the word of the Lord grow and be able to stand.

Paul was preparing to go to Jerusalem and said: "Having been there, I must see Rome" ().

But at this time there was no small rebellion in Ephesus from silversmiths who made models of the temple of Artemis. After the mutiny was subdued, Saint Paul, having stayed in Ephesus for 3 years, went to Macedonia, from there he came to Troas, where he stayed for seven days.

On the first day of the week, when the faithful gathered to break bread, Paul had a long conversation with them, as he intended to leave them the next day, and continued it until midnight in the upper room, lit by many lamps. Among the listeners, one young man, named Eutychus, sitting at the window, fell into a deep sleep and, staggering sleepy, fell down from the third dwelling (floor), and he was raised unconscious. Saint Paul descended, fell on him, and embracing him, said: "Do not worry, for his soul is in him" ().

And again Paul went up into the upper room; They brought the young man alive and were much comforted. Paul continued to talk long enough, even before dawn, and after saying goodbye to the believers, he left the place.

A prophet named Agabus once came here to Saint Paul, and taking Paul's belt, he tied his hands and feet, and said: "Thus saith the Holy Spirit: The man whose belt this is, the Jews will thus bind in Jerusalem and hand over into the hands of the Gentiles." ().

When the brethren heard this, they begged Paul with tears not to go to Jerusalem; but Paul answered and said to them: "What are you doing? Why do you weep and break my heart? I not only want to be a prisoner, but I am ready to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” ().

And the brethren fell silent, saying: “May the will of the Lord be done!”

After this, the holy Apostle Paul went to Jerusalem with his disciples (among whom was Trofim the Ephesian, who had converted to Christ from the pagans) and was cordially received by Saint James and the entire congregation of the faithful.

And he began to tell them about his former zeal for the law of Moses, and how on the way to Damascus he was shone with heavenly light, and how he saw the Lord sending him to the Gentiles.

But the people, not wanting to listen to him anymore, began to shout, turning to the commander: “Destroy such a person from the earth! For he must not live!”

Shouting in this way, they tossed their clothes and threw dust into the air, carried away by rage, and insisted on killing Paul. The captain ordered him to be brought into the fortress and ordered that he be scourged in order to extort from him: for what fault did the people become so angry with him? But when they tied Paul to the post with straps, he said to the centurion standing by him:

– “Are you allowed to scourge a Roman citizen, and even without trial?” ()

Hearing this, the centurion came up and reported to the captain, saying:

- Look what you want to do! This man is a Roman citizen.

Then the captain came up to Paul and asked:

“Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?”

He said:

The Chief of the Thousand said in embarrassment:

- I acquired this citizenship for a lot of money.

And immediately freed him from the shackles.

The next day, the captain ordered the chief priests and the entire Sanhedrin to come, and placed Saint Paul before them.

Paul fixed his eyes on the Sanhedrin and said:

- Man brothers! I have lived in good conscience before God until this day ().

And the high priest Ananias, at these words, ordered those standing before him to strike Paul on the mouth ...

Then Paul said to him:

“God will beat you, whitewashed wall!” you sit to judge according to the law, and, contrary to the law, you order me to be beaten ().

But noticing that in the congregation one part of the Sadducees and the other of the Pharisees, Paul cried out, saying:

- Man brothers! I am a Pharisee, son of a Pharisee; for the aspiration of the resurrection of the dead I am judged ().

When he said this, there was a strife between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided: for the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, neither an angel nor a spirit, but the Pharisees admit both. There was a great cry. The Pharisees said:

“We don’t find anything bad in this man.

The Sadducees argued otherwise, and the great strife continued.

The chief commander, fearing that the assembly would tear Paul to pieces, ordered the soldiers to take him from among them and take him to the fortress.

The next night, the Lord appeared to Saint Paul and said:

- Dare, Pavel; for as you testified of me in Jerusalem, so it is fitting for you to testify in Rome ().

At daybreak, some of the hardened Jews gathered in council and vowed not to eat or drink until Paul was killed. And there were more than forty souls who uttered such a spell. Upon learning of this, the captain sent Paul, with a large detachment of armed soldiers to Caesarea, to the ruler Philip.

Having found out about this, the high priest Ananias with the oldest members of the Sanhedrin went themselves to Caesarea and slandered the governor against Paul, blasphemed him before the governor and strongly sought his death, but did not succeed in anything, for no guilt worthy of death was found in him. However, the ruler, wishing to please the Jews, left Paul in chains.

Two years have passed. Philip was replaced by Porcius Festus as ruler. The bishops asked him to send Paul to Jerusalem. And they started this with malicious intent: on the road they hoped to kill the Apostle of Christ. And when Festus asked Paul if he wanted to go to Jerusalem for judgment, Paul answered: “I stand before the court of Caesar, where I should be judged. I did not offend the Jews in any way, as you well know. For if I am wrong and have done something worthy of death, then I do not refuse to die; and if there is nothing of which these accuse me, then no one can betray me to them. I demand a caesarean trial" ().

Then Festus, having spoken to the advisers, answered Paul:

- You demanded a Caesarean court, and you will go to Caesar.

A few days later, King Agrippa came to Caesarea to congratulate Festus and, learning about Paul, wished to see him. And when Paul, having presented himself to King Agrippa and Governor Festus, told them in detail about Christ the Lord and how he believed in Him, King Agrippa said to him:

“You don’t persuade me a little to become a Christian.

Paul answered:

- I would pray to God that not only you, but also everyone listening to me today, become like me, except for these bonds ().

After these words, the king, the ruler and those who were with them stood up; Stepping aside, they conferred among themselves and decided:

“This man has done nothing worthy of death or bonds.

Agrippa said to Festus:

- It would be possible to release him if he did not demand a trial from Caesar.

Thus they decided to send Paul to Rome to Caesar, and gave him and some other prisoners to a centurion of the royal regiment, named Julius; but this one, having received the prisoners and Paul, put them on the ship, and they all set sail.

Their navigation was not at all safe, owing to contrary winds; when they sailed to the island of Crete and entered the place called "good harbors", Saint Paul, foreseeing the future, advised to spend the winter there with the ship; but the centurion had more confidence in the helmsman and captain of the ship than in the words of Paul. When they sailed to the middle of the sea, a stormy wind rose against them, there was great excitement and such a fog fell that for 14 days they saw neither the sun during the day, nor the stars at night, and did not even know where they were, because they were worn waves, and in despair they did not eat all these days and were already expecting death. There were 276 people on the ship. Paul, standing in their midst, comforted them, saying:

– “Men! it was necessary to obey me and not depart from Crete, which would have avoided these difficulties and harm. Now I urge you to take heart, because not a single soul of you will perish, but only the ship. For the Angel of God, to whom I belong and whom I serve, appeared to me that night and said: “Do not be afraid, Paul! you must stand before Caesar, and behold, God has given you all those who sail with you.” Therefore take heart, men, for I believe God that it will be as I am told.” ().

And Paul urged everyone to take food, saying:

– “It will serve to save your life; for none of you will lose a hair from your head.” ().

Having said this, and taking the bread, he gave thanks to God before everyone, and breaking it, began to eat. Then everyone took heart and also took food.

When the day came, they saw the land, but did not recognize what side it was, and sent the ship to the shore. Approaching him, the ship hit the spit and ran aground; the bow bogged down and remained motionless, and the stern was broken by the force of the waves. The soldiers conferred among themselves to kill all the prisoners, so that someone, having swum out, would not run away; but the centurion, wishing to save Paul, restrained them from this intention and ordered those who knew how to swim to be the first to throw themselves and go ashore; and looking at them, others began to swim, some on boards, others - on what they had from the ship's things, and they all came to the land healthy and were saved from the sea.

Then they learned that this island is called Melit. Its inhabitants, foreigners, showed them considerable philanthropy, because, due to the former rain and cold, they kindled a fire so that those who were wet on the sea would warm themselves.

Meanwhile, Paul gathered up a lot of brushwood and put it on the fire; at this time the viper, coming out of the fever, hung on his hand. When the foreigners saw the snake hanging on his hand, they said to each other:

- It is true, this man is a murderer, when God's judgment does not leave him, who escaped from the sea, to live.

But Paul, having shaken off the snake into the fire, did not suffer any harm. They were expecting that he would have an inflammation, or that he would suddenly fall dead, but after waiting for a long time and seeing that no harm had happened to him, they changed their minds and said that he was God.

The head of that island, named Publius, received those rescued from the sea into his house and treated them in a friendly manner for three days. His father was lying at that time, suffering from a fever and pain in his stomach. Paul went in to him, prayed to the Lord, and laying his hands on the sick man, healed him. After this event, other sick people on the island came to the holy Apostle and were healed.

Three months later, all those who had escaped from the sea with the Apostle set sail from here, already on another ship and sailed to Syracuse, from there to Rygia, then to Puteoli and finally reached Rome. And when the brethren who were in Rome learned of the coming of Paul, they went out to meet him even as far as the Appian Square and the three inns. Seeing them, Paul was comforted in spirit and gave thanks to God.

In Rome, the centurion, who accompanied the prisoners from Jerusalem, handed them over to the commander, and Paul allowed him to live separately with the soldier guarding him.

And Paul lived in Rome for two whole years, and received all who came to him, preaching the Kingdom of God and teaching about our Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness without restraint.

So far, about the life and works of Pavlov from the book of the Acts of the Apostles, written by St. Luke; about his other labors and sufferings, he himself tells in 2 epistle to the Corinthians as follows (in comparison with others, he was): “more in labors, immeasurably in wounds, more in prisons, and many times at death. From the Jews five times it was given me forty [strike] without one; three times I was beaten with sticks, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, night and day I stayed in the depths [of the sea]; many times [was] on travel" ().

Having measured the latitude and longitude of the earth by walking, and the seas by swimming, the Apostle Paul also knew the height of heaven, being caught up to the third heaven. For the Lord, comforting His Apostle in the many painful labors being lifted up for the sake of His holy name, showed him heavenly bliss, which the eye had never seen, and he heard there unspeakable verbs, which a person cannot retell.

How did the holy Apostle accomplish other exploits of his life and work, narrates Eusebius Pamphilus, bishop of Palestinian Caesarea, historian of church events.

