Собор трех великих вселенских учителей Василия Великого, Григория Богослова и Иоанна Златоуста

During the reign of the faithful and Christ-loving Tsar Alexei Komnenos 1057, who assumed royal power after Nicephorus Botaniates 1058, there was a great dispute in Constantinople about these three saints between the most skilled teachers of wisdom in eloquence. Some put Basil the Great above other saints, calling him the most exalted vita, since he surpassed everyone in word and deeds, and they saw in him a man not much inferior to the Angels, firm in character, not easily forgiving of sins and alien to everything earthly; Below him was placed the Divine John Chrysostom, who had different qualities from those indicated: he was inclined to have mercy on sinners and soon allowed them to repent. Others, on the contrary, exalted the Divine Chrysostom as a most philanthropic man, understanding the weakness of human nature, and as an eloquent leader, instructing everyone to repentance with his many honeyed speeches; that is why they revered him above Basil the Great and Gregory the Theologian. Others, finally, stood for Saint Gregory the Theologian, arguing that with the persuasiveness of his speech, skillful interpretation of the Holy Scriptures and the elegance of constructing his speech, he surpassed all the most glorious representatives of Hellenic wisdom, both those who previously lived and those contemporary with him. Thus, some exalted the glory of Saint Gregory, while others degraded his importance. From this there arose discord among many, some being called Ioannites, others Basilians, and others Gregorians. Men who were most skilled in eloquence and wisdom argued about these names. Some time after these disputes arose, these great saints appeared, first each separately, and then all three together, not in a dream, but in reality, to John, Bishop of Euchaitis, a most learned man, very knowledgeable in Hellenic wisdom (as his writings testify to this), and also famous for his virtuous life 1059. They told him with one voice: – We are equal with God, as you see; We have neither division nor any opposition to each other. Each of us separately, at one time, inspired by the Divine Spirit, wrote appropriate teachings for the salvation of people. What we learned in secret, we passed on openly to people. There is neither the first nor the second between us. If you refer to one, then both others agree on the same. Therefore, command those who argue about us to stop arguing, for both during life and after death, we are concerned with bringing the ends of the universe to peace and unanimity. In view of this, unite the memory of us on one day and, as befits you, compose a festive service for us, and convey to others that we have equal dignity with God. We, who commemorate us, will be accomplices to salvation, since we hope that we have some merit from God. Having said this to the bishop, they began to ascend to heaven, shining with an indescribable light and calling each other by name. Blessed Bishop John immediately, through his efforts, restored peace between the warring parties, since he was a great man in virtue and famous in wisdom. He established the feast of the three saints, as the saints had commanded him, and commanded the churches to celebrate it with appropriate solemnity 1060. The wisdom of this great man was clearly revealed in this, since he saw that in the month of January the memory of all three saints is celebrated, namely: on the first day - Basil the Great, on the twenty-fifth - the Divine Gregory, and on the twenty-seventh - St. Chrysostom - he united them on the thirtieth day of the same month, crowning the celebration of their memory with canons, troparions and praises, as befitted. It is necessary to add the following about them. Saint Basil the Great surpassed in book wisdom not only the teachers of his time, but also the most ancient ones: he not only went through the entire science of eloquence to the last word, but also studied philosophy well, as well as comprehended the science that teaches true Christian activity. Then, leading a virtuous life, full of non-covetousness and chastity, and ascending his mind to the vision of God, he was elevated to the episcopal throne, being forty years old from birth, and for more than eight years he was the head of the church. Saint Gregory the Theologian was so great that if it were possible to create a human image and a pillar, composed piece by piece from all the virtues, then he would be like the great Gregory. Having shone with his holy life, he reached such a height in the field of theology that he defeated everyone with his wisdom, both in verbal disputes and in the interpretation of the dogmas of faith. That is why he was called a theologian. He was a saint in Constantinople for twelve years, establishing Orthodoxy. Having then lived for a short time on the patriarchal throne (as it is written about in his life), he left the throne due to old age and, being sixty, retired to the mountain monasteries. It can be rightly said about the Divine Chrysostom that he surpassed all the Hellenic sages in reason, persuasiveness of speech and elegance of speech; He explained and interpreted Divine Scripture inimitably; Likewise, in virtuous life and vision of God, he far surpassed everyone else. He was a source of mercy and love, and was filled with the zeal of teaching. In total he lived for sixty years; He was a shepherd of the Church of Christ for six years. Through the prayers of these three saints, may Christ our God overthrow heretical strife, and may He preserve us in peace and unanimity, and may He vouchsafe us His Heavenly Kingdom, for blessed is He forever. Amen. As the Apostles are equal and the teacher of the universe, pray to the Lord of all to grant peace to the universe and great mercy to our souls. The sacred and divinely prophesied preachers, the supreme teachers, O Lord, Thou hast accepted into the enjoyment of Thy good things and repose: for Thou hast accepted their labors and death more than all fruitfulness, Alone, glorifying Thy saints. The Byzantine Emperor Alexios I Komnenos reigned from 1081–1108. Nikephoros III Botaniates reigned from 1078–1081. John, Metropolitan of Euchaites, is one of the remarkable church writers and hymnographers of the Eastern Church of the 11th century (died at the end of the 11th century). He wrote quite a lot of essays. From his writings the following are known: 1) words of praise, numbering up to 15, among which are remarkable: two words on the day of remembrance of the victory over Svyatoslav, the Russian prince, three words in memory of the holy Great Martyr Theodore Tyrone, words of praise to three Saints; 2) poems and church hymns: of the latter, the complete service to the three Saints, the canon to the Guardian Angel, two canons to St. Theodore Tyrone still remain in church services. In the services there are placed: from among his 27 canons to the Savior - one canon to the Sweetest Jesus; of the 67 canons to the Mother of God - six; out of the 11 canons of the Forerunner - two. His canons to the Sweetest Jesus and the Guardian Angel are especially excellent. Holiday in honor of three ecumenical teachers and saints: Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian and John Chrysostom You might be interested in: