Saint Quadratus, Apostle of the Seventy

Saint Codratus, one of the Seventy Disciples, preached Christ in Athens and Magnezia and served as Bishop of Athens. Through his preaching he converted many pagans, provoking the hostility of those who rejected the Gospel. An angry crowd attacked him with stones, but God preserved him; he was then imprisoned and died of starvation. His body was buried in Magnezia. In 126, Codratus wrote an Apologia defending Christianity and presented it to Emperor Adrian. The work influenced the emperor to issue a decree requiring proof before Christians could be condemned. The 4th century historian Eusebius knew the Apologia and preserved part of it in his history. Codratus testified that Christ's miracles, healings, and raisings from the dead were publicly witnessed and remained known even after His departure. His testimony affirmed Christ's works and strengthened defenses against pagan opposition.