After two years of captivity in Rome, Saint Paul was set free as innocent, and preached the word of God now in Rome, now in other Western countries.

About the time of the suffering of the holy Apostle Paul, the news from church historiographers is not the same. Nicephorus Callistus, in the 2nd book of his history, in chapter 36, writes that Saint Paul suffered in the same year and the same day as the holy Apostle Peter, for the sorcerer Simon, whom he helped Peter to overcome. Others say that a whole year after the death of Peter, Paul suffered on the same 29th day of the month of June, on which Saint Peter had been crucified the year before. The reason for Paul's death is that he exhorted virgins and women to a chaste, pure life by preaching Christ. However, there is no great disagreement in these reports: for in the life of Saint Peter (according to Simeon Metaphrastus) it is said that Saint Peter did not suffer immediately after the death of Simon the Magus, but after several years, because of two concubines beloved by Nero, whom the Apostle Peter turned to Christ and taught to live chastely. And since the saint Paul also lived in Rome and the surrounding countries at the same time as Peter, it could easily be both, i.e. that Saint Paul helped Saint Peter and Simon the Magus, during his first stay in Rome, and having come to Rome for the second time, again with Saint Peter unanimously served the salvation of people, instructing men and women of a chaste pure life. And thus the holy Apostles aroused the fury of the impious and depraved life of King Nero, who, having condemned them both to death, executed Peter, as a foreigner, by crucifixion, and Paul, as a Roman citizen (who could not be put to dishonorable death), by beheading, if not in the same year, but on the same day. When Pavlov's honest head was truncated, blood and milk flowed from the wound. The faithful, having taken his holy body, laid it in the same place with Saint Peter.

Thus died the chosen vessel of Christ, the teacher of the peoples, the universal preacher, the eye-witness of heavenly heights and heavenly goodness, the object of wonder of angels and men, the great ascetic and sufferer, who also suffered the wounds of his Lord on his body, the holy supreme Apostle Paul, and secondarily, besides the body , ascended to the third heaven and appeared to the Trinity Light, together with his friend and collaborator, the holy supreme Apostle Peter, having passed from the militant church to the triumphant church, with joyful thanksgiving, the voice and exclamation of those celebrating, and now they glorify the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, one in the Trinity of God, to whom honor, glory, worship and thanksgiving are sent from us sinners, now and forever and forever and ever. Amen.

Troparion, tone 4:

The Apostles of the Mother See, and the teacher of the universe, the Lord of all, pray to grant peace to the universe and great mercy to our souls.

Kontakion, tone 2:

Firm and divine preachers, the top of your apostles, Lord, have you received the pleasure of your good and peace; For oneh sickness and death accepted thou more than any fertility, one who knows the heart.

Caesarea - in ancient times the name of many cities of the Roman Empire. Here, of course, Caesarea in Palestine, built by Strato, in honor of Caesar Octavius ​​Augustus, by the Mediterranean Sea, about 100 versts from Jerusalem, to the northwest, which was the seat of the Roman rulers of Judea; it was fortified and adorned by Herod, once with an excellent harbour; now a pile of ruins. In Palestine, there was another Caesarea, at the foot of Mount Lebanon, built by the tetrarch Philip of Galilee in honor of Caesar Tiberius, and called Caesarea Philippi (in ancient times it was called Vansei).

The name "Christian" did not occur among the followers of the Lord, who usually called each other brothers, disciples, believers; it was first used outside the Church and most likely given to the followers of the Lord by the pagans of Antioch, who, meeting a very significant number of believers, ceased to consider them a Jewish sect and gave Christianity an independent meaning.

Saint Paul, originally bearing the Hebrew name Saul, belonged to the tribe of Benjamin and was born in the Cilician city of Tarsus (in Asia Minor), which was then famous for its Greek academy and the education of its inhabitants. As a native of this city, descended from the Jews, out of slavery to Roman citizens, Paul had the rights of a Roman citizen. It was in Tarsus that Paul received his first upbringing and, probably, there he became acquainted with pagan culture, for traces of acquaintance with pagan writers are clearly visible in his speeches and epistles.

He received his subsequent education in Jerusalem, at the then famous rabbinic academy under the famous teacher Gamaliel, who was considered an expert on the Law and, despite belonging to the party of the Pharisees, was a free-thinking person and a lover of Greek wisdom. Here, according to Jewish custom, the young Saul learned the art of making tents, which later helped him to earn money for food by his own labor.

Young Saul, apparently, was preparing for the position of a rabbi (religious mentor), and therefore, immediately after the end of his upbringing and education, he showed himself to be a strong zealot for the Pharisees' traditions and persecutors of the faith of Christ. Perhaps, by appointment of the Sanhedrin, he witnessed the death of the First Martyr Stephen, and then received the authority to officially persecute Christians even outside of Palestine in Damascus.

