Иоанн, патриарх антиохийский

John, Patriarch of Antioch (1092–1103), was first a monk on the island of Oxia in the Propontis and took the throne with the assistance of the Byzantine emperor Alexios I Komnenos. Nothing is known about I.’s church and social activities, but he owns several works and, above all, the wonderful “Speech about those who receive monasteries as a gift and make profit from them.” In Byzantium there was a custom of giving monasteries as gifts and grants, or charistikia (δωρεά, χαριστική). Such monasteries were called charistikari, and the persons who received them were called charistikari. The custom of granting gifts to monasteries is very ancient in origin. It became especially widespread during the time of the iconoclasts, in particular under Constantine Copronymus (741–775), that fierce enemy of monasticism, who treated monasteries and their possessions especially unceremoniously and distributed them in large quantities. But even after iconoclasm it did not lose its significance and was widely used in the Middle Ages. Everyone who owned them, from the emperor to the simple ktitor of the monastery, could grant donations to monasteries. In the same way, everyone, both clergy and secular persons, could receive. The monasteries usually complained to the charismatic for the rest of their lives. The latter was only a trustee in relation to the received monastery, but not the owner, and was obliged to take care of the external improvement of the monastery - improving the monastic buildings, multiplying possessions, splendor of the church, etc. Therefore, at first, only poor monasteries that had fallen into disrepair and destruction were given as charistiki, with the aim of restoring and decorating them. But then great abuses crept into the characteristic way of distributing monasteries (especially in the 10th century). Well-maintained monasteries also began to be given over to charisticia, for the sake of feeding, not only the clergy, but also the laity, who turned the monasteries into hotels and summer cottages, lived here with families and guests, held feasts, uncontrollably disposed of the monastic incomes, did not support the monks, interfered in the internal monastic life, etc. The aforementioned speech of Patriarch I. of Antioch was directed against such abuses, representing a sharp denunciation of the entire prevailing charismatic system. I. positively condemns both those who give monasteries and those who receive them. The main culprits of wickedness are, in his opinion, Orthodox kings and patriarchs. They, seeing the immeasurable evil for the church and monasticism from the charismatic distribution of monasteries and having the power to stop and destroy it, not only do not take any measures, but also strengthen it, following the example of their predecessors. They do not see sin at all in their actions and, when reminded of it, are ready to place their blame on others. As for the Charisticarii, their actions are worthy of even greater condemnation: “As soon as the Charisticarii receives a monastery into his power,” writes I., “he immediately opens his insatiable bosom and puts there everything belonging to the monastery - not only houses, estates, livestock and various incomes, but also the churches themselves; He considers the abbot and monks to be his slaves, considers everyone and everything as his acquired property, uses everything fearlessly and at his own request, as his inheritance. He gives a very small part of his total income to God's churches and monks, and even this he gives as alms for his soul and with many demands placed on the monks. I'm not even talking about the destruction of churches, homes and estates - since he always only monitors income and does not like expenses. Then, all pious services established by the ktitors, praise, lighting of candles, psalmody, distribution of alms, consolation of the monks ceases, moreover, the supply of the most necessary food for the monks ceases, in short, every image of piety established in the monasteries by the ktitors disappears. Even earlier than that, every monastic order, charters and monastic rule are destroyed, the abbot loses his power, the charisticar is in charge of everything... No monastic discipline can be maintained with such a humiliation of spiritual power before the worldly... Even the outward appearance of monasticism has already begