The Holy Glorious and All-Praised Leader of the Apostles, Paul
-
O foremost of the Apostles and teachers of the inhabited earth, / intercede with the Master of all / to grant peace to the world and great mercy to our souls.
-
(The original melody)
You received the steadfast and divinely-inspired Heralds, O Lord, the Foremost Apostles, / for the enjoyment of Your blessings and repose. / For You recognized their labors and death as greater than any burnt offering, / for You alone know what is in the hearts of men. -
Today Christ the Rock glorifies the rock of Faith / and leader of the Apostles with highest honor. / Together with Paul and the company of the Twelve, / whose memory we celebrate with eagerness of faith, / giving glory to Him Who glorified them.
The hymns for their Feast speak of Saints Peter and Paul as the leaders (koryphaioi), and chiefs of the Apostles. They are, without a doubt, the foremost in the ranks of the Apostles.
The koryphaioi were leaders of the chorus in ancient Greek tragedy. They set the pattern for the singing, and also for the dance movements and gestures of the chorus. Before Sophocles, there were twelve members of the chorus, and Saints Peter and Paul were the leaders of the twelve Apostles.
Saint Paul was of the tribe of Benjamin, and lived in Tarsus in Cilicia. He once described himself as a Hebrew, an Israelite of the seed of Abraham (2 Cor. 11:22). He was also a Pharisee and a tent-maker (Acts 18:3) who had studied the Law with Gamaliel at Jerusalem.
At first, he was called Saul, and had persecuted the Church. He was present at the stoning of Saint Stephen (Acts 7: 58). Then, on the road to Damascus, he was converted when Christ appeared to him. Blinded by the vision, he was healed when Ananias laid his hands on him. After his cure, he was baptized (Acts 9:18).
Saint Paul preached the Gospel in Greece, Asia Minor, and in Rome, and wrote fourteen Epistles. Tradition says that he was martyred in Rome about the year 68.