The Lord, seeing in him "a vessel chosen by Himself", miraculously called him to the apostolic service on the way to Damascus. During the journey, Saul was illuminated by the brightest light, from which he fell blind to the ground. From the light came a voice: "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?" To Saul's question: "Who are you?" - The Lord answered: "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting." The Lord told Saul to go to Damascus, where he would be instructed what to do next. Saul's companions heard the voice of Christ, but did not see the light. Brought under the arms to Damascus, the blinded Saul was taught the faith and on the third day was baptized by Ananias. At the moment of immersion in the water, Saul received his sight. From that time on, he became a zealous preacher of a previously persecuted doctrine. He went to Arabia for a while, and then returned to Damascus again to preach about Christ.

The fury of the Jews, outraged by his conversion to Christ, forced him to flee to Jerusalem, where he joined the community of believers and became acquainted with the apostles. Because of the Hellenistic attempt to kill him, he went to his native city of Tarsus. From here, about the year 43, he was called by Barnabas to Antioch to preach, and then traveled with him to Jerusalem, where he brought help to those in need.

Shortly after returning from Jerusalem - at the command of the Holy Spirit - Saul, together with Barnabas, set off on his first apostolic journey, which lasted from 45 to 51 years. The apostles traveled the entire island of Cyprus, and from that time Saul, who converted the proconsul Sergius Paul to the faith, is already called Paul. During this time of the missionary journey of Paul and Barnabas, Christian communities were founded in Asia Minor cities: Pisidian Antioch, Iconium, Lystra and Derbe. In the year 51, Saint Paul took part in the Apostolic Council in Jerusalem, where he passionately rebelled against the need for pagans who became Christians to observe the rites of the Mosaic law.

Returning to Antioch, the apostle Paul, accompanied by Silas, undertook a second apostolic journey. First, he visited the churches he had previously founded in Asia Minor, and then moved to Macedonia, where he founded communities in Philippi, Thessalonica and Berea. In Lystra, Saint Paul acquired his beloved disciple Timothy, and from Troas he continued his journey with the Evangelist Luke, who joined them. From Macedonia, Saint Paul moved to Greece, where he preached in Athens and Corinth, staying in the latter for a year and a half. From there he sent two letters to Thessalonica. The second journey lasted from 51 to 54 years. Then Saint Paul went to Jerusalem, visiting Ephesus and Caesarea along the way, and from Jerusalem he arrived in Antioch.

After a short stay in Antioch, the Apostle Paul undertook his third apostolic journey (56-58), visiting first, according to his custom, the previously founded churches of Asia Minor, and then stopped in Ephesus, where for two years he preached daily at the school of Tyrannus. From here he wrote his epistle to the Galatians (in regard to the strengthening of the Jewish party there) and the first letter to the Corinthians (in connection with the riots that had arisen there and in response to a letter from the Corinthians to him). A popular uprising, raised by the silversmith Demetrius against Paul, forced the apostle to leave Ephesus, and he went to Macedonia, and then to Jerusalem.

In Jerusalem, because of a popular uprising against him, the Apostle Paul was taken into custody by the Roman authorities and ended up in prison, first under the proconsul Felix, and then under the proconsul Festus who replaced him. This happened in the year 59, and two years later, the Apostle Paul, as a Roman citizen, was sent to Rome to be judged by Caesar at his request. Shipwrecked at Fr. Malta, the apostle reached Rome only in the summer of 62, where he enjoyed the great indulgence of the Roman authorities and preached freely. From Rome, the Apostle Paul wrote his epistles to the Philippians (with gratitude for the monetary allowance sent to him with Epaphroditus), to the Colossians, to the Ephesians, and to Philemon, a resident of Colossae (about the slave Onesimus who had fled from him). All three of these letters were written in 63 and sent with Tychicus. A letter to the Palestinian Jews was soon written from Rome.

The further fate of the Apostle Paul is not exactly known. Some believe that he remained in Rome and, at the behest of Nero, was martyred in 64. But there is reason to believe that after a two-year imprisonment and defense of his case before the senate and the emperor, the apostle Paul was released and again traveled to the East. Indications of this can be found in his "pastoral epistles" - to Timothy and Titus. After spending a long time on the island of Crete, he left his disciple Titus there for the ordination of presbyters in all cities, which testifies to his ordination of Titus to the bishops of the Cretan church. Later, in his letter to Titus, the apostle Paul instructs him on how to carry out the duties of a bishop. From the same message it is clear that he intended to spend that winter in Nicopolis, near his native Tarsus.

In the spring of 65, he visited the rest of the Asia Minor churches and left the sick Trofim in Miletus, because of which there was an indignation against the apostle in Jerusalem, which entailed his first imprisonment. Whether the apostle Paul passed through Ephesus is not known, since he said that the presbyters of Ephesus would no longer see his face, but he apparently ordained Timothy as a bishop for Ephesus at this time. Then the apostle passed through Troas and reached Macedonia. There he heard about the rise of false teachings in Ephesus and wrote his first letter to Timothy. After spending some time in Corinth and meeting the Apostle Peter on the way, Paul continued his journey with him through Dalmatia and Italy, reached Rome, where he left the Apostle Peter, and already in the year 66 he went further west, probably reaching Spain.

After returning to Rome, he was again imprisoned, in which he remained until his death. There is a legend that after returning to Rome, he even preached at the court of Emperor Nero and converted his beloved concubine to faith in Christ. For this, he was put on trial, and although, by the grace of God, he was delivered, in his own words, from the jaws of a lion, that is, from being eaten by animals in the circus, he was nevertheless imprisoned.

