Andronicus and Junia
Acta Sanctorum, May 17
Source text: Public Domain. English translation/apparatus/encoding: CC BY-NC 4.0, Wroot Press.
https://actasanctorum.org/may/day-17/andronicus-and-junia.html
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ON SS. ANDRONICUS AND JUNIA,

MENTIONED BY S. PAUL.

CENTURY I

[Commentary]

Andronicus, mentioned by S. Paul (S.)

Junia, mentioned by S. Paul (S.)

G. H.

[1] The illustrious memory of these is found among the Greeks
in all Ecclesiastical books, on this
XVII of May: and especially in the Menology
of Basil the Emperor Porphyrogenitus they are adorned
with this elogy: [Elogy from the Menol. of Basil the Emperor.] On the seventeenth day of the same month
of May; the memory of S. Andronicus the Apostle, one of the Seventy,
and of Junia. Andronicus, Apostle of Christ,
when he traversed the whole circle of lands, just as if
he had wings by which he was borne up, everywhere
proclaiming the faith of Christ,
overthrew utterly every error of the Gentiles from the foundations: but
planted every piety and orthodox religion,
having as his companion and helper of the divine
preaching the admirable woman Junia,
dead to the world and the flesh, alive to God alone, and discharging
her office. Together therefore they drew many of the unbelievers
to the knowledge of God, and reconciled them
to Christ, and made them sons of light and of day through holy
baptism; and the temples of idols
having been overthrown, they everywhere built churches of Christ.
The great luminary of the world, the Apostle Paul, also makes
mention of these Saints in his Epistles;
saying, Salute Andronicus and Junia. These therefore
when they had cast out impure spirits from many men,
and had cured many incurable diseases, departed
to Christ.

[2] These things there, which after the first volume of May can be read in Greek:
and almost the same are had in the Greek MS. Synaxary:
likewise everywhere in all Menaea written by hand and printed by type,
in the Greek Menology published by Sirletus. In the new Anthology
published by the authority of Pope Clement VIII, [mention by Paul to the Romans] and in
the βίοι
ἁγίων collected by Maximus Bishop of Cythera:
everywhere however S. Junia is praised as an admirable woman.
The words of the Apostle Paul to the Romans chapter 16 verse 7
are these: Salute Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen
and fellow-prisoners, who are noble among the Apostles,
who also were in Christ before me. He calls them kinsmen,
perhaps because joined by the bond of proper blood, or
fellow-tribesmen of S. Paul, that is of the tribe of Benjamin, or at least
because they were Jews; as in the same epistle of the Jews in general
he said in chapter 8, Who are my kinsmen according to
the flesh. He also calls them his fellow-prisoners, because at some time
they were together in chains: but where and on what occasion
is not expressed. They are called noble among the Apostles, in Greek
ἐπίσημοι, that is, illustrious and notable in the Apostolate, because
they announced the Gospel of Christ to the unbelievers. Hence Theodoret
admires the dignity of S. Junia, that a woman should obtain the name
of Apostle. Bless me! he says, how great was the philosophy of this woman,
that she should be held worthy of an Apostolic appellation. Finally Paul adds: Who also
were in Christ before me. That is, who before me believed
in Christ and were Christians: namely when
Andronicus was taken among the Seventy disciples of Christ,
as also Origen, Chrysostom and others have
judged.

[3] The body of S. Andronicus seems to have been translated to one of the churches of Constantinople,
and hence it has come about, that the whole Office of this day he alone occupies,
the name of Junia being lightly and in passing only indicated in the titles, and
once in the Canon, which S. Joseph the Hymnographer composed
under this acrostic.
Αἶνον
προσοίω
τῷ
σοφῷ
Ἀνδρονίκῳ,
ΙΩΣΗΦ,
I will offer praise to the wise Andronicus. [Miracles wont to occur in his church.] Joseph.
Likewise in the distich, prefixed to the lection of the Synaxary, alone is named
Andronicus; and it is this:
Ἔθνη
διδάξας,
Ἀπόστολε,
μυρία,
Πρὸς
Χριστὸν
ἦλθες,
ὃς
καλεῖ
πρὸς
φῶς
ἔθνη.
Having instructed many nations, O Apostle,
You went to Christ who calls the nations to light.
Moreover not only the body, but also a church under his name
erected or at least an oratory at Constantinople or
elsewhere existed, the Canon indicates: which after in the first Ode it had so
applauded the Saint, You have received from the divine grace of the Deity
to cleanse diseases, and to put to flight the worst spirits,
O Andronicus wise in God; in the sixth Ode speaking more distinctly,
Your house, he says, gushes forth fountains of cures
to those resorting with faith, O Apostle, washing away spiritual
infirmities; and again in the seventh; Grave
diseases and whatever sicknesses, from the bodies
equally and souls of those resorting to you in your house,
you put to flight, O wise disciple of Christ. And with these is consonant
the Antiphon, to be sung for the Psalms between the second and third Odes,
thus conceived. The divine Andronicus, transformed into light,
illumined hearts with the light of divine knowledge;
and so he came to the Lord: and therefore
even after death, to those approaching his venerable house
with faith, he bestows cures, and obtains great
mercy for all.

[4] In the Synopsis of the Apostles and disciples of Christ, which
under the name of S. Dorotheus Bishop and Martyr is everywhere printed,
[The Synopsis of Dorotheus makes them Bishops, even Junias,] and seems to be of some Roman Dorotheus and perhaps
Abbot, these things are read about S. Andronicus the XVIII disciple:
Andronicus, of whom also the Apostle in that
which is to the Romans makes mention, was made
Bishop of Pannonia: and afterwards Junias is placed as the LIV
disciple in these words: Of whom also Paul makes
mention: he was made Bishop of Apamea in Syria. Hence
by some Junias is held to be a man, not Junia a woman,
another reason being added, that Paul calls them both kinsmen
and fellow-prisoners in the masculine gender, as
the Grammarians speak, but in Greek συγγενεῖς
καὶ
συναιχμάλωτοι
are of common gender. What [whom others hold to be a woman.] of the fact that
when two substantives of different gender concur, the adjective is generally adapted
to the more powerful gender, not only among
the Greeks but also among the Latins; and so would be said father and
mother dead [masculine], not dead [feminine]. Otherwise whatever it be of
that gender, the aforesaid Synopsis is not greatly esteemed, and
therefore the said Episcopates of them are not at once admitted,
without the testimony of other Greeks: which however
in the case of S. Andronicus Galesinius did, and following him Canisius,
or whoever augmented his German Martyrology; likewise
Ferrarius, but on the following XVIII day of May.
