St. Andrew of Crete
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Andrew of Crete (650-740) also known as Andrew of Jerusalem, was born in Damascus and was a mute until the age of seven when he was miraculously cured after receiving Holy Communion. He was sent to Constantinople as the official representative of the Patriarch of Jerusalem at the Sixth Ecumenical Council (680–681), which had been called by Emperor Constantine IV to counter the heresy of Monothelitism.
Shortly after the Council he was appointed Archdeacon at the “Great Church” of Hagia Sophia, which was built in 537 as the patriarchal cathedral of the imperial capital of Constantinople. It was the largest Christian church of the eastern Roman Empire, but in 1453, after the Fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Empire, it was converted into a mosque. Eventually, Andrew was appointed Bishop of Gortyna, in Crete. He died on the island of Mytilene, while returning to Crete from Constantinople, where he had been on church business. His relics were later transferred to Constantinople.
Writings:
- Homily I -On the Dormition of Our Most Holy Lady, the Mother of God.
- Homily II -On the Dormition of Our Most Holy Lady, the Mother of God.
- Homily III -On the Dormition of Our Most Holy Lady, the Mother of God.
- The Great Canon of Repentance
- The canon for the Resurrection of Lazarus
- The canon for the Conception of St. Anne
- The canon for the Maccabean Martyrs
- The canon for St. Ignatius of Antioch
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Quotes and Excerpts:
“Queen of the whole human race,
truly faithful to the
meaning of your name,
you are above all things
-except God!”
-Homily 3 on the Dormition
(Written ante A. D. 740)
“The [Lord’s] birth escaped corruption,
nor did her [Mary’s] tomb allow corruption,
which does not touch what is holy.
You want me to tell you what the proof is.
Do not, for your part, overlook her empty tomb,
for I ask you: Why is no body visible?
Why are the burial wrappings missing from the
tomb if not because what had been entombed
there escaped destruction, and because the
treasure was transferred to another place?”
-Homily 2 on the Dormition (Written ante A. D. 740)
“O, how marvelous it is!
She acts as Mediatrix
between the loftiness of God
and the lowliness of the flesh,
and becomes
Mother of the Creator.”
-Homily 1 on Mary’s Nativity
(Written ante 740 A.D.)
“This is Mary the Theotokos,
the common refuge of all Christians,
the first to be liberated
from the original fall
of our first parents.”
-Homily 4 on Mary’s Nativity
(Written ante A. D. 740)
“Twas right, then, that the admirable Joachim and
his spouse, Anna, inspired by divine thoughts,
did obtain her as the fruit of their prayer;
her, I say, the queen of nature,
the firstfruits of our race, whose birthday we
celebrate, whose swaddling clothes we honor,
and whom we venerate as the source of
the restoration of our fallen race.”
-Homily 3 on Mary’s Nativity (Written ante A. D. 740)
“Chaste Mother of God and Virgin,
never cease to intercede for us,
that we… may be saved
from all misfortune.”
-Penitential Canon for the First Thursday
of Lent. (Written ante A. D. 740)
“A place had to be prepared
before the King’s arrival.
The royal garments had to be woven
before they could receive
the royal Child at his birth.
Finally, the clay had to be prepared
before the Potter’s arrival.”
-Homily 3 on Mary’s Nativity
(Written ante 740 A.D.)
“O Virgin undefiled,
undefiled is your birth.”
-Canon on the Nativity of the Blessed Mother
[Ode 5]
(Written ante A. D. 740)
“Today, Jesus
transports the
Queen of the
human race
outside of her
earthly dwelling:
his Ever-Virgin
Mother,
in whose womb
he took human
form without
ceasing to be
God.”
-Homily 2 on the Dormition
(Written ante-740 A.D.)
“Today,
O Savior,
you have
given to
pious Anne
fruitful
offspring of
her womb,
Your
Immaculate
Mother”
-Canon on the Nativity of
the Blessed Mother [Ode 4]
(Written ante A. D. 740)
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