First bishop of Babylon and one of the Seventy Apostles
Legend makes Abdias first bishop of Babylon and one of the Seventy Apostles who are collectively mentioned in the Gospel of Luke 10:1–20. Saints Simon and Jude allegedly consecrated him as the first Bishop of Babylon. He is also associated with St. Thomas and St. Addai, recognized as the first Patriarch of the Church of the East in Syriac Christianity.