The Life of Our Father Among the Saints,
John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople
From
The Great Collection of the Lives of the Saints, Volume 3: November
Compiled by St. Demetrius of Rostov (©
Chrysostom Press)
Part 1: His early life. Priest and preacher in Antioch.
Saint John Chrysostom, beacon of the whole world, pillar and confirmation of the Church, and preacher of repentance, was born in the city of Antioch in Syria. His parents were unbelievers and held to the impiety of the Greeks. His father, who was an officer, was named Secundus and his mother Anthusa, and they were persons of wealth and repute.
When John reached the proper age, he was entrusted to the sophist Libanius and the philosopher Andragraphius, who instructed him in the learning of the Greeks. Although but a youth, he surpassed many older men in understanding, for he came to know the one true God, the Creator of all, and to disdain the godless polytheism of the pagans. John was baptized by the Most Holy Patriarch Meletius, who was at that time pastor of the Church of Antioch. Not long thereafter, it pleased God the most good to illumine John’s parents with the holy faith so that they who brought into the world this great luminary might not continue to wander astray in the darkness of unbelief. Secundus departed unto the Lord and a better life soon after receiving Holy Baptism, leaving Anthusa, John’s mother, a very young widow. She was little more than twenty years old when her husband died.
When John reached the age of eighteen, he went to Athens, and within a short time surpassed his fellow-students and many of the philosophers there in knowledge. He studied all the teachings and the texts of the schools there and himself became a noted philosopher and eloquent orator.
John had in Athens a malicious opponent, a philosopher named Anthimius, who was jealous of the high regard in which the saint was held. Anthimius began to slander the blessed one, but John’s wise and divinely inspired words put him to shame before all. Moreover, John led Anthimius and many others to Christ in the following manner. While Anthimius was disputing with John, he began to blaspheme our Lord Jesus Christ. Suddenly an unclean spirit gained power over him and began to torment him. Anthimius fell to the ground, beside himself, his eyes agape and foam seething from his open mouth. The onlookers were overcome by fear, and many fled. Those who remained begged John to have mercy on the possessed man and to heal him, but John replied, “If he does not repent and believe in Christ God, Whom he blasphemed, he cannot be healed.”
Anthimius straightway cried out, “I confess that there is no God either in heaven or on earth other than the God of the Christians, in Whom the wise John believes!”
When he had said this, the unclean spirit came forth, and Anthimius stood upon his own feet, restored to health. All the people who beheld this miracle cried, “Great is the God of the Christians, Who alone works wonders!”
Saint John forbade Anthimius to continue to blaspheme the Son of God and instructed him in the teachings of the true faith. Then he sent him to the Bishop of the city, who baptized Anthimius and his entire household. Many other citizens of repute came to believe in Christ as well and were baptized. The Bishop learned that it was John who had brought about the conversion of so many pagans to Christ, so he wished to ordain him and to keep him in Athens. Moreover, he hoped that John would succeed him on the hierarchal throne, for he was very old, but John learned of this and secretly departed from the city, returning to Antioch. There he resolved to forsake all the vain glory and pride of life, to take up the humble life of a monk, and to labor for God in the angelic schema. His intention was encouraged by his close friend, whose name was Basil. This man was also born in Antioch and knew John from childhood. The two shared the same teachers and loved one another greatly, being of one mind and soul. Basil, who became a monk first, advised his companion John to take up the monastic life, and John heeded his good counsel.
John wished to enter a monastery immediately and to become a monk but was held back by his mother. Learning of his intention, she pleaded with him, weeping: “My child! I did not long enjoy conjugal life with your father, for death, in accordance with God’s will, left me a widow and you an orphan. But no sorrow has succeeded in compelling me to marry a second time and to bring another man into your father’s house. I have endured the woes and fires of widowhood with God’s help because I had the joy of gazing often upon your face, which greatly resembles that of your father. I have not squandered your father’s wealth in the troubles that have befallen me as a widow, but have preserved it untouched to provide for your needs. Therefore, I beseech you, my child: do not force a second widowhood upon me, nor arouse by your departure the sorrow within me which has scarcely abated since the death of your father. Wait until my death, which I expect with each passing day. After you have buried me alongside the bones of your father, you may do as you wish. But remain with me now for a short time while I am still alive!” And thus she persuaded him not to forsake her.
