Apostle of the Seventy Apostle Quadratus of the Seventy, Bishop of Athens

CRITICAL ON IDENTIFICATION AND IMAGE: this card previously contained two different, unrelated images. The image "martyr_quadratus_1.jpg" (a soldier holding a cross, with a beheaded body and a horse, inscribed "KODRATOS") has been removed — it depicts an ENTIRELY DIFFERENT saint, Martyr Codratus of Corinth (3rd c., martyred with companions under Decius/Valerian, feast March 10/23) — no card exists for him in this database, so the image was simply removed as contamination. The image "quadratus_1.jpg" (a Western engraving "S. QUADRATUS," an elder with a scroll) has been retained — it correctly corresponds to Apostle Quadratus of the Seventy, Bishop of Athens, the apologist.

Quadratus was a disciple of the Apostles who preached in Athens and Magnesia, becoming Bishop of Athens, successor to Hieromartyr Publius (see the separate publius_of_malta card). In 126 he presented Emperor Hadrian with an "Apology" defending Christianity — one of the earliest surviving works of Christian apologetics, which prompted the emperor to issue a decree against convicting Christians without due cause.

He converted many pagans to Christ, drawing hatred upon himself; he was stoned but survived, then imprisoned, where he died of starvation around 129/130. The Orthodox Encyclopedia notes a historically established confusion between this Quadratus the Apologist and other same-named saints — apparently the very confusion that led to the image contamination on this card's earlier version.