{"id":6565,"date":"2014-03-23T12:29:57","date_gmt":"2014-03-23T10:29:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/copticocc.org\/site\/?p=6565"},"modified":"2017-04-06T15:40:43","modified_gmt":"2017-04-06T13:40:43","slug":"%d9%85%d9%82%d8%a7%d9%84-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%a3%d9%86%d8%a8%d8%a7-%d8%a5%d8%b1%d9%85%d9%8a%d8%a7-%d9%85%d8%b5%d8%b1-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%ad%d9%84%d9%88%d8%a9-%d8%ac-48-%d9%8a%d9%88","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/copticocc.org\/en\/%d9%85%d9%82%d8%a7%d9%84-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%a3%d9%86%d8%a8%d8%a7-%d8%a5%d8%b1%d9%85%d9%8a%d8%a7-%d9%85%d8%b5%d8%b1-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%ad%d9%84%d9%88%d8%a9-%d8%ac-48-%d9%8a%d9%88\/","title":{"rendered":"Beautiful Egypt 48 \u2013 \u00abJohn Chrysostom\u00bb March 23, 2014"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0In the previous article, we tackled the tenure of Caesar Arcadius, how the state\u2019s affairs were transferred from Rufinus to Eutropius after the former\u2019s assassination. Then, the domineering Eudoxia took over until she died in 404. She was succeeded by Anthemius who dominated everything. So much so, that the emperor lost his influence. He died in 408 due to unknown reasons, leaving the state\u2019s affairs to his son Theodosius II. We spoke of the clash between Eudoxia and John Chrysostom the patriarch of Constantinople. She banished him twice, and he died in his second exile.<\/span><\/h2>\n

John Chrysostom<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

Early Life<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0He was born in 347 to Secundus, Commander of the Empire\u2019s Hussars, who departed when John was an infant. So, his mother Anthusa undertook his education and upbringing. Libanius, the most renowned pagan philosopher and rhetorician, taught him logic and rhetoric. Androgathius taught him philosophy.<\/span><\/h2>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0John was so intelligent that when Libanius was dying, he told his students that John would be his successor, unless he became Christian! In fact, that philosopher discovered John\u2019s talents and eloquence, which made him wish to make him his successor. John was also admired by many, which made them believe he would be renowned.<\/span><\/h2>\n

His Friendship with Basil<\/span>\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0John became lawyer in his early life. He used to defend the poor and the wronged, attracting everybody\u2019s attention with his eloquence. He was also attracted to the pleasures of life. Yet, Basil, his old friend, attracted him to the love of God. Hence, he played a great role in changing the course of John\u2019s life. So much so that John said, \u201cWeighed on a scale, his pan was higher than mine: for mine was weighed down by the world\u2019s desires and youth\u2019s whims.\u201d Thanks to Basil, John yearned to asceticism and worship. So, he quit the law, and became a follower of Meletius, the bishop of Antioch.<\/span><\/h2>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0When he yearned for monasticism, his mother entreated him tearfully to stay with her until her death. Yet, she allowed him to worship freely. John obeyed his mother. He did not go to the monastery, but led an ascetic life. He prayed a lot, ate little and forsook rest. His heart was filled with love for God.<\/span><\/h2>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0The two friends became quite famous. So much so, that they were taken into consideration when a bishop for Syria was needed.<\/span><\/h2>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0John was preoccupied with monasticism. Yet, he did not want to hinder Basil\u2019s ordinance, and encouraged him to accept it. This was fulfilled. When it was John\u2019s turn to be ordained, he disappeared in the desert, which saddened Basil. He wrote him a message of reproach for abandoning the post. John answered him with a great treatise about priesthood.<\/span><\/h2>\n

Monasticism<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0After John had returned to Antioch, his mother passed away. So, he hurried to the monastery where he lived for four years. At that time, he wrote his first treatise, entitled, \u201cA Comparison between the King and the Monk\u201d. In 373, King Valens persecuted the Orthodox, denouncing monasticism. This made John write three books entitled, \u201cAgainst the Enemies of Monasticism\u201d in which he tackled the beauty of monastic life. He also spoke of Egypt\u2019s wilderness which presented monasticism to the world, saying, \u201cBehold the wilderness of Egypt! It is more beautiful than any paradise!\u201d John wrote a lot about repentance and comfort in temptation. People were attracted to him, which made him seclude himself for two years, after which he returned to Antioch to serve there.<\/span><\/h2>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0In 381, he became assistant to the bishop of Antioch, Meletius. At that time, he wrote some defense as well as ascetic books. For instance, he wrote two treatises entitled, \u201cSaint Papillas\u201d, \u201cAgainst Julian\u201d and \u201cAdversus Judaeos\u201d. Among his ascetic treatises are, \u201cOn Virginity\u201d, \u201cOn Repentance\u201d, and \u201cTo a Young Widow\u201d.<\/span><\/h2>\n