At that time, Zeno, the Archbishop of Jerusalem, happened to be in Antioch, and tonsured John a reader. He remained in that rank for three years. Then John’s mother died, and after burying her, he gave away all his possessions to those who were in need, freeing his servants and bidding farewell to his relatives and friends. He went to a monastery, where he became a monk and began to labor for the Lord day and night, toiling and struggling greatly. It was there that he wrote the books On the Priesthood, On Contrition of Heart (a most profitable work), and An Epistle to the Fallen Monk Theodore.
God bestowed upon Saint John the gift of teaching and the grace of the Holy Spirit, which worked in him even as it had in the apostles. This was revealed to one of the monks living in that monastery, an ascetic named Hesychius. Venerable in years and perfect in every virtue, this Hesychius was also clairvoyant. One night, while keeping vigil and praying, he beheld in a vision two men of a magnificent appearance, clad in white garments and shining like the sun, who came down from heaven and entered the cell of the blessed John as he stood at prayer. One of them held a scroll covered with writing, and the other held keys. When John saw them, he was afraid and hastened to fall down to the ground before them. But they took him by the hands, and raising him up, said, “Take heart and have no fear.”
John asked them, “Who are you, my lords?”
They said to him, “Do not fear, 0 man of lofty desires, 0 new Daniel, in whom the Holy Spirit has deigned to make His abode, on account of your purity of heart. We have been sent to you by the great Teacher, our Saviour Jesus Christ.”
The first of the two men stretched forth his hand and gave John the scroll. As he did this he said, “Take this scroll from my hand, for I am John, who rested on the Lord’s breast at the Mystical Supper and received from Him divine revelations. The Lord shall also bestow upon you the depths of wisdom, enabling you to nourish the people with the imperishable food of the teaching of Christ. Your lips shall stop the mouths of Jews and heretics who utter blasphemies against God.”
Then the second man stretched forth his hand and gave John the keys, saying, “I am Peter, and the keys to the kingdom have been entrusted unto me. The Lord wishes to grant you the keys of the holy churches as well, so that whomsoever you shall bind may be bound and whomsoever you shall loose may be loosed.”
The blessed John again prostrated himself before the two men, and asked, “Who am I to dare to take upon myself such great and fearful tasks? I am a sinner and worse than all other men.”
But the holy apostles took the saint by the right hand, and raising him up, said, “Stand firmly, take courage, and be strong. Do what has been commanded you, and do not conceal the gift that our Lord Jesus Christ has bestowed on you. Enlighten His people and confirm them in the faith, for He shed His blood for their sake so that they might be freed from the deception of the enemy. Teach the word of God without hesitation, remembering the Lord’s saying: Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Do not be timid: Christ our God is pleased to bring many souls to sanctification and enlightenment through you. Numerous woes will befall you for righteousness’ sake, but you must remain as firm as adamant, for thus you shall inherit the kingdom of God.”
So saying, the apostles made the sign of the Cross over John, gave him a kiss in the Lord, and departed. Such of the brethren as were tried in the virtues the blessed Hesychius told of his vision, and they were amazed and glorified God, Who has many hidden servants, unbeknown to all. But Hesychius forbade them to tell the other monks, lest John learn of the vision and depart from them, for he did not wish that they be deprived of the presence of God’s great favorite.
John did not cease to toil either for his own salvation or for that of others, laboring fervently himself and arousing others to struggle. The slothful he inspired to strive for heavenly things, to mortify their flesh, and to subject it to the spirit. Moreover, the blessed one worked numerous miracles while living the ascetic life in that monastery.
There was a wealthy and highborn citizen of Antioch who suffered greatly from pain in his head. At length his right eye fell out and was left hanging on his cheek. Although he spent much money on skilled physicians, he received no benefit from them. He then heard report of Saint John and went to the monastery where he lived. The man approached the blessed one, fell at his feet, and asked John to heal him. The saint replied, “Such afflictions as yours befall men on account of their sins and because they have little faith in Christ. But if you believe with all your soul that Christ can heal you, and cease committing the sins you have been guilty of until now, you shall behold God’s might.”
The man declared, “I believe, Father, and will do whatsoever you require of me!”
As he said this, the man laid hold of John’s garment and placed it upon his head and his diseased eye. Immediately the pain ceased and the eye returned to its socket. The man was completely healed, as though he had never been afflicted, and returned to his home, glorifying God.
Another man, one of the elders of Antioch, whose name was Archelaus, suffered from leprosy on his face, and also went to Saint John to ask healing. The saint spoke with him for a long time and then commanded him to wash his face with the water the brethren of the monastery drank. As soon as he had done this, he was cleansed of his leprosy. Without delay he forsook the world and became a monk.