After a nine-month imprisonment, he was beheaded by the sword, as a Roman citizen, not far from Rome in the year 67 after AD, in the 12th year of the reign of Nero.

A general look at the life of the Apostle Paul shows that it is sharply divided into two halves. Prior to his conversion to Christ, Saint Paul, then Saul, was a strict Pharisee, a executor of the law of Moses and patristic traditions, who thought to be justified by the deeds of the law and zeal for the faith of the fathers, which reached fanaticism. After his conversion, he became an apostle of Christ, wholly devoted to the cause of the gospel, happy in his calling, but conscious of his own impotence in the performance of this lofty ministry and attributing all his deeds and merits to the grace of God. The whole life of the apostle before his conversion, according to his deep conviction, was a delusion, a sin and led him to condemnation. Only the grace of God pulled him out of this destructive delusion. From that time on, the apostle Paul only tries to be worthy of this grace of God and not to deviate from his calling. He realizes that there is not and cannot be any question of merit before God: everything is the work of His mercy.

The Apostle Paul wrote 14 epistles, which are a systematization of Christian teaching. These messages, thanks to his wide education and insight, are distinguished by great originality.

The Apostle Paul, like the Apostle Peter, worked hard in spreading the faith of Christ and is justly revered with him as a "pillar" of the Church of Christ and the supreme apostle. They both died as martyrs in Rome under the emperor Nero, and their memory is celebrated on the same day.

During the formation and spread of Christianity, many significant historical figures appeared who made a great contribution to the common cause. Among them, one can single out the Apostle Paul, to whom many religious scholars treat differently.

Who is the apostle Paul, what is he famous for?

One of the most prominent preachers of Christianity was the apostle Paul. He took part in writing the New Testament. For many years the name of the Apostle Paul was a kind of banner of struggle against paganism. Historians believe that his influence on Christian theology was the most effective. The Holy Apostle Paul achieved great success in his missionary work. His "Epistle" became the basis for writing the New Testament. It is believed that Paul wrote approximately 14 books.

Where was the apostle Paul born?

According to existing sources, the saint was born in Asia Minor (modern Turkey) in the city of Tarsus in the 1st century AD. in a wealthy family. At birth, the future apostle received the name Saul. The Apostle Paul, whose biography has been carefully studied by researchers, was a Pharisee, and he was brought up in the strict canons of the Jewish faith. Parents believed that a theologian teacher would come out of their son, so he was sent to study in Jerusalem.

It is important to pay attention to the fact that the Apostle Paul had Roman citizenship, which gave a number of privileges, for example, a person could not be shackled until the court found guilty. The Roman citizen was exempted from various physical punishments, which were shameful, and from the death penalty, degrading, such as crucifixion. Roman citizenship was also taken into account during the execution of the Apostle Paul.

Apostle Paul - life

It has already been said that Saul was born into a wealthy family, thanks to which his father and mother were able to give him a good education. The guy knew the Torah and knew how to interpret it. According to existing data, he was a member of the local Sanhedrin - the highest religious institution that could conduct trials of people. In this place, Saul first encountered Christians, who were the ideological enemies of the Pharisees. The future apostle admitted that many believers, on his orders, ended up in prison and were killed. One of the most famous executions involving Saul was the stoning of St. Stephen.

Many are interested in how Paul became an apostle, and there is a story connected with this reincarnation. Saul went with the imprisoned Christians to Damascus to be punished. On the way, he heard a voice that came from heaven, and addressed him by name and asked why he was persecuting him. According to tradition, it was Jesus Christ who spoke to Saul. After that, the man went blind for three days, and the Damascus Christian Ananias helped him restore his sight. This made Saul believe in the Lord and become a preacher.

The Apostle Paul, as an example of a missionary, is known for his dispute with one of the main helpers of Christ, the Apostle Peter, whom he accused of preaching insincerely, trying to arouse sympathy among the pagans and not incur the condemnation of fellow believers. Many religious scholars claim that Paul considered himself more experienced due to the fact that he was well versed in the Torah and his sermons sounded more convincing. For this he was called "the apostle of the Gentiles." It is worth noting that Peter did not argue with Paul and admitted that he was right, especially since he was familiar with such a thing as hypocrisy.

How did the apostle Paul die?

In those days, the pagans persecuted Christians, and especially preachers of the faith, and severely dealt with them. Through his activities, the apostle Paul made a huge number of enemies among the Jews. He was first arrested and sent to Rome, but there he was released. The story of how the apostle Paul was executed at the ball begins with the fact that he converted two concubines of Emperor Nero to Christianity, who refused to engage in carnal pleasures with him. The ruler became angry and ordered the arrest of the apostle. By order of the emperor, Paul was beheaded.

Where is the apostle Paul buried?

On the site where the saint was executed and buried, a temple was built, which was called San Paolo Fuori le Mura. It is considered one of the most majestic church basilicas. On the day of memory of Paul in 2009, the Pope announced that a scientific study of the sarcophagus was carried out, which was located under the altar of the temple. Experiments proved that the biblical apostle Paul was buried in it. The Pope said that when all the research is completed, the sarcophagus will be available for worship of believers.