Priesthood<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0In 386, his homilies impressed people a lot, which is why he became a famous preacher, especially after giving several homilies in Antioch. These were entitled, \u201cThe Statues Homilies\u201d. The story of these homilies dates back to 387 when the government was about to celebrate a decade of Theodosius the Great\u2019s reign and five years of his son\u2019s reign with him. It, thus, came to pass that the Emperor imposed a new tax, which upset the whole empire.<\/span><\/h2>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0In Antioch, people expressed their frustration by rebelling and destroying the statues of the emperor, empress, and their son. Yet, they dreaded punishment. So, patriarch Flavian headed to Constantinople to appease the emperor. At that time, the emperor deprived the city its privileges, moving the capital to Lattakia. Clubs and theaters were closed down and some people were arrested. Likewise, the city was about to be burnt and its population killed as per the commander\u2019s orders, had it not been for the intervention of some monks and hermits. This made people wait for the patriarch\u2019s return in fear. At that time, the people hurried to church where John, the priest, called for repentance and returning to God. These homilies made him famous. They were called \u201cThe Statues Homilies\u201d. The patriarch succeeded in appeasing the emperor.<\/span><\/h2>\n

Ordinance Patriarch of Constantinople<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0Twelve years later, in 398, John was ordained patriarch after the departure of the patriarch of Constantinople. He was endorsed by Eutropius who liked his homilies. Thus, he was compelled to accept the patriarchate. John Chrysostom cared for the congregation, especially the poor and the widows.<\/span><\/h2>\n

Eutropius and John Chrysostom<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0When Eutropius had ascended to power, he treated the people and the church harshly and enslaved the honorable. He annulled the right of church asylum, despite the patriarch\u2019s objections that he might banish or assassinate whoever he pleased.<\/span><\/h2>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0It was Eutropius who suggested the ordinance of John patriarch on Constantinople. He supported him that he might win his favor. Yet, the patriarch would never defend evil. Thus, his relation with Eutropius was negatively affected. Moreover, Gainas and the Empress conspired to assassinate him, which made him flee to Hagia Sofia Church. The patriarch preached love and souls\u2019 weaknesses, which saved Eutropius from death. So, he was banished and executed.<\/span><\/h2>\n

Chrysostom and Eudoxia<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0At the beginning, Arcadius and Eudoxia liked the patriarch. Yet, this love did not last: for the patriarch supported Eutropius and rejected the Empress\u2019 despotism. In fact, he asked her to return a field that she had usurped from a widow, but she refused. So, he closed the doors of the Cathedral before her on the feast of the Holy Cross. Likewise, he criticized the Empress\u2019 extravagance. So, she and her friends conspired against him, and eventually banished him in 403.<\/span><\/h2>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0No sooner had the congregation known of the patriarch\u2019s exile, than they rebelled against the Empress. They surrounded the palace, demanding the patriarch\u2019s return. So, she had to order his immediate return in order to overcome schisms. The congregation received him with a festivity.<\/span><\/h2>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0However, the clash between the patriarch and the Empress never came to an end, which is why she banished him once more in 404. He remained in his exile until his departure.<\/span><\/h2>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0Historians maintain that John Chrysostom was banished owing to his criticism of the Empress who had a statue erected for her near the Hagia Sofia Cathedral. Even worse, the sounds of song and prayers intermingled! These incidents led to a conflict between Arcadius and his brother Honorius, the Caesar of the West, due to what happened to John Chrysostom. No sooner had the patriarch been banished, than the country was plighted with earthquakes and rotting of plants. The people thought this happened because the patriarch was banished.<\/span><\/h2>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0The Empress\u2019 victory was short-lived: for she died on October, 404. In 417, patriarch Atticus venerated patriarch John by adding his name to the saintly patriarchs\u2019 names mural.<\/span><\/h2>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0In 419, Pope Cyril the great did the same thing. Ever since, John Chrysostom has been mentioned in the Saints\u2019 Supplication. In 438, Theodosius II ordered that his relics be brought to the Holy Apostles Church, Constantinople. He was greatly venerated after his departure. He has always been loved and honored by all Christian sects.<\/span><\/h2>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0He was called \u201cgolden-mouthed\u201d because of his homilies and education of the congregation in the sixth century. He was the most popular preacher in Antioch. After Arcadius\u2019 death, his son Theodosius II ascended to power. His reign marked changes in Egypt\u2019s history. Stories never end in Beautiful Egypt.<\/span><\/h2>\n

General Bishop<\/span><\/h2>\n

Head of the Coptic Orthodox Cultural Center<\/span><\/h2>\n

<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0 \u00a0In the previous article, we tackled the tenure of Caesar Arcadius, how the state\u2019s affairs were transferred from Rufinus to Eutropius after the former\u2019s assassination. Then, the domineering Eudoxia took over until she died in 404. She was succeeded by Anthemius who dominated everything. So much so, that the emperor lost his influence. He […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":10626,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[51],"tags":[6391,6389,8108,396,395],"class_list":["post-6565","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles","tag-almasry-alyoum","tag-beautiful-egypt","tag-john-chrysostom","tag-396","tag-395"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/copticocc.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6565"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/copticocc.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/copticocc.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/copticocc.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/copticocc.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6565"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/copticocc.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6565\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":45347,"href":"https:\/\/copticocc.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6565\/revisions\/45347"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/copticocc.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10626"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/copticocc.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6565"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/copticocc.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6565"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/copticocc.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6565"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}