There was another man named Eucius, who from childhood was unable to see with his right eye. He came to the monastery where the blessed John lived, and received the monastic tonsure. John said to this man, “May God heal you, Brother, and may He illumine the eyes both of your soul and body.”
No sooner had the saint said this than Eucius’ blind eye was opened, and he could see clearly. When the brethren realized this, they marvelled and exclaimed, “Truly John is God’s servant, and the Holy Spirit dwells in him!”
A woman named Christina, who had an issue of blood, begged her husband to take her to Saint John. Her husband set her upon an ass, accompanied her to the monastery, and left her before the gates. He then went alone to the saint and asked him to pray that his wife be healed. John said to the man, “Tell your wife to cease doing evil and to treat her servants kindly. She must understand that she is made of the same clay as they, and must begin to care for her soul. Tell her to give alms to the poor and not to neglect her prayers. Likewise, you must be abstinent and keep yourselves pure on feast days and days of fasting, and then God will grant her healing.”
The man went to relate to his wife what Saint John had said. She vowed with all fervor that she would do as John had commanded, until her last breath. Then the man returned to tell the saint of his wife’s promise.
“Go in peace,” John said to him. The man returned to his wife and found her healed, and they joyfully returned to their home, glorifying God.
There lived in that region a very fierce lion which roamed the roads, attacking men and beasts alike. Many times the people of the district gathered together and laid in wait for the lion with spears and arrows, but they never succeeded in slaying it. The beast would emerge from a grove of oak trees and attack travellers, slaying some and wounding others: hardly ever would anyone escape. Some of its victims were caught and carried back to its den alive, only to be devoured there. The people went to John and told him of this, entreating him to assist them by his prayers. He gave them a wooden cross and told them to plant it in the ground where the lion usually appeared. The people took the cross and set it up as the saint had instructed them. Several days passed, but the beast did not show itself, so the people went to the cross and found the lion lying dead there. They rejoiced that the beast had perished and that they had been delivered from danger by the power of the cross and the saint’s prayers.
John remained in the monastery for four years. Then, desiring a life of silence, he secretly departed into the desert where he found a cave, in which he remained for two years, living only for God.
After this, Saint John fell ill, enfeebled by his indescribable labors. The cold had harmed his legs, and he was no longer able to care for himself because of his infirmity. For this reason he was compelled to leave the wilderness and to return to Antioch. This occurred in accordance with God’s providence for His Church, so that the brilliant lamp would not remain hidden in a desert cave, as though beneath a bushel, but would be placed on the lampstand of the Church to illumine all. Thus John ceased to have his dwelling among wild beasts and began to live amid men and to profit not only himself but others as well.
Upon his arrival in the city of Antioch, the blessed John was received with joy by the Most Holy Patriarch Meletius, who gave him a place to live. A short time thereafter, the Patriarch ordained John to the diaconate. He remained a deacon for five years and became the adornment of the Church, both because of the virtue of his life and on account of the edifying treatises which he wrote at that time.
While John was a deacon, Saint Meletius went to Constantinople for the occasion of the appointment of Saint Gregory of Nazianzus as patriarch. There he reposed in the Lord. When John heard of the death of Patriarch Meletius, he left Antioch and returned to the monastery where he lived earlier. The monks were very glad that John had come back, and his return occasioned a spiritual celebration. The blessed one instructed them as before, and remained there for three years, leading a quiet, God-pleasing life.
One night, while Flavian occupied the throne of Antioch, an angel of the Lord appeared to the Patriarch as he stood at prayer. The angel said, “Go tomorrow to the monastery where John, the favorite of God, has his dwelling. Bring him back to the city and ordain him presbyter, for he is a chosen vessel and God will turn a multitude of people unto Himself through him.”
An angel also appeared to John at the same time. The saint was praying in his cell during the night, according to his custom when the angel came to him and commanded him to return with Flavian to the city and to accept the priesthood. The next day, the Patriarch arrived at the monastery, and the blessed John and all the monks came forth to meet him. They bowed down before him, received his blessing, and then led him to the church with fitting honor. The Patriarch served the Holy Liturgy, communed all the brethren with the divine Mysteries, and after blessing the brethren again, returned to the city with John. The monks wept inconsolably, because they did not wish that John be taken from them.
