In 347, an event occurred that became an important milestone in the life of the entire Christian world. In the city of Antioch, located in the territory that now belongs to southeastern Turkey, a son was born to the family of a local military commander named Secundus, to whom the Lord had a great future. Having become one of the three great ecumenical hierarchs (besides him, Gregory the Theologian and Basil the Great were awarded this honor), he went down in history under the name of John Chrysostom.
Spiritual growth of the future saint
In the life of John Chrysostom, it is narrated that the Lord early called his father to His Heavenly Halls, and the child remained in the care of his mother, who, becoming a widow in less than 20 years, did not want to marry again, and devoted herself to raising her son. As a Christian, at an early age she introduced him to the teachings of Jesus Christ, who sacrificed herself to save people from the weight of original sin and grant them eternal life.
In those years, despite the fact that Christianity was already firmly established in the Mediterranean countries and gained countless followers, survivals of paganism were still strong. From their pernicious influence, St. John Chrysostom saved his mother, as well as a close friend of the house - Bishop Miletius, who took upon himself the work of his spiritual education. Under the guidance of a wise archpastor, the future saint studied the Holy Scriptures and comprehended the depths of the divine teaching.
In the bosom of Christ's Church
When the young man turned 20 years old, the bishop found him sufficiently prepared to enter the fold of the Christian church, and performed the baptismal ceremony on him. This was a great event in the life of John, who decided to devote himself to the service of the Church, but another 3 years passed before Miletius allowed him to take the place of a reader in the Cathedral of Antioch.
In 372, fate parted John Chrysostom with his mentor, who was sent into exile by order of the ruled then wicked emperor Valent. However, the Lord sent him new teachers of Christian piety, who turned out to be the elders (priests) Flavian and Diodorus. The latter had a particularly strong influence on the young man, not only instructing him in theology, but also instilling the skills of an ascetic life.
Even before John expressed his desire, having accepted monasticism, to reject the temptations of the vain world and retire to the desert, but he could only realize his dream after the death of his mother, who had been in his care all this time. Having fulfilled his filial duty to the end, he, together with his friend and like-minded person Theodore, went to one of the remote monasteries, in which, under the guidance of experienced tutors, he deepened his knowledge and exhausted his flesh for four years. There, far from the bustling world, Saint John Chrysostom wrote his first theological works, which later brought him the glory of a profound and comprehensively gifted theologian.
Return to the world
As the life of John Chrysostom testifies, of the four years spent in the monastery, for two years, according to his vow, he remained completely silent and lived in a secluded cave, content with only a tiny amount of bread and water from a nearby spring. Such a severe asceticism undermined the strength of the young monk and adversely affected his health. In 381, at the insistence of Bishop Miletius, who returned from exile, John left the monastery and again became a clergyman of the Cathedral of Antioch. Then the former mentor ordained him to the rank of deacon.
Over the next five years, the future saint combined service in the temple with work on new theological works aimed at comprehending the will of God by man. In them, he taught to ask the Lord for the ability to understand His great truths. In this regard, the prayer to John Chrysostom cited in the article is very indicative. Despite the external conciseness, a deep religious thought is expressed in it.
Ordination as a presbyter
The next important stage in the life of John Chrysostom was the year 386, when he was ordained a priest by the bishop of Antioch, Flavian, as the second priesthood was called in the early Christian church. Nowadays, it corresponds to the rank of priest.
From then on, St. John, among other works, was entrusted with the duty to carry the Word of God to the people. This was by no means an easy task. According to contemporaries, for over twenty years, almost every day, huge crowds of people gathered specially to hear the sermons of John Chrysostom.
Such an extraordinary popularity of the presbyter is explained by his ability to explain in a simple and accessible form the deepest and most secret thoughts that are embedded in the Holy Scriptures and the writings of the Church Fathers. It was thanks to this gift, sent down by the Lord to His faithful minister, that St. John became known among the people as Chrysostom. Under this title, he entered the world history of the Christian Church.
At the same time, the future saint zealously fulfilled the commandment of Jesus Christ to help others. Not limited to only spiritual food, which he generously endowed with all who came to him, Presbyter John arranged for the distribution of free meals. Almost 30 thousand people received it daily, among whom were mainly strangers, widows, cripples and prisoners.
Interpretation of the Gospel and other biblical texts by John Chrysostom
The saint showed a special talent from God in hermeneutics - science, or rather, the art of interpreting texts that are difficult to understand. A separate section is exegetics, specializing exclusively in books included in the Bible. St. John dedicated his works to this field of knowledge. He did this primarily from a desire to help the flock to better understand the sacred texts and comprehend their deepest meaning through appropriate comments and explanations.
Among his exegetical writings, the interpretation of the Gospels occupies a special place. John Chrysostom made two of them the object of his research - from Matthew and from John. In subsequent eras, many prominent scholars devoted their texts to these texts, but to this day his works are recognized as a true masterpiece of theological thought.
Many other books came out from under the pen of the saint. Among them are the interpretation of the Psalms, the epistles of the Apostle Paul and the Old Testament book of Genesis. In addition, he has an extensive series of conversations on other biblical texts. The teachings of John Chrysostom, which he composed on the occasion of various religious holidays and his speeches against paganism, were also very popular with the audience.
