Saint Apostle Jason
of the Seventy.

The Apostle Jason was from Tarsus (Asia Minor). He was the first Christian in the city. He became a disciple of Saint Paul, who even called him his kinsman (Rom 16:21). By divine grace, Jason became one of the Seventy Apostles, and was appointed Bishop of Tarsus by the Apostle Paul. Jason was born in Tarsus, as was the Apostle Paul himself, and was nominated by the apostles as Bishop of Tarsus.

Saint John Chrysostom (Homily 32 on Romans) says that this is the same Jason who is mentioned in Acts 17:5-9, where his house in Thessalonica served as a center of the early church. Jason's house in Thessalonica was being used as a refuge by the apostles Paul, Silas, and Timothy. There, he suffered for his faith when non-believing Jews in Thessalonica stirred up a riot and Jason was arrested when the city authorities could not locate Paul nor Silas, and was made to post bail.

Saint Jason was made bishop in his native city of Tarsus, and Saint Sosipater in Iconium. After faithfully shepherding his flock and establishing the church at Tarsus, they traveled west preaching the Gospel, and in 63 they reached the island of Kerkyra [Korfu] in the Ionian Sea near Greece. This missionary journey marked a turning point in the evangelization of the western Mediterranean.

With the Apostle Sosipater he traveled to the island of Corfu where they built a church in honor of the Apostle Stephen the Protomartyr and converted many pagans to the Christian faith. Seeing this, the king of Corfu threw them into prison where they converted seven other prisoners to the Christian faith: Saturninus, Jakischolus, Faustianus, Januarius, Marsalius, Euphrasius and Mammius. There they built a church in the name of the Protomartyr Stephen and they baptized many. The governor of the island learned of this and locked them up in prison, where they met seven thieves.

Even in imprisonment, the apostles continued their spiritual work. The king of Corfu threw them into prison where they converted seven other prisoners to the Christian faith. The king had those seven put to death for their faith in boiling pitch. The faith inspired by Jason's witness extended to the governor's own family: The king's daughter, the virgin Cercyra, having watched these holy apostles being tortured and turned to the Christian faith, distributed all her jewels to the poor.

The Lord glorified His servants through supernatural signs. The governor set sail with a detachment of soldiers, but was swallowed up by the waves. The governor succeeding him gave orders to throw the Apostles Jason and Sosipater into a cauldron of boiling tar. When he beheld them unharmed, he cried out with tears, "O God of Jason and Sosipater, have mercy on me!" Having been set free, the Apostles baptized the governor and gave him the name Sebastian. With his help, the Apostles Jason and Sosipater built several churches on the island, and increased the flock of Christ by their fervent preaching.

From then on Sosipater and Jason freely preached the Gospel and built up the Church in Corfu until a very old age, when they gave up their souls to God. The apostles' spiritual labors bore lasting fruit: They suffered many things for Christ's Name, drew many souls to salvation, and finished the course of their life there. In the ancient city of Corfu, a church from the first centuries, built in their honour and bearing inscriptions that mention the Saints by name, verifies the historical account concerning them.

St. Jason's feast days are celebrated on April 28 (Slavic tradition) or 29 (Greek tradition), and on January 4 among the Seventy. The memory of Saints Jason and Sosipater remains vivid in the Orthodox Church, particularly in Corfu, where pilgrims visit the ancient church dedicated to them. Their lives exemplify the apostolic virtue of perseverance in faith despite persecution and the power of Christian witness to transform pagan societies.

Early Life and Apostolic Commission

The holy, glorious, all-laudable Apostle Jason is numbered among the Seventy Apostles. The Apostle Jason was from Tarsus (Asia Minor). He was the first Christian in the city. Both became disciples of Saint Paul, who even called them his kinsmen (Rom 16:21). Born in Tarsus, he was appointed Bishop of Tarsus by the Apostle Paul.

Ministry in Thessalonica and Journey to Corfu

Saint John Chrysostom (Homily 32 on Romans) says that this is the same Jason who is mentioned in Acts 17:5-9. In Thessalonica, Jason became a disciple of Saint Paul, and Jason's house in Thessalonica was being used as a refuge by the apostles Paul, Silas, and Timothy. After establishing the church at Tarsus, in 63 they reached the island of Kerkyra [Korfu] in the Ionian Sea near Greece. With the Apostle Sosipater he traveled to the island of Corfu where they built a church in honor of the Apostle Stephen the Protomartyr and converted many pagans to the Christian faith.

Miracles and Persecution on Corfu

The king of Corfu threw them into prison where they converted seven other prisoners to the Christian faith: Saturninus, Jakischolus, Faustianus, Januarius, Marsalius, Euphrasius and Mammius. The king had those seven put to death for their faith in boiling pitch. The king's daughter, the virgin Cercyra, having watched these holy apostles being tortured and turned to the Christian faith, distributed all her jewels to the poor. The governor gave orders to burn down the prison, but the holy virgin remained alive. The governor set sail with a detachment of soldiers, but was swallowed up by the waves. The governor succeeding him gave orders to throw the Apostles Jason and Sosipater into a cauldron of boiling tar. When he beheld them unharmed, he cried out with tears, "O God of Jason and Sosipater, have mercy on me!" Having been set free, the Apostles baptized the governor and gave him the name Sebastian.

Legacy and Final Years

With his help, the Apostles Jason and Sosipater built several churches on the island, and increased the flock of Christ by their fervent preaching. From then on Sosipater and Jason freely preached the Gospel and built up the Church in Corfu until a very old age, when they gave up their souls to God. They finished the course of their life there.