Andrew of Crete

Andrew of Crete (c. 650 – c. 712/726/740), also known as Andrew of Jerusalem, was a significant 8th-century ecclesiastical figure, serving as a bishop, theologian, homilist, and hymnographer. He is venerated as a saint in both the Eastern Orthodox and Catholic Churches, recognized for his contributions to church liturgy and his theological works.

Life and historical context

Born in Damascus around 650 AD to Christian parents, Andrew was initially mute until the age of seven, after which he experienced a miraculous cure upon receiving Holy Communion. He commenced his ecclesiastical career at the age of fourteen at the Lavra of Saint Sabbas the Sanctified near Jerusalem, where his abilities were quickly recognized. He rose to become Archdeacon under Theodore, the locum tenens of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem, and was dispatched as an official representative to the Sixth Ecumenical Council (680–681) in Constantinople, convened by Emperor Constantine IV to address the heresy of Monothelitism.

Following the council, Andrew was appointed Archdeacon at the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople. He was eventually elevated to the metropolitan see of Gortyna in Crete. Despite his earlier opposition to Monothelitism, he attended a conciliabulum in 712 that abolished the decrees of the Ecumenical Council. He later repented and returned to orthodoxy, dedicating himself to preaching and composing hymns. His sermons were noted for their dignified and harmonious style, establishing him as a prominent ecclesiastical orator of the Byzantine Era.

Church historians have not reached a consensus on the exact date of his death. It is known that he died on the island of Lesbos while returning to Crete from Constantinople. His relics were later translated to Constantinople, and in 1349, the Russian pilgrim Stephen of Novgorod saw them at the Monastery of Saint Andrew of Crete. A large Early Christian basilical church in honor of Saint Andrew exists at modern Skala Eresou on Lesbos, the ancient site of Eresos.

Major contributions

Andrew of Crete is primarily remembered today as a hymnographer, credited with the invention or, at least, the introduction of the canon, a new form of hymnody, into the liturgy. Previously, the Matins service included chanting biblical canticles with short refrains. Andrew expanded these refrains into fully developed poetic Odes, known as canons, where each ode begins with the theme of the scriptural canticle but then expounds on the theme of the feast being celebrated.

His most celebrated work is the Great Canon (also known as the Canon of Repentance), the longest canon ever composed with 250 strophes. This extensive penitential work, written primarily in the first person, traverses the Old and New Testaments, drawing parallels between biblical examples and the need for the sinful soul's repentance and return to God. It is divided into four parts, chanted on the first four nights of Great Lent, and in its entirety at Matins on Thursday of the fifth week of Great Lent.

In total, twenty-four canons are attributed to Saint Andrew of Crete, with fourteen being more certainly attributed to him. These include canons for the Resurrection of Lazarus, the Conception of St. Anne, the Maccabean Martyrs, and St. Ignatius of Antioch, along with four Triodia and over one hundred irmoi.