In the year 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 commander named Secundus, for whom the Lord had prepared a great future. Having become one of the three great ecumenical saints (besides him, Gregory the Theologian and Basil the Great were awarded this honor), he went down in history under the name of John Chrysostom.
The spiritual growth of the future saint
The life of John Chrysostom tells that the Lord early called his father to His Heavenly Halls, and the child remained in the care of his mother, who, having become a widow at less than 20 years old, did not wish to remarry, but devoted herself entirely raising a son. Being a Christian, at an early age she introduced him to the teachings of Jesus Christ, who sacrificed himself to deliver people from the burden of original sin and grant them eternal life.
In those years, despite the fact that Christianity was already firmly established in the countriesMediterranean and gained countless followers, the remnants of paganism were still strong. St. John Chrysostom was saved from their pernicious influence by his mother, as well as by a close friend at home, Bishop Miletius, who took upon himself the labors of his spiritual upbringing. Under the guidance of the wise archpastor, the future saint studied the Holy Scriptures and comprehended the depths of Divine teaching.
In the bosom of the Church of Christ
When the young man was 20 years old, the bishop considered him sufficiently prepared to enter the bosom of the Christian church, and performed a rite of baptism 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 separated John Chrysostom from his mentor, sent into exile by order of the impious emperor Valens, who was then ruling. However, the Lord sent him new teachers of Christian piety, who turned out to be presbyters (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 a desire, having accepted monasticism, to reject the temptations of the vain world and retire to the desert, but he was able to fulfill his dream only 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 Theodorewent to one of the remote monasteries, in which, under the guidance of experienced mentors, for four years he deepened his knowledge and exhausted the flesh. There, far from the vain world, St. John Chrysostom wrote his first theological works, which subsequently brought him the glory of a deep and comprehensively gifted theologian.
Return to the world
As evidenced by the life of John Chrysostom, out of the four years spent in the monastery, for two years, according to his vow, he kept complete silence and lived in a secluded cave, being content with only a meager amount of bread and water from a nearby spring. Such a severe asceticism undermined the strength of the young monk and adversely affected his he alth. In 381, at the insistence of Bishop Miletius, who had returned from exile, John left the monastery and again became a cleric of the Cathedral of Antioch. At the same time, the former mentor ordained him a deacon.
Over the next five years, the future saint combined his service in the church with work on new theological writings 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 given in the article is very indicative. Despite the outward brevity, it expresses a deep religious thought.
Ordination as a presbyter
The next important stage in the life of John Chrysostom was the year 386, when he was ordained to the rank of presbyter by Bishop Flavian of Antioch - this is how the second stage of the priesthood was called in the early Christian church. Nowadays shecorresponds to the rank of priest.
From that time on, St. John, among other things, was entrusted with the duty to carry the Word of God to the people. It was by no means an easy task. According to contemporaries, for more than twenty years, huge crowds of people gathered almost daily, specially come to hear the sermons of John Chrysostom.
Such an extraordinary popularity of the presbyter is due to his ability to explain in a simple and accessible form the deepest and most intimate thoughts embedded in the Holy Scriptures and the writings of the Fathers of the Church. It was thanks to this gift, sent down by the Lord to His faithful servant, that St. John began to be called Chrysostom by the people. 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 spiritual food, which he generously provided to all who came to him, Presbyter John organized the distribution of free food. Nearly 30,000 people received it daily, mostly wanderers, widows, cripples and prisoners.
Interpretation by John Chrysostom of the Gospel and other biblical texts
The saint showed a special talent given by God in hermeneutics - the science, or rather, the art of interpreting difficult-to-understand texts. Its separate section is exegetics, which specializes exclusively in the books included in the Bible. It is to this area of knowledge that St. John dedicated his works. He did it beforeall out of a desire to help the flock better understand the sacred texts and comprehend their deep meaning through the appropriate comments and explanations.
Among his exegetical works, 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 eminent scientists devoted their works to these texts, but to this day his works are recognized as a true masterpiece of theological thought.
From the pen of the saint came out a lot of other books. Among them are the interpretation of the Ps alter, the epistle of the Apostle Paul and the Old Testament book of Genesis. In addition, he owns an extensive series of talks on other biblical texts. The teachings of John Chrysostom, which he compiled on the occasion of various religious holidays, and his speeches directed against paganism were also very popular with the audience.
