Jason and Sosipater

Apostles Jason and Sosipater of the Seventy

Orthros artwork for the life of Jason and Sosipater
Orthros artwork

From the Prologue of Ochrid

The first two were of the Seventy Apostles, and the last was the daughter of a certain king on the island of Corfu. Jason and Sosipater are mentioned by the Apostle Paul (Rom. 16:21), who calls them his kinsmen. Jason was from Tarsus, as was the Apostle Paul himself, and Sosipater from Achaia. The first was appointed by the apostles as Bishop of Tarsus and the second as Bishop of Iconium. Traveling and preaching the Gospel, these two apostles arrived on the island of Corfu, where they succeeded in building a church in the name of Saint Stephen the Protomartyr and in winning some pagans over to the Church. The king of that island cast them into prison, where seven brigands were confined: Saturninus, Jakischolus, Faustianus, Januarius, Marsalius, Euphrasius, and Mammius. These seven the apostles converted to the faith of Christ, and from wolves made them lambs. When the king heard of this, he ordered that the seven be put to death in boiling pitch. And so they received the crown of martyrdom. When after this the king was torturing the apostles, his daughter the virgin Cercyra watched from a window the sufferings of the men of God, and learning why they were being tortured, she herself declared that she was a Christian and distributed all her jewels to the poor. The king grew wrathful at his daughter and confined her in a special prison, and when he could not thereby turn her from Christ, he ordered the prison set afire. The prison burned down, but the virgin remained alive. Seeing this miracle, many people were baptized. The enraged king then ordered his daughter bound to a tree and slain with arrows. Those who had come to believe in Christ fled from the terrible king to a nearby island and hid themselves. The king set out by boat to seize them, but the boat sank in the sea, and so the impious one perished as did Pharaoh of old. The new king accepted the Christian faith, was baptized, and received the name Sebastian. Jason and Sosipater freely preached the Gospel and strengthened the Church of God on Corfu into deep old age, and there they ended their earthly lives and passed into the courts of the Lord.

Hymns

Apolytikion (troparion)
We honor the glorious and famous like-minded pair,
Sts. Jason and Sosipater, the Apostles of Christ,
together extolling them.
Once they received the grace of elocution they traveled
to Kerkyra and shone the light of truth on its people.
And now they are interceding with the Lord, to save our souls.
Kontakion
Enlightened by the teachings of Paul, you became luminaries of the world, O thrice-blessed Saints. And now you ever brighten the world with your miracles, O Jason, wellspring of cures, and Sosipater, glorious Martyr of Christ. As God-bearing Apostles and defenders of those in need, implore God to save our souls.

English text: AGES Initiatives / Fr. Seraphim Dedes, GOA edition (alwb-library-en-us-goadedes), CC0 1.0 (public-domain dedication).

Also commemorated on April 28

Learn about similar saints

Questions

When is the feast day of Jason and Sosipater?
The Orthodox Church commemorates Jason and Sosipater on April 28 on the New Calendar and May 11 on the Old Calendar.
Whose name day is the feast of Jason and Sosipater?
It is the name day for those named Sosipater.
Who else is commemorated on that day?
The Church also remembers Nine Martyrs at Cyzicus.
What is the troparion of Jason and Sosipater?
We honor the glorious and famous like-minded pair, Sts. Jason and Sosipater, the Apostles of Christ, together extolling them. Once they received the grace of elocution they traveled to Kerkyra and shone the light of truth on its people. And now they are interceding with the Lord, to save our souls.
What is the kontakion of Jason and Sosipater?
Enlightened by the teachings of Paul, you became luminaries of the world, O thrice-blessed Saints. And now you ever brighten the world with your miracles, O Jason, wellspring of cures, and Sosipater, glorious Martyr of Christ. As God-bearing Apostles and defenders of those in need, implore God to save our souls.
When is the feast of Jason and Sosipater in 2027?
In 2027, on the New Calendar, it falls on Wednesday, April 28.

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