The next day John was ordained. When the Patriarch placed his hand upon John’s head, a shining white dove suddenly appeared, flying above the saint. Seeing this, the Patriarch Flavian and all those present were amazed and stood there marvelling. Word of this miracle spread throughout Antioch, the neighboring cities, and all Syria, and those who heard of it said, “What shall this man become? The glory of the Lord has overshadowed him from the very day of his ordination!”
Once he was made a presbyter, John began to care for the salvation of men’s souls with still greater zeal. The blessed one often preached without a written text to the faithful in church, causing the people of Antioch to marvel greatly and praise him. Saint John was the first to preach in such a manner in that city: before that time no one had heard anyone proclaim the Word of God without the help of a book or a prepared text. Such was the grace that poured from his lips that those listening to his sweet words always desired to hear more. Therefore, as John preached, skilled scribes wrote
down what he said. His sermons were recopied and then read at meals and in the squares of the city. Some learned his homilies by heart, like the Psalter. The eloquent orator was loved by all, and there was no one in the city who did not desire to hear him. Whenever the people learned that John was to preach, they hastened with joy to the church. Builders abandoned the construction of buildings and magistrates the trying of cases in court; merchants forsook their wares and craftsmen their handiwork and ran to hear John. They did not wish to be deprived of even one of John’s words, counting it a great loss not to hear his sweet tongue speak. Because of this, they devised numerous titles for the saint. Some called him “the lips of God and of Christ,” others “the mellifluous.”
Many times the blessed one (especially during his first years as a priest) gave sermons rich in wisdom and learning, which could not readily be understood by certain of his hearers, who were persons of little education. Once, one such woman, who was listening to the saint speak but could not understand the meaning of what he said, cried out to him, “0 spiritual teacher! I would do well to call you John of the golden mouth. The well of your teaching is deep; however, the rope of our minds is short and cannot reach its depths!”
Then many of the people began to say, “God Himself has given you this name through this woman!” And from that time until the present the whole Church has called John by the name “Chrysostom,” which means “golden-mouthed.”
In time, the holy Chrysostom came to understand that it was not profitable to address the people in a manner they could not comprehend, so he ceased employing the refinements of rhetoric. Instead, he preached simple homilies which taught moral lessons, so that even the simplest of his hearers might fully understand and benefit from his sermons.
But Saint John was mighty in deeds as well as words. Once a woman named Eudia, whose only son was ill with a fever and about to die, took her child to the saint and begged him to heal the boy. The saint took water and thrice made the sign of the Cross with it over the sick boy, sprinkling him in the name of the Holy Trinity. Immediately the fever died down, and the child arose and then prostrated himself before the saint.
The Eparch of the city of Antioch was a man blinded by the Marcionite heresy and had done much harm to the faithful. His wife fell into a grievous illness, which no doctor could cure. Day by day she became sicker, and the Eparch summoned heretics of his persuasion to his home, beseeching them to pray for the health of his wife. They did so fervently for three days and more, but without success. Then the woman confided to her husband, “I have heard that the presbyter named John, who lives with Bishop Flavian, is a true disciple of Christ and that God grants him whatsoever he asks. I entreat you to take me to him so that we may ask him to pray for my healing, for they say that he works many miracles. The Marcionites have not helped me at all, and the impiety of their faith is evident. If their faith were true, God would have hearkened to their prayer!”
The Eparch did as his wife asked and took her to the church of the Orthodox, but since he was a heretic, he did not carry her inside. Instead, he laid her before the doors and sent word, explaining to Bishop Flavian and the presbyter John why he had come and asking them to pray the Lord Jesus Christ to heal his sick wife. The Bishop came out to the woman, accompanied by John, and said, “If you renounce your heresy and unite yourselves to the Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church, Christ the Lord will heal you.”
When the couple had agreed to this, John ordered that water be brought and asked Flavian to make the sign of the Cross over it. Then, John commanded that the water be poured over the sick woman. Straightway she arose healed, as though she had never been ifi, and glorified God. Both the Eparch and his wife united themselves to the Holy Church, renouncing the Marcionite heresy. There was great joy among the faithful over the Eparch’s conversion, but the heretics were cast into confusion and became very angry with John. They began to revile him and to spread slander against him everywhere, saying that he was a sorcerer, but God quickly sealed their lying lips and brought upon them a grievous chastisement, for there was a mighty earthquake in Antioch, and the church in which the heretics assembled fell to the ground. Many people were crushed when it collapsed, but not one of the faithful was harmed. When the remaining heretics and the pagans saw this, they acknowledged Christ’s power. Destroying their temple, the heathen turned to the true God, Who was preached by Saint John.