St. Andrew – who is he?

It is probably easier to let the Bible answer that. Do you remember this particular passage?

Jesus Calls Four Fishermen

As Jesus walked along the shore of Lake Galilee, he saw two brothers who were fishermen, Simon (called Peter) and his brother Andrew, catching fish in the lake with a net. Jesus said to them, “Come with me, and I will teach you to catch men.” At once they left their nets and went with him. (Matthew 4, 18-20)

Some further information (not all of which I am sure of historically) - The Holy Apostle Andrew the First Called, November 30th. He was the son of Jonah and brother of Peter, born in Bethsaida and a fisherman by profession. He was first a disciple of St. John the Baptist, but, when John pointed to the Lord Jesus and said: “Behold, the Lamb of God” (John 1:36), St. Andrew left his first teacher and followed Christ. After that, Andrew brought his brother Peter to the Lord.

After the descent of the Holy Spirit, it fell to the lot of the first of Christ's apostles, St. Andrew, to preach the Gospel in Byzantium and Thrace, then in the lands along the Danube, in Russia, and around the Black Sea, and finally in Epirus, Greece, and the Peloponnese, where he suffered. In Byzantium he installed St. Stachys as its first Bishop; in Kiev he raised the Cross on high and prophesied a Christian future for the Russian people; in Thrace, Epirus, Greece, and the Peloponnese, he brought many people to the Faith and gave them bishops and priests. In the city of Patras he performed many wonders in the name of Christ and brought many to the Lord, among whom were the brother and wife of the imperial governor, Aegeatus.

Aegeatus, infuriated by this, put Andrew to torture and then crucified him. While he was still alive on the cross, the Apostle of Christ taught the Christians who were gathered round him. The people wanted to take him down from the cross, but he would not let them. Finally, the Apostle prayed to God, and a strange radiance surrounded him. This light lasted for half an hour and, when it disappeared, the Apostle gave his holy soul into God's hands.

The the first-called apostle, who first of the twelve Great Apostles came to know the Lord and followed Him, finished his earthly course. St. Andrew suffered for the Lord in the year 62 AD. His relics were translated to Constantinople, but his head was later taken to Rome and one hand to Moscow.