Apostle Paul - Prayer

For his deeds, the saint received a gift from the Lord during his lifetime, giving him the opportunity to heal sick people. After his death, his prayer began to help, which, according to testimonies, has already healed a huge number of people from various diseases and even fatal ones. The Apostle Paul is mentioned in the Bible and his great power is able to strengthen faith in a person and direct him to the righteous path. Sincere prayer will help protect yourself from demonic temptations. The clergy believe that any petition that comes from a pure heart will be heard by a saint.

The Holy Apostle Peter - the elder brother of the Apostle Andrew the First-Called - before his apostolic activity was a fisherman, had a wife and two children and was called Simon. He was simple, unlearned, poor and God-fearing, as St. John Chrysostom speaks of him. "You are Simon, the son of Jonas; you will be called Cephas, which means "stone" (Peter)," the Lord said when Andrew brought his brother Peter to Him (John 1:42). And although Peter was immediately kindled with an ardent love for the Lord, the Savior did not immediately call him to the apostolic ministry, but when faith and determination were strengthened in him. Soon the Lord Himself visited Peter's house and healed his mother-in-law of a fever with a touch of His hand (Mk. 1:29-31). Of the three chosen of His disciples, the Lord honored Saint Peter to be a witness of His Divine glory on Tabor (Matt. 17:1-9; Lk. 9:28-36), His Divine power at the resurrection of the daughter of Jairus (Lk. 8:41-56) , His Divine prayer vigil in the Garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 26:37-41). The Apostle Peter was so ardently devoted to the Lord Jesus Christ in his ministry that the Lord more often than others allowed him to reveal his human infirmities, instructing other disciples who forget the words: "Without Me you can do nothing" (John 15:5). ). So, for example, Saint Peter was the only one of the disciples who, recognizing the Lord Jesus Christ walking on the sea, went to meet Him on the water, but, suddenly doubting the Divine help of his Teacher, began to drown, but was saved by the Lord, who reproached him for his lack of faith. (Matthew 14:28-31). The Holy Apostle Peter was also the only one of the disciples who immediately answered the question of the Lord, for whom they revere Him: "You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God" (Matt. 16:16). The Apostle Peter was the only one who defended the Lord from those who came to betray the Teacher to suffering and death. He was also the only disciple who, when tempted, denied Christ three times. However, the Lord, accepting the tearful repentance of His disciple, deigned him to be the first of the Apostles to see Himself Risen (Luke 24:34). Saint Peter finally blotted out his threefold denial by his threefold confession of love for the Savior (John 21:15-17). The Lord Jesus Christ restored him to apostolic dignity, entrusting him to feed His verbal sheep.

After the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles, Who breathed into them the Divine power to live and preach holy, act and govern in the Church, the love of the Apostle Peter for the Lord was exalted so much that it was not slow to manifest itself in his ardent confession, in perfect miracles in the name of Christ, in his joy endure any sorrows, persecutions and hardships, in his readiness to accept death on the cross for the Teacher. Persecuted by the Sanhedrin, the Apostle Peter fearlessly, with great boldness, preached the Risen Christ in the face of those who crucified Him and forbade preaching about Him (Acts 4:13-20; 5:27-32). The power of the word of the Apostle Peter was so powerful that his brief sermon converted thousands of people to Christ (Acts 2:41; 4:4). His confession of the Christian faith was accompanied by miraculous signs. According to his word, those convicted of a crime breathed out (Acts 5:5-10), and the dead were raised (Acts 9:40), the lame began to walk (Acts 3:1-8), the paralytic were healed (Acts 9:32 -34), the sick received grace-filled help even from touching his shadow (Acts 5:15).

Saint Peter was an apostle mainly for the Jews, although during his apostolic labors he led pagans to faith, for which he was persecuted and subjected to repeated imprisonment. During his third stay in prison, he was miraculously released from it by the Angel of the Lord, who opened the prison doors for him, removed the shackles and led him past the sleeping guards (Acts 12, 7-10).

Saint Peter preached the gospel in Samaria and Judea, Galilee and Caesarea, Syria and Antioch, Phoenicia and Cappadocia, Galatia and Pontus, Bithynia and Troy, Babylon and Rome, Britain and Greece. In Caesarea, Palestine, Saint Peter was the first of Christ's disciples to open the doors of faith to the pagans, baptizing the Roman centurion Cornelius and his relatives (Acts 10). Throughout his preaching journey, the holy Apostle Peter ordained the most faithful of his disciples as bishops and presbyters, taught the people the wisdom of God, healed the sick, cast out unclean spirits from the possessed. In Rome, the last place of his stay, the apostle Peter multiplied the number of Christians with the holy gospel and strengthened them in the faith, defeated the enemies and denounced the deceivers. According to many testimonies and traditions, while in Rome, the holy apostle exposed Simon the sorcerer, who pretended to be Christ, and converted two concubines of Emperor Nero to the faith of Christ.

Two Epistles of the Apostle Peter are known, relating to the years 63 and 67, respectively. The apostle exhorts newly converted Christians not to be embarrassed by slander, threats and persecution, calls not to deviate in any way to please the pagans from the purity of Christian life; denounces false prophets and false teachers who abolish all moral foundations in view of the falsely understood Christian freedom and deny the Divine Essence of the Savior.

