The Acts of Andrew is an apocryphal story that claims to describe the miracles and martyrdom in Greece of the apostle Andrew, who was Peter's brother. It encourages believers to turn away from wealth and the temporary values of the world. Instead, it calls for a life of self-denial and full devotion to God.
The oldest known part of the story is a fragment kept in Vatican City. The original version probably came from the second century AD. It was likely long and difficult to read. Gregory of Tours, a bishop in the sixth century AD, thought the story was valuable. He wrote a shorter version about Andrew’s miracles, using an earlier copy that no longer exists. The story of Andrew’s death likely circulated as a separate text.
Gregory recorded many miracles, including one about Exoos, a noble young man from Thessalonica. After hearing about Andrew's preaching and miracles, Exoos travels to Philippi, becomes a Christian, and stays with Andrew. The unconverted parents of Exoos try to persuade Andrew to tell their son to stop living this way and to return to them by offering him money. When this fails, the parents refuse to listen to Andrew and set fire to the house where the Christians are staying.
As the flames rose, Exoos prayed that the Lord would stop the fire. He sprinkled the flames with water, and they went out at once. The parents and the crowd then accused Exoos of being a sorcerer. They climbed ladders to enter the house and kill the people inside, but God caused them to lose their sight. Although it is night, a light shines out from the house, and sight is restored to those who have been blinded. All except Exoos’s parents became believers. The parents soon died.
Exoos remains with Andrew and spends his inheritance on the poor. After his return to Thessalonica, Exoos heals a man who has been paralyzed for 23 years. After that, Exoos and Andrew continue to perform miracles and preach.
In Patrae, the maidservant of Maximilla, the wife of the governor Aegeates, comes to Andrew. She urges him to heal her mistress. Her fever is so severe that her husband is standing at her bedside, threatening to kill himself with a sword the moment she dies. Telling the governor to put his sword away, Andrew takes Maximilla’s hand, and the fever leaves her. He asked that food be brought for her and refused Aegeates’s gift of one hundred pieces of silver. After performing many miracles in the city, Andrew receives a message from Maximilla to come and heal the slave of Stratocles, the governor's brother. The apostle heals the boy, and his master believes.
Maximilla's husband is furious to see his wife spend a lot of time listening to the preaching of Andrew. She also converts to the Christian faith. She then refuses to sleep with her husband and one night even substitutes a servant for herself. Further details appear in the account that describes Andrew’s martyrdom. Aegeates is angry and holds Andrew responsible for turning his wife away from him. He has the apostle arrested.
After preaching from prison, Andrew is taken to be crucified by the seashore. When the Christian Stratocles sees Andrew treated roughly by the soldiers, he fights his way through and walks with Andrew to the place of crucifixion. Aegeates was afraid of his brother, so he ordered the soldiers not to interfere. At the seashore, the soldiers obey the governor’s order to tie Andrew to the cross instead of nailing him. This would cause Andrew to die slowly and eventually be eaten by dogs.
After two days, Andrews is still speaking to people from the cross. Many people go to Aegeates demanding that he release Andrew. Arriving at the scene, the governor sees that Andrew is indeed still alive. Aegeates approaches the apostle to release him. But Andrew demands that he be allowed to die and meet his Lord. Andrew dies and those watching cry as Maximilla and Stratocles take his body down from the cross. Maximilla then remains apart from her husband and continues in her Christian faith.