Heading the Metropolis of Constantinople
By this time, the fame of the Antiochian preacher had spread to the entire Christian East, and in 397 he was offered to take the place of the Patriarch of Constantinople Nectarios, who had passed away by that time, who had replaced Gregory the Theologian in his time. Arriving in the capital of Byzantium and starting to fulfill such honorary duties, John Chrysostom was forced to limit his preaching activities, as he was extremely busy with current affairs.
His first step in a new field was concern for spiritual and moral improvementpriesthood, which he brought up by his own example. First of all, most of the funds allocated for his maintenance, and to which he had every right, the saint used to open several free hospitals and pilgrimage hotels in the city. Content in everyday life with only the bare necessities, he demanded the same moderation from his subordinates, which aroused secret and sometimes open discontent on their part.
St. John Chrysostom is credited with strengthening the true faith not only on the territory of Byzantium itself, but also in its numerous colonies and adjacent states. For example, his outstanding role in the Christianization of Asia Minor and the Pontic region, Thrace and Phoenicia is known. The missionaries sent by John even reached the Scythian lands, where they also converted the pagans to Christ. On the icons of John Chrysostom that have come down to us, this great archpastor is represented just at the time of the highest flowering of his activity.
Judgment of the righteous
However, it is not for nothing that folk wisdom bitterly says that no good deed goes unpunished. Clouds gradually gathered over the head of the saint. The reason for this was the anger of the imperial court, which he brought upon himself, exposing the licentiousness of morals that prevailed in him. The Empress Eudoxia, who more than once became the object of his criticism, had a special hatred for him.
To punish the insolent bishop, a tribunal was hastily convened, consisting of those church hierarchs who were more outraged than othersrigid discipline established by him among the higher clergy. The judgment was swift and wrong. John Chrysostom was sentenced to dismissal from his post and for insulting the reigning persons - to death, which, fortunately, was replaced by eternal exile.
Intercession of the Roman Pontiff
From documents that have survived 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, the final split of the Christian Church into Catholic and Orthodox had not yet occurred, so he hoped to find support in the person of the pontiff.
The Pope did not disregard his request and sent his legates (representatives) to Constantinople. However, Empress Eudoxia first imprisoned them, then tried to bribe them, and not having succeeded (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.
The Holy Tradition tells about two signs of God connected with the exile of Saint John. The first of these was an earthquake that hit the city the next night, after which the frightened empress ordered the sentence to be canceled and returned to the capital. However, soon her fright passed, and the newly convened tribunal approved the previous decision. This time, the evidence of God's wrath was the fire that engulfed the palace and the houses of the nobles.
Being in exile in Armenia, which at that time was a remote colonyByzantine state, the saint did not interrupt his pastoral labors, preaching the Word of God among the local residents and continuing to work on theological writings. He did not interrupt communication with those hierarchs who remained his supporters, despite all the misfortunes that befell him. 245 letters have survived to this day, which the saint addressed to the bishops of Europe, Asia and Africa, as well as to his friends in Constantinople and Antioch.
Liturgy that survived the ages
It is generally accepted that during this period he compiled the text of the service, known as the “Liturgy of 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 catechumens", and the second - the "Liturgy of the faithful".
That's right, at the dawn of the new faith, it was customary to divide worship into two parts. The participants of the first were all those who wished, including those who were just preparing for baptism, undergoing appropriate training (announcement). Only baptized, or, in other words, faithful, members of the community were allowed to the second part.
The end of the earthly life of the saint
Despite the fact that St. John was exiled away from the capital, his enemies did not let up, and in 406 the imperial command came to transfer the hierarch to the very outskirts of the empire, to the village of Pitius, located on the territory of present-day Abkhazia. It so happened that at that time he was ill, but could not disobey the highest decree.
Exhausted by diseaseJohn made his way for three months, despite the cold and heat. This was the last transition that completed his earthly life. In the small village of Koman, the strength left the saint, and he gave his pure soul to the Lord. His honest relics were transferred to Constantinople in 438, and in the 11th century a monastery was founded on the site of the saint's death, where the church of St. John Chrysostom was erected. In a later period, the monastery was destroyed, and in its place only part of the temple foundation and separate 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, Saint 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 belonged to most Russian churches. Our article contains several photos 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, an akathist written in his honor is performed in all the churches of the country, as well as prayers to John Chrysostom, two of which are given in the article.
