Grandson of Rehoboam, and great-grandson of Solomon (his father Abijah, who preceded him as ruler of Judah, does not appear in the window). Asa

was the third ruler of the Kingdom of Judah and the fifth king of the House of David; he reigned from the end of the tenth century BC to the early years of the ninth. Like the other kings depicted in the window, he is shown holding a sceptre.

ASA or Asaph, as he is called in the genealogy of St Matthew’s Gospel, is the son of Abijah and reigned over Judah for 41 years. He is praised in the Bible for his religious zeal which led him to reform the Temple worship. He even deposed his mother from her place of influence at court because of her religious idolatry. In his old age Asa was said to have been “diseased in his feet”. The name Asaph used by St Matthew is the name adopted by the first native bishop of St Asaph (6th century AD) and of the diocese in which this church stands. Asaph means a “gatherer” and is an appropriate name for a bishop whose task is to gather together the people of faith for worship of God, encouragement, teaching and mission. Bishop John Davies