Saint Publius (Maltese: San Publju; Greek: Πούπλιος) was a 1st century Maltese Christian bishop and saint. He is considered the first Bishop of Malta and one of the first Bishops of Athens.

Publius is Malta's first canonised saint, who is described in the Book of Acts as the 'chief' or prince of the island (Maltese: il-prinċep tal-gżira). According to Maltese Christian tradition, Publius' conversion led to Malta being the first Christian nation in the West.

He is venerated as a saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church and Roman Catholic Church, with feast days on 21 March and 22 January respectively.

History and tradition

According to Christian tradition, it was Publius who received Paul the Apostle during his shipwreck on the island as recounted in the Acts of the Apostles. According to the Acts of the Apostles, Paul cured Publius' dysentery-afflicted father.

"In the vicinity of that place were lands belonging to a man named Publius, the chief of the island. He welcomed us and received us cordially as his guests for three days. It so happened that the father of Publius was sick with a fever and dysentery. Paul visited him and, after praying, laid his hands on him and healed him. After this had taken place, the rest of the sick on the island came to Paul and were cured. They paid us great honor and when we eventually set sail they brought us the provisions we needed." — Acts 28:7–10, New American Bible

He was martyred around 125, during the persecution of Emperor Hadrian.

Veneration

His feast is celebrated on 22 January in the Roman Catholic Church, which places him as the successor of Dionysius the Areopagite, dating his martyrdom to c. 112.

Apart from being patron saint of Floriana, Publius is also one of the three patron saints of Malta, along with St. Paul the Apostle and St. Agatha, Virgin and Martyr.

In the Eastern Orthodox Church, however, his feast day is observed on 13 March, and according to an epistle of Dionysius, Bishop of Corinth, he is placed as the successor of Narcissus of Athens, dating his martyrdom to the period of the persecution under Marcus Aurelius (r. 161–180).

See also

• List of minor New Testament figures
• List of archbishops of Athens
• List of bishops of Malta

Notes

References