In Rome, the Apostle Peter was foreshadowed by the Lord Himself about his imminent death (2 Peter 1:14). At the command of Emperor Nero, who longed to avenge the apostle for the death of his friend Simon the Magus and for the conversion of his beloved wives to Christ, the holy Apostle Peter was crucified in the year 67, presumably on June 29. Before his martyrdom, considering himself unworthy of accepting the same execution that his beloved Teacher had undergone, the Apostle Peter asked the tormentors to crucify him head down, desiring even at the time of death to bow his head to the Lord.

The Holy Apostle Paul came from the tribe of Benjamin, before his apostolic service he was called Saul. He was born in the Cilician city of Tarsus from noble parents and had the rights of Roman citizenship. Saul was brought up with due strictness in the law of the fathers and belonged to the sect of the Pharisees. To continue his education, his parents sent him to Jerusalem to the famous teacher Gamaliel, who was a member of the Sanhedrin. Despite the religious tolerance of his teacher, who later received holy baptism (Comm. 2 August), Saul was a devout Jew who incited hatred towards Christians. He approved the murder of Archdeacon Stephen (+34; Comm. 27 December), who, according to some accounts, was his relative, and even guarded the clothes of those who stoned the holy martyr (Acts 8:3). He forced people to rebuke the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 26:11) and even asked the Sanhedrin for permission to persecute Christians wherever they appeared and bring them bound to Jerusalem (Acts 9:1-2). One day, it was in the year 34, on the way to Damascus, where Saul was sent with an order from the high priests to torture the Christians hiding there from persecution, the Divine Light, surpassing the sunshine, suddenly shone Saul. All the soldiers accompanying him fell to the ground, and he heard a voice saying to him: "Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting Me? It is difficult for you to go against the pricks." Saul asked, "Who are you, Lord?" The voice answered, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. But get up and stand on your feet; for this I have come to you, to make you a minister and a witness of what you have seen and what I will reveal to you, delivering you from the people of the Jews and from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you to open their eyes, so that they turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, and by faith in Me receive the forgiveness of sins and the lot with the sanctified" (Acts 26, 13-18). Saul's companions heard the voice, but they could not make out the words. Saul was blinded by the shining Divine Light, he did not see anything until his spiritual eyes finally saw through.

In Damascus, he spent three days fasting and praying without taking food or drink. In this city lived one of the 70 disciples of Christ, the holy Apostle Ananias (Comm. 1 October). The Lord in a vision revealed to him everything that had happened to Paul and commanded him to go to the poor blind man in order to lay his hands on him and restore his sight (Acts 9:10-12). The apostle Ananias fulfilled the command, and immediately, as if the scales fell off Saul's eyes, and he received his sight. Having received holy baptism, Saul was named Paul and became, in the words of St. John Chrysostom, from a wolf - a lamb, from thorns - grapes, from tares - wheat, from an enemy - a friend, from a blasphemer - a theologian. The holy Apostle Paul began to fervently preach in the synagogues of Damascus that Christ is truly the Son of God. The Jews, who knew him as a persecutor of Christians, now inflamed with anger and hatred towards him and decided to kill him. However, the Christians saved the Apostle Paul: helping him get away from the chase, they lowered him in a basket from the window of a house adjoining the city wall.

In the vision that the Apostle Ananias was granted, the Lord called the Apostle Paul "the chosen vessel" called to proclaim the name of Jesus Christ "before the peoples and kings and sons of Israel" (Acts 9:15). Having received instructions from the Lord about the gospel, the Apostle Paul began to preach the faith of Christ among the Jews and especially among the pagans, wandering from country to country and sending out his epistles (14 in number), which he wrote on the way and which, according to St. John Chrysostom, are still enclose the Universal Church like a wall built of adamant.

Enlightening the nations with the teachings of Christ, the apostle Paul undertook long journeys. In addition to his repeated stays in Palestine, he went preaching about Christ in Phenicia, Syria, Cappadocia, Galatia, Lycaonia, Pamphylia, Caria, Lycia, Phrygia, Mysia, Lydia, Macedonia, Italy, the islands of Cyprus, Lesbos, Samothrace, Samos, Patmos, Rhodes, Melit, Sicily and other lands. The power of his preaching was so great that the Jews could not oppose anything to the power of Paul's teaching (Acts 9:22); the pagans themselves asked him to preach the word of God, and the whole city gathered to listen to him (Acts 13:42-44). The gospel of the Apostle Paul quickly spread everywhere and disarmed everyone (Acts 13:49; 14:1; 17:4:12; 18:8). His sermons reached the hearts of not only ordinary people, but also learned and noble people (Acts 13:12; 17:34; 18:8). The power of the word of the Apostle Paul was accompanied by miracles: his word healed the sick (Acts 14:10; 16:18), struck the magician with blindness (Acts 13:11), raised the dead (Acts 20:9-12); even the things of the holy apostle were miraculous - from touching them, miraculous healings were performed, and evil spirits left the possessed (Acts 19, 12). For good deeds and fiery preaching, the Lord honored His faithful disciple with admiration to the third heaven. By his own admission, the holy Apostle Paul, he "was caught up into paradise and heard unspeakable words, which a man cannot retell" (2 Cor. 12, 2-4).

