On St. John Chrysostom (??????? ? ???????????)

He was born in Antioch around 347, in the family of a military commander, and died on September 14, 407

Commemorated on January 30 (3 svt.), November 13, September 14, January 27

St. John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople, is one of the three Ecumenical hierarchs, along with St. Basil the Great and St. Gregory the Theologian. He was born in Antioch around 347, in the family of a military commander. His father, Secundus, died shortly after the birth of his son; his mother, Anthusa, did not marry again and devoted all her strength to the education of John. The young man studied with the best philosophers and rhetoricians, and early turned to an in-depth study of the Holy Scriptures and prayerful contemplation. Saint Meletius, Bishop of Antioch (Comm. 12 February), loving John as a son, instructed him in the faith and in the year 367 baptized him. After three years Saint John was ordained a reader. After Saint Meletius was sent into exile by the emperor Valens, in the year 372, Saint John, together with Theodore (afterwards Bishop of Mopsuestia), studied under experienced instructors of the ascetic life, the presbyters Flavian and Diodorus of Tarsus.

When the mother of Saint John died, he accepted monasticism, which he called "true philosophy". Soon Saint John was considered a worthy candidate for occupying the episcopal cathedra. However, out of humility, he declined the episcopal rank. At this time Saint John wrote "Six Homilies on the Priesthood", a great work of Orthodox pastoral theology. The saint spent four years in the labors of wilderness life, writing "Against Those Who Arm Themselves Against Those Who Seek Monasticism" and "A Comparison of the Power, Wealth and Privileges of the Tsar with the True and Christian Wisdom of Monastic Life." For two years the saint observed complete silence, being in a solitary cave. In order to restore his health, Saint John had to return to Antioch. In the year 381, Bishop Meletius of Antioch ordained him a deacon. The following years were devoted to the creation of new theological works: "On Providence", "The Book of Virginity", "To the Young Widow" (two words), "The Book of St. Babylon and Against Julian and the Gentiles".

In the year 386 Saint John was consecrated by the bishop of Antioch Flavian as a presbyter. He was entrusted with the duty of preaching the Word of God. Saint John turned out to be a brilliant preacher, and for the rare gift of the Divinely inspired word he received from his flock the name "Chrysostom". For twelve years the saint, in the presence of a gathering of people, usually twice a week, and sometimes daily, preached in the church, shaking the hearts of his listeners.

In pastoral zeal for the best assimilation of Holy Scripture by Christians, Saint John turned to hermeneutics – the science of interpreting the Word of God. He wrote commentaries on many books of Holy Scripture (Genesis, Psalter, the Gospels of Matthew and John, the Epistles of the Apostle Paul) and many discourses on individual biblical texts, as well as sermons on feasts, in praise of the saints, and apologetic words (against the Anomoeans, Judaizers, and pagans). Saint John, as a presbyter, zealously fulfilled the commandment of caring for the poor: under him the Church of Antioch nourished every day up to 3000 virgins and widows, not counting prisoners, strangers and the sick. The fame of the remarkable pastor and preacher grew.