Evodius

Saint Evodius (d. ca. 69) is a saint in the Christian Church and one of the first identifiable Christians.

Very little is known of the life of St. Evodius. However, he was a pagan who converted to Christianity due to the apostolic work of Saint Peter. In the Book of Acts, one of the first communities to receive evangelism were the Jews and pagans of Antioch. The city was opulent and cosmopolitan, and there were both Hellenized Jews and pagans influenced by monotheism. The term "Christian" was coined for these Gentile (mainly Syrian and Greek) converts, and St. Peter became the bishop of Antioch and led the church there. Evodius succeeded Peter the Apostle as bishop of Antioch when Peter left Antioch for Rome. ^[2]

St. Evodius was bishop of Antioch until 66 AD, and was succeeded by St. Ignatius of Antioch. Catholic tradition says it is likely that St. Evodius died of natural causes, however, the Orthodox tradition holds that he was martyred under Nero in 66 AD.^[1] As one of the first pagans to come to the new church, he is venerated in both the Roman Catholic Church of the east and Orthodox Churches of the East as a saint. His feast day in the Roman Catholic Church is May 6 and in the Orthodox Church it is September 7.

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