Saint Apostle Phlegon
of the Seventy.

Little is recorded of Phlegon's life before his calling as one of the Seventy Apostles. Like the other disciples chosen by Christ, he would have witnessed the Lord's ministry, received His commission to preach, and embarked on the missionary work entrusted to the Seventy. The name "Phlegon" (meaning "aflaming") may suggest his fervent love for Christ and zeal in evangelizing the pagan world.

Phlegon was bishop of Marathon in Thrace, where he established and guided the local Christian community. As a bishop in the apostolic age, his role involved not only pastoral care but also courageous evangelization in lands hostile to the Christian faith. His role as a bishop would have involved spiritual leadership and guidance for the Christian community in that region during the early years of the faith.

He is referenced in Romans 16:14, demonstrating his active ministry during the apostolic period when St. Paul wrote his epistle to the Romans. Phlegon's prominence among the early Christians earned him a mention in this canonical letter, testifying to his significance in the nascent Church.

The Apostles Asyncritus and Phlegon preached Christ in many places, suffered many afflictions at the hands of the pagans and Jews, and departed unto the Lord. Like the other Seventy, Phlegon faced relentless persecution from those who opposed the Gospel. His evangelistic labors took him through various regions as he sought to bring souls to faith in Christ.

All these disciples for their intrepid service to Christ underwent fierce sufferings and were found worthy of a martyr's crown. Phlegon, together with his fellow apostles, endured trials and tribulations with unwavering faith, becoming worthy of the martyr's crown through steadfast witness to the Risen Lord.

Apostle Phlegon's legacy endures in the Church's calendar and liturgical memory. His feast day is on April 8, when the Orthodox Church commemorates him together with the other apostles of his group—Herodion, Agabus, Rufus, Asyncritus, and Hermes—honoring their unified witness to Christ.

The Synaxis of the Seventy Apostles was established by the Orthodox Church to indicate the equal honor of each of the Seventy, and Phlegon remains venerated for his faithfulness in spreading the Gospel and his willingness to suffer for the name of Christ. His intercessions are sought by the faithful who invoke his aid in their spiritual journey.

The holy, glorious, and all-laudable Apostle Phlegon is numbered among the Seventy Apostles, whom the Lord Jesus Christ sent out two by two to go before Him into the cities He would visit. His name, meaning "aflaming" in Greek, appears in Romans 16:14, where St. Paul greets him alongside other faithful disciples in the early Church.

According to apostolic tradition preserved in the Church's records, he was bishop of Marathon in Thrace, a city in what is now northern Greece. As a bishop, Phlegon would have shepherded the early Christian community in that region during the apostolic age, establishing the faith in pagan lands and strengthening the Church through pastoral leadership and evangelization.

The Apostles Asyncritus and Phlegon preached Christ in many places, suffered many afflictions at the hands of the pagans and Jews, and departed unto the Lord. Together with his fellow apostles—including Herodion, Agabus, Rufus, Asyncritus, and Hermes—Phlegon spread the Gospel throughout various regions of the Balkans and beyond, enduring persecution for the sake of Christ. All these disciples for their intrepid service to Christ underwent fierce sufferings and were found worthy of a martyr's crown.