In his unceasing labors, the apostle Paul endured innumerable tribulations. In one of the Epistles, he admits that he has been in dungeons more than once and many times near death. “From the Jews,” he writes, “five times I was given forty blows without one; three times I was beaten with sticks, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, night and day I spent in the depths of the sea. Many times I was in danger on rivers, in danger from robbers, in danger from fellow tribesmen, in danger from the Gentiles, in danger in the city, in danger in the desert, in danger at sea, in danger between false brothers, in labor and exhaustion, often in vigil, in hunger and in thirst, often in fasting, in the cold and in nakedness (2 Cor. 11:24-27).

The holy apostle Paul endured all his needs and sorrows with great humility and tears of gratitude (Acts 20:19), for at any time he was ready to die for the name of the Lord Jesus (Acts 21:13). Despite the unceasing persecution that the apostle Paul endured, he also felt great respect for himself from his contemporaries. The pagans, seeing his miracles, gave him great honor (Acts 28:10); the inhabitants of Lystra for the miraculous healing of the lame man recognized him as a god (Acts 14, 11-18); the name of Pavlov was used by the Jews in spells (Acts 19:13). Believers with the greatest zeal guarded the Apostle Paul (Acts 9, 25, 30; 19, 30; 21, 12); saying goodbye to him, Christians prayed for him with tears and, kissing, saw him off (Acts 20, 37-38); some Corinthian Christians called themselves Pauline (1 Cor. 1:12).

According to some legends, the apostle Paul helped the apostle Peter defeat Simon the sorcerer and convert two beloved wives of Emperor Nero to Christianity, for which he was sentenced to death. Other sources indicate that the reason for the execution of the Apostle Paul was the fact that he had converted to Christianity as the chief imperial butler. According to some sources, the day of the death of the Apostle Paul coincides with the day of the death of the Apostle Peter, according to others, it happened exactly one year after the crucifixion of the Apostle Peter. As a Roman citizen, the apostle Paul was beheaded by the sword.

The veneration of the holy apostles Peter and Paul began immediately after their execution. The place of their burial was sacred to the early Christians. In the 4th century, Saints Equal-to-the-Apostles Constantine the Great (+337; Comm. 21 May) erected churches in honor of the holy chief apostles in Rome and Constantinople. Their joint celebration - on June 29 - was so widespread that the well-known church writer of the 4th century, St. Ambrose, Bishop of Mediolan (+397; Comm. December 7), wrote: "...their celebration cannot be hidden in any part of the world." St. John Chrysostom, in a conversation on the day of memory of the apostles Peter and Paul, said: “What is greater than Peter! What is equal to Paul in deed and word! They surpassed all nature on earth and heaven. Peter is the bridle of the lawless Jews, Paul is the caller of the Gentiles, and behold the highest wisdom of the Lord, Who chose Peter from the fishermen, Paul from the skin-makers Peter is the beginning of Orthodoxy, the great clergyman of the Church, the necessary adviser of Christians, the treasury heavenly gifts, the chosen apostle of the Lord; Paul is the great preacher of the Truth, the glory of the universe, soaring in the heights, the spiritual lyre, the organ of the Lord, the vigilant helmsman of the Church of Christ.

Celebrating on this day the memory of the supreme apostles, the Orthodox Church glorifies the spiritual firmness of St. Peter and the mind of St. Paul, sings in them the image of the conversion of those who sin and correct: in the Apostle Peter - the image of one who rejected the Lord and repented, in the Apostle Paul - the image of those who resisted the preaching of the Lord and then believer.

In the Russian Church, the veneration of the apostles Peter and Paul began after the Baptism of Russia. According to church tradition, the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir (+1015; Comm. 15 July) brought from Korsun an icon of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, which was later presented as a gift to the Novgorod Sophia Cathedral. In the same cathedral, frescoes of the 11th century depicting the Apostle Peter are still preserved. In the Kiev Sophia Cathedral, wall paintings depicting the apostles Peter and Paul date back to the 11th-12th centuries. The first monastery in honor of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul was erected in Novgorod on Mount Sinichaya in 1185. Around the same time, the construction of the Petrovsky Monastery in Rostov began. The Peter and Paul Monastery existed in the 13th century in Bryansk.

The names of the apostles Peter and Paul, received at holy baptism, are especially common in Russia. These names were borne by many saints of Ancient Russia. The great-grandson of Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir, the holy noble prince Yaropolk of Vladimir-Volynsky, bore the name Peter in holy baptism (+1086; Comm. 22 November). This holy prince erected a temple in Kyiv in the name of the holy Apostle Peter (XI century). On August 28, the Russian Church celebrates the memory of St. Paul the Obedient of the Kiev Caves (+XIII); June 30 of the Monk Peter, Tsarevich of the Horde and Rostov (+1290); January 10 - Rev. Paul Komelsky, Obnorsky (+1429); December 21 - St. Peter, Wonderworker of Moscow and All Russia (+1326).