At the head of the Metropolis of Constantinople
By this time, the fame of the Antiochian preacher had spread throughout the Christian East, and in 397 he was invited to take the place of the patriarch Nektarius of Constantinople , who had ceased by that time, who had replaced Grigory the Theologian at that time. Arriving in the capital of Byzantium and embarking on such honorable duties, John Chrysostom was forced to limit his preaching work, as he was extremely busy with current affairs.
His first step in a new field was the care of the spiritual and moral perfection of the priesthood, which he brought up by his own example. First of all, the saint used most of the funds allocated for his maintenance, and for which he had every right, to open several free hospitals and pilgrimage hotels in the city. Satisfying in everyday life only the most necessary things, he demanded the same moderation from his subordinates, which caused them to secretly, and sometimes even openly displease.
St. John Chrysostom belongs to the merit of strengthening the true faith not only in the territory of Byzantium itself, but also in its many colonies and neighboring states. For example, his outstanding role in the Christianization of Asia Minor and the Pontic region, Thrace and Phenicia is known. Missionaries led by John even reached the Scythian lands, where they also turned the Gentiles to Christ. On the icons of John Chrysostom that have come down to us, this great archpastor is presented just at the time of the highest peak of its activity.
The trial of the righteous
However, not without reason folk wisdom bitterly says that not a single good deed goes unpunished. Clouds gradually gathered over the saint’s head. The reason for this was the anger of the imperial court, which he incurred upon himself, exposing the prevailing licentiousness prevailing in him. Empress Eudoxia, who more than once became the object of his criticism, had a special hatred for him.
To punish the impudent bishop, they hastily convened a tribunal consisting of those church hierarchs who were more than others indignant at the strict discipline established by him among the higher clergy. The trial was swift and wrong. John Chrysostom was sentenced to be removed from his post and for insulting the reigning persons - to death, which, fortunately, was replaced by eternal exile.
The Intercession of the Roman Pontiff
From the documents preserved to this day, it is known that, wanting to restore justice and avoid unjust punishment, St. John sent a letter to the Pope. In those days, there was still no final split of the Christian church into Catholic and Orthodox, therefore, in the person of the pontiff, he hoped to gain support.
The Pope did not disregard his request and sent his legates (representatives) to Constantinople. However, Empress Eudoxia first sent them to prison, then tried to bribe, and not having achieved success (not always and not everyone took bribes), ordered them to be deported from the country. As a result, St. John the Theologian was forced to go into exile.
Holy Tradition tells of two signs of God related to the expulsion of St. John. The first of them was an earthquake that struck the city the very next night, after which the frightened empress ordered to cancel the sentence and return it to the capital. However, her fright soon passed, and the newly convened tribunal approved the previous decision. This time, the fire that engulfed the palace and the nobleman’s houses became evidence of God's wrath.
Being exiled in Armenia, which at that time was a remote colony of the Byzantine state, the saint did not interrupt his pastoral work, preaching the Word of God among the locals and continuing work on theological writings. He did not interrupt communication with those hierarchs who remained his supporters, despite all the misfortunes that had befallen. To this day, 245 letters have survived, which the saint addressed to the bishops of Europe, Asia and Africa, as well as to his friends of Constantinople and Antioch.
Century-Liturgy
It is generally believed that during this period he compiled the text of a worship service known as the “Liturgy of St. St. John Chrysostom ”and now performed in all Orthodox churches. It is based on the traditions of the early Christian church and consists of two parts, the first of which is called the “Liturgy of the Announced,” and the second is called the “Liturgy of the Faithful.”
That is how, at the dawn of a new faith, it was customary to divide the service into two parts. Participants in the first were all comers, including those who were just getting ready for baptism, undergoing appropriate training (announcement). In the second part, only baptized, or, in other words, faithful, members of the community were allowed.
The end of the earthly life of the saint
Despite the fact that Saint John was leaving the exile far from the capital, his enemies did not appease, and in 406 the imperial order came to transfer the hierarch to the very outskirts of the empire, in the village of Pitius, located on the territory of present-day Abkhazia. It so happened that at that time he was sick, but could not disobey the highest decree.
Exhausted by an ailment, John made his way for three months, despite the cold and heat. This was the last transition to complete his earthly life. In the small village of Koman, the forces left the saint, and he gave the Lord his pure soul. In 438, his honest relics were transferred to Constantinople, and in the XI century a monastery was founded on the site of the death of the saint, where the church of John Chrysostom was erected. In a later period, the monastery was destroyed, and in its place only part of the temple foundation and individual fragments of the walls were preserved. In 1986, work began on the restoration of the ancient monastery, and today it is one of the main spiritual centers of Abkhazia.
Honoring John Chrysostom in Russia
After the establishment of Orthodoxy in Russia, St. John, along with two other pillars of the Christian faith - Basil the Great and Gregory the Theologian - became one of the most revered saints. This is evidenced by the fact that the icon of John Chrysostom has long been an accessory of most Russian churches. Our article contains several photographs of this priceless shrine.
According to the Church calendar, the memory of the saint is celebrated four times a year: January 27, January 30, September 14 and November 13. On this day, in all the churches of the country, an akathist written in his honor is performed, as well as prayers to John Chrysostom, two of which are given in the article.