A Word about Saint John the Theologian

1. John in Ephesus of Asia, John is the praise of Asia and the pillar of the universe, John is the beloved disciple of Christ and the trumpet of the Word of God, the glory of the Ephesians and the preacher of the ends of the earth, the harp of theology, worthily called the Theologian, the mouth of the cherubim and the seraphim's secret teaching, and I will not hesitate to say even more than this. It was he - John - who preached loudly and boldly about Him, Whom the heavenly powers of angels glorify with awe; it was he who said: “in the beginning was the Word” (John 1:1). Blessed are you, city of the Ephesians, because this divine thunder thundered in you first; Blessed are you, O city of the Ephesians, because such a book is written in you; Blessed are you, because such a John (dwelt) in you. There are, of course, other Johns, both in the universe and in you, but neither in you nor in the entire universe there is another such John. Therefore, the leading mind of man and the Knower of the secrets of the heart, having found him as he is - holy and immaculate, high in life, pure in heart, adorned with chastity, perfect in love - entrusted to him, as the most faithful of the faithful, His Mother, a pure dove, an immaculate lamb, a most pure young woman, incomparable among people, the highest of all the creations of God: no other saint has such trust not worthy. Blessed are you, city of the Ephesians, that you were trampled by the feet of such a man, whose pure life and very traces the angels marveled at; blessed are you, city of the Ephesians, because through beloved John you were the first to rise above all other cities; blessed are you, because all the churches of the universe became your disciples, having been taught theology by you: “in the beginning was the Word.” Let’s imagine that somewhere in one place a lamp is burning, and then everyone comes here to light their lamps here, and, having achieved this, everyone disperses from here, with lamps in their hands, without stumbling or getting lost; this is what happened in Ephesus. When you first lit your lamp of theology, all the churches from the ends of the earth hastened to you, each one lit its lamp of theology and returned with joy. "In the beginning was the Word". And in Ephesus the light of theology has not diminished, and the universe, having the same amount of light, preaches: “in the beginning was the Word.” It is necessary, however, to remember the exploits of the illustrious apostle, as far as possible, few of many, because there is not enough time to depict all his virtues. We heard about many of them from the book of Acts, how valiantly he labored along with the other apostles. Subsequently, having been exiled by Domitian, the Roman emperor, he came to preach the word of God and the teaching of piety on an island called Patmos, and here he described the church as God showed it to him, and wrote the revelation of terrible and ineffable mysteries, as well as his three holy epistles. Notice the indescribable goodness of God - how God is everywhere inseparable from those who love Him - whether they are kept in prison, whether they are in exile, or in the abyss of the sea, whether they are imprisoned in a pit, or anywhere in danger, God does not leave them, helping them and strengthening them and making their labors easier. Returning from exile, John settled in Ephesus and during his stay here wrote the Gospel; he was then a hundred years old; in total he lived for one hundred and twenty years. It was here that he studied theology, or better said, in heaven, from where he brought it with him; After all, such people have their residence in heaven. While residing in the flesh in Ephesus, he spread the net of theology to the ends of the universe, proclaiming: “in the beginning was the Word.” Truly “great is our Lord, and great is [His] strength, and His understanding is immeasurable” (Ps. 146:5)! Great is the Lord who said to the apostles: “I will give you a mouth and wisdom” (Luke 21:15)! How many kings, rulers and wise men proclaimed their words, often with great power, but their voice did not even reach the walls of the city, but a poor fisherman proclaimed in Ephesus: “in the beginning was the Word” - and his voice covered the whole earth. Have you seen the loudest lips of all? Have you seen a tongue sharper than lightning? Have you seen a voice louder than any thunder? Have you seen such power of the teacher from Ephesus, teaching all nations and instructing them in theology: “in the beginning was the Word”? This voice caught the entire universe and - shocked - affirmed it; this voice enlightened the world and strengthened it against the enemy; this voice is for many the resurrection and the cause of salvation, and for some it is the fall and rejection, as a sign that can be contradicted: namely, for those who believe that in the beginning there was (the Word), the resurrection, for those who claim that It came from the non-existent, the fall and silence. In fact, a great multitude of heretics, rising up then, shook the church, blaming the Most High and claiming that there was once a time when there was no (Son), that before His birth He did not exist, and that He came from the non-existent. O unclean lips! Oh, bad language! O lips filled with the venom of asps! Is there any blasphemy worse than this blasphemy? Can wickedness extend beyond this? Then the Apostle John, no longer able to bear listening to their wicked voices, composed his Gospel, bequeathing to the church a great treasure, the fourth river, the pearl of great price. Having returned, as said above, after exile to Ephesus and thinking that the books of the other evangelists and almost all the inspired Scriptures had already been compiled for the edification of the church, and yet the fourth foundation of the universe was missing, without which the universe could not be established. John thought to himself this way: “Why am I delaying? What else am I waiting for? Why don’t I reveal a secret hidden for centuries? Why do I hide in myself the eternal wisdom that I drew from the immortal source, falling down to it? Why do I not proclaim what the angels do not know? Why do I not reveal to the ends of the earth Him whom no one knows except the Father? Why don’t I describe what Matthew, Mark and Luke kept silent about out of laudable timidity, not extending beyond what was commanded to them? I must also proclaim what has been given to me from above. Matthew wrote according to his strength as much as he could contain; Likewise, Mark and Luke, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, expounded their books in a Godly manner. I will also write and add a fourth source of life to the previous ones. The divinely inspired choir lacks a voice about theology, and the world is exposed to danger from this side. I will write a book that will stop all lips that dare to speak lies against God; I will write a book that surpasses all the wisdom in the world; I will write a book that does not talk about a person. For the church, it is enough, of course, that Moses wrote about the objects of the visible world - about heaven and earth, about seas, fish, birds and four-legged creatures, about reptiles, plants and seeds, about luminaries, about food and other creation; I, leaving behind everything that happens from time and in time, will speak about the timeless and uncreated, before all ages, the ineffably begotten God the Word from the Father. Moses could not even speak about Him, but I “can do all things through Jesus Christ who strengthens me” (Phil. 4:13). Thus reasoning with himself, the Apostle John, with a writing cane in his hands and with the thought of how to begin theology, rejoicing in his soul and trembling in his hand, was inspired and, being in body in Ephesus, with a pure heart and spirit rose above the earth. And so, leaving the entire earth, he passed through the air that lightened it, passed through the constellations of luminaries, passed through the armies of angels, the faces of archangels and all the heavenly powers, the ranks of cherubim and seraphim, and everything that was created from nothingness, passed through all the heavens, no matter how many there were, and penetrated beyond their boundaries. He approached the limits of the incomprehensible and no one hindered him, no one held him back. So, neither the airy spirits prevent anyone who is undefiled in body, pure in heart, kind in soul and humble in spirit, nor from heavenly forces, from ascending to the heavenly Jerusalem, where all the blessed are gathered, like this blessed Apostle John, lesser and at the same time greater than the great Saint John. So, he passed all this and did not meet any obstacles anywhere. The angels fell silent at the sight of earthly man, more glorious than the angels; the faces of the angels did not dare to detain another angel - an earthly one, shining with virginity, full of holiness, pure in heart, filled with fragrance. The gates of heaven, again seeing a new glorified face, shining with divine rays more than the sun, and thinking that this was the one whom Jesus loved, who reclined on His chest with the greatest purity, which is why he was clothed with such glory, hastily dissolved and opened the entrance for him. Then he approached the inaccessible, reaching the very depths of the mountain. What can I say about this? The divine voice is true, proclaiming through the prophet: “I will glorify those who glorify Me” (1 Sam. 2:30), as the Godfather David predicted about this: “for the mighty (elect) of God on earth are highly exalted” 1 (Ps. 46:10), and also: “To the saints who are on earth, and to Thy wondrous ones—to them is all my desire” (Ps. 15:3). What is greater than such a miracle - for a man of earth to ascend to such a height? With great boldness and as much as it was possible to see, he contemplated God there, “Whom no man has seen or can see” (1 Tim. 6:16), as the Apostle Paul writes, in accordance with John’s own words, that “No one has ever seen God” (John 1:18). So what do we say about this? Did Paul rightly assert: “Whom no man has seen or can see,” if John saw Him? Of course, this is true: after all, in the present case we are not talking about what is characteristic of people or rooted in nature, but about what is above nature; what John was awarded is not a matter of slavery, but of sonship and friendship [“You are My friends... I no longer call you servants” (John 15:14–15)]; there was nothing unclean here - there was only something pure and washed, as the divine voice told the apostles: “you are clean” (John 13:10), and the pure in heart “will see God” (Matthew 5:8). So, possessing these greatest divine gifts, John boldly entered the heights and reached the boundless sea, and here with the pure eyes of his heart he contemplated in the depths of the beginningless Father the co-beginning Word, ineffably born from the Father before all ages; and being unable to contain the fruit of this contemplation - unspeakable joy, he opened his holy and seraphim lips and cried out with a great voice: “in the beginning was the Word”! Notice the fisherman's understanding; pay attention to the wisdom of the unlearned husband; try to appreciate the indescribable height of the teacher sitting in Ephesus and contemplating what is higher than heaven. In spirit he ascended above all and, having caught theology in a net from the depths of his fathers, he was below in body and wrote: “in the beginning was the Word.” Hear, O faithful ones, and be affirmed: “in the beginning was the Word.” Hear, O linguistic opponents, and be ashamed: “In the beginning was the Word.” Rage no more, blasphemers, do not rage against the Church, antichrists; do not be lawless, do not lift up your horns: “do not lift up your horns on high, [do not] speak... stiff-necked” (Ps. 75:6), saying that there was once a time when there was no Son, that before He was born He did not exist and that He came into existence from nothingness. “Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from deceitful words” (Ps. 33:14). Of course, He was, and was before, was and always, without beginning or ending His existence; Of course, the Timeless One is not subject to time, He is not a creature or a creature: He Himself is the Creator and Creator of everything, both visible and invisible. “All things were made through Him” (John 1:3). How timely it is now to remember this prophetic saying: “This is our God, and no one else can compare with Him. He found all the ways of wisdom and gave it to His servant Jacob and His beloved Israel” (Bar. 3:36-37). In fact, notice how the theologian said in one word “the universe will not be shaken” (Ps. 95:10). One man sits in Ephesus and teaches theology to the whole world. Look to the east: how many countries are there, how many regions, how many churches; then pay attention to the west: and there are so many countries and cities, including the great Rome; Take a look at other countries: the south, and the countries of the Cappadocians, and everything that is within these limits - islands, deserts and mountains; Imagine the church multitude - the clergy and crowds of people, men and women, if you can count them - but it’s easier to count the sand of the sea than this multitude! And all these are disciples of John, who learned theology from him: “in the beginning was the Word.” And in the square they sing this: “in the beginning was the Word”; and travelers, traders, and sailors adhere to this melody: “in the beginning was the Word”; and in the deserts, and in the mountains, and the simple, and the wise, and the young, and the old, and everyone to whom this is possible, theologizes thus: “in the beginning was the Word.” And while everywhere the number of those constantly exclaiming: “It was” and “It was” has increased, those saying: “It was not” have become fewer. There are more theologians, and fewer vain talkers; the godly have prospered, and the wicked have failed; the faithful triumphed, and the infidels faded away. “The bow of the mighty is broken, but the weak are girded with strength” (1 Samuel 2:4). The madness of the world has been exposed and the wise men of the world have been overthrown. But isn't it time for me to finish talking about them? After all, no matter how far I continue this speech, I will not rise to the level of depicting their glory. They were given the glory that their Teacher received from the Father. Why else try to talk about something that is impossible to cover in words? Not a single person is able to praise them properly, and everything that we dared to say about them can only give an idea of ​​the weakness of our strength, and not at all of the dignity of the face of the holy apostles. And all the time I never cease to fear that, daring to talk about them, I, through my inability, insignificance and poverty of my words, only reduce the praise they deserve and arouse indignation on their part against myself. If anything encourages me, it is the hope that, being lenient towards everyone, in the present case they will show leniency towards our weakness. If they bless those who are reviled, those who are persecuted endure, those who are blasphemed beg, then much more will those who are praised in our strength not be indignant, knowing the weakness of nature, although they themselves are now exalted above nature by God who loved them. From the poor they became rich, from the inglorious they became glorious, from the unlearned they became wise, from fishermen they became fishers of men; and thus, having completed their career, they passed on to endless life, to the Teacher and Lord Jesus Christ, to Him be glory. Amen. 2. To their successors they handed down their nets and snares and the authority they had received from Him who has all authority in heaven and on earth. “Behold,” He said, “I give you power to tread on snakes and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will harm you” (Luke 10:19). This power, as it is said, and eldership and zeal are inherited from them by the illustrious teachers, hierarchs and shepherds of Christ’s flock, walking in the footsteps of the apostles, courageous champions for the Holy Trinity, elevated above the law and those who received the Holy Spirit, like a plow, they dug deep and opened the depths of the divine Scriptures and made it clear to everyone, they glorified the faith and drove out evil, they confirmed the Orthodox in divine dogmas and struck the heterodox with divine arrows, they found the hidden wine of sorrow, gave water to the thirsty flock, received the divine songs and the servants and guardians of the divine vineyard, the preachers of the divine. dogmas and a sword against heretics, set by the Holy Spirit by the bishops, as St. Paul said: “to shepherd the Church of the Lord and God” (Acts. 20:28), they did not shy away from the sorrows that befell them and received the promised crown of life; fleeing youthful passions, they inherited divine hope. The commanders of the great king, rich in the word of God and poor in spirit, imitators of the apostles and models for the faithful, rulers of the city and messengers of the universe, they laid down their souls for the flock and shed their blood for the faith. They imitated ancient Abraham and rest in his depths. It was they who acted as defenders of the Lord and exposed the hated and slandered when they, distorting the divine Scripture, darkening the truth and leading the weak astray from the straight path, began to ensnare souls, dragging them into the eternal darkness of heresy. Then those who were all gathered together, unanimously faithful, imitating David, like stones from a stream, took the divine sayings, i.e. gospel, and unshakable faith in the Holy Trinity, and rose up in war against countless and godless heretics, unanimously and unanimously speaking with the apostles: “one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all” (Eph. 4:5-6), one Holy Spirit, enlightenment of all, one Godhead, one God. To him always be glory and power, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen. Creations attributed to St. John Chrysostom and classified in the Minya edition as Spuria.