Hieromartyr
Hieromartyr Hieromartyr Publius, Bishop of Athens
I–II вв.
Also known as: по западной традиции отождествляется с «начальником острова» Мелит (Мальта) из Деян. 28
Hieromartyr Publius — the "chief man" of the island of Melita (Malta), who hospitably received the shipwrecked Apostle Paul (Acts 28), and who, per Western tradition, later became Bishop of Athens and suffered martyrdom in the 2nd century.
CRITICAL: date corrected — the previous "January 30 O.S." is unsupported by any source (the Western Catholic date is January 21, but it is not identical to the Orthodox commemoration); the correct Orthodox feast day for "Publius, Bishop of Athens" is March 13/26.
HONEST CAVEAT ON IDENTIFICATION: some Orthodox reference sources (e.g., Drevo) explicitly call the identification of the Athenian bishop Publius with the "chief man" of Acts 28 "chronologically unfounded," noting it is a Western tradition; other Orthodox sources, conversely, state that Narcissus's successor on the Athenian see "came from the island of Malta," affirming the identification. What follows is a composite, traditional biography, with an honest note on the disputed parts.
When the Apostle Paul was shipwrecked on the island of Melita (Malta) en route to Rome as a prisoner (c. 60 AD), Publius, described in Scripture as "the chief man of the island" (the leading Roman official), hospitably received Paul's shipwrecked company for three days. Publius's father lay sick with fever and dysentery; Paul prayed, laid hands on him, and healed him. Word spread, and other sick islanders came to be healed as well, and the islanders "honored us with many honors," providing for the travelers' onward journey.
By tradition, Publius converted to Christianity through this encounter and became the first bishop of Malta, serving roughly 30 years, before relocating to the see of Athens (by tradition, c. 90 AD), succeeding directly after Narcissus (per other accounts, after Dionysius the Areopagite). As Bishop of Athens he strengthened the faithful in apostolic tradition. He suffered martyrdom in Athens in the 2nd century (sources disagree on the emperor — Hadrian, Trajan, or Antoninus Pius); the genuine ancient sources (the testimony of St. Dionysius of Corinth, quoted by Eusebius) give neither the method nor exact date of execution, only that the Athenian Christians nearly lost heart after his death. He was succeeded as Bishop of Athens by Hieromartyr Codratus (Quadratus).