ANDREW (an'dru) (Gr. •AySpercis, manly), one of the twelve apostles. His name is of Greek origin, but was in use among the Jews, as appears from a passage quoted from the Jerusalem Talmud by Lightfoot (Harmony, Luke v:10).
Personal History. He was a native of the city of Bethsaida in Galilee, and brother of Simon Peter.
(1) Receives Christ. He was at first a dis ciple of John the Baptist, and was led to receive Jesus as the Messiah in consequence of John's expressly pointing him out as 'the Lamb of God' ( John i :36, 4o). 1 lis first care, after he had satisfied himself as to the validity of the claims of Jesus, was to bring to him his brother Simon. Neither of them, however, became at that time st fled attendants on our Lord, for we find that they were still pursuing their occupation of fish ermen on the sea of Galilee when Jesus, after John's imprisonment, called them to follow him (Mark i:t4, 17).
(2) As an Apostle. Very little is related of Andrew by any of the evangelists. The principal incidents in which his name occurs during the life of Christ are the feeding of the five thousand (John vi :9) ; his introducing to our Lord certain Greeks who desired to see hint ( John xii :22); and his asking, along with his brother Simon and the two sons of Zebedee, for a further explana tion of what our Lord had said in reference to the destruction of the temple ( Mark xiii :3). Of
his subsequent history and labors we have no authentic record.
(3) Tradition. Tradition assigns Scythia ( Euseb. 71 ), Greece (Theodora, is 1425), and Thrace (Hippolytus, ii :3o) as the scenes of his ministry; he is said to have suffered cruci fixion at Patrat in Achaia, on a cross of the form called Crux decussata (X). and commonly known as 'St. Andrew's cross' (Winer's Bib'. Realworie•bush, sub voce). The modern Greeks make him founder of the church of Byzantium. An apocryphal book, hearing the title of 'The Acts of Andrew,' is mentioned by Eusebius, Epiphanius and others. It is now completely lost, and seems never to have been received except by some heret ical sects, as the Encratites, Origenians. etc. This hook, as well as a 'Gospel of St. Andrew,' was declared apocryphal by the decree of Pope Gelasius ( Jones, On the Canon, vol. i. p. and sqq). ( See ACTS, SPURIOUS; GOSPELS, SPLIRt I US