Agabus (Apostolic Prophet of Antioch)

Saint Agabus was counted among the Seventy Disciples sent out by Jesus Christ. In the early church recorded in the Acts of the Apostles, he exercised a recognized prophetic ministry characterized by precise historical foresight and practical solidarity with the needy.

Prophecy of Global Famine

Traveling from Jerusalem to Antioch around 44 CE, Agabus 'signified by the Spirit that there should be great dearth throughout all the world: which came to pass in the days of Claudius Caesar.' This warning prompted the Gentile disciples in Antioch to organize the first international humanitarian relief offering, sending funds by Paul and Barnabas to feed starving believers in Judea.

Binding Paul's Girdle

Years later at Caesarea Maritima in the house of Philip the Evangelist, Agabus arrived and dramatically took Paul's belt, binding his own hands and feet, saying: 'Thus saith the Holy Ghost: So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man that owneth this girdle, and shall deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.' Agabus later suffered martyrdom for his bold witness in Antioch.