Dr Augustin Sokolovski
On July 13, according to the calendar of the Holy Fathers, the Orthodox Church celebrates the Synaxis of the Twelve Apostles. The Greek word synaxis means a solemn gathering or a special liturgical celebration held in honor of an event, a saint, or a group of saints.
On the day before the Synaxis of the Apostles, the Church celebrated the feast of Saints Peter and Paul, who are traditionally honored as the foremost among the Apostles. The feast of Peter and Paul is an ancient Roman feast.
It is most likely connected with the fact that on this day Saints Peter and Paul, each in his own manner, suffered martyrdom in Rome: Peter through crucifixion on the cross, and Paul through being beheaded by the sword. It is also possible that the date of the celebration is connected with the translation of their relics.
In the year 330, Emperor Constantine founded a new capital on the shores of the Bosphorus and called it New Rome. Soon this city came to be known as Constantinople — the city of Constantine.
There he built the Basilica of the Holy Apostles, where twelve symbolic tombs were established in honor of the Apostles. In this way, the continuity between the two capitals was expressed: Rome — the city of the holy Apostles Peter and Paul, and Constantinople — the city of the Twelve Apostles.
History seeks facts, while theology offers interpretation. Historically, we cannot yet prove the exact origin of the feast of the Synaxis of the Twelve Apostles. However, theology allows us to suggest that the connection between the feast of Saints Peter and Paul and the following celebration of the Twelve Apostles expresses precisely the continuity between the two capitals: ancient Rome and the New Rome, Constantinople.
Soon Constantinople was destined to become the capital of world Orthodoxy, the capital of the entire Orthodox Christian world. This continued until 1922, when the catastrophe in Asia Minor took place, and the Orthodox population was expelled and displaced beyond the former Byzantine lands.
In 1930, Constantinople was renamed Istanbul by an act of political decision. This is the ancient history of an Orthodox capital, the capital of the Orthodox world. And the feast of the Synaxis of the Twelve Apostles is also meant to remind us of this history.
Later, Emperor Constantine expressed his wish to be buried among the Apostles, beside these twelve solemn tombs. Thus the popular saying arose: “And Constantine among the Apostles.”
The title given to holy missionaries — “Equal-to-the-Apostles” — owes its origin to this, in a certain sense, ironic expression. In this way, the Lord transforms human irony concerning holy people into truth.
The celebration of the Synaxis of the Twelve Apostles is not only a remembrance, but also a legacy. In the Creed, the Church is confessed as Apostolic.
Thus, Orthodox Christians believe that the Church existing on earth owes its origin to the Apostles and preserves the Apostolic faith. At the same time, through the words of the Creed, the Church proclaims the necessity of preaching the Word of God, so that symbolically, in spirit, we may join the company of those Twelve Apostles upon whom the Church was once founded by the Holy Spirit, through the blessing of Christ and according to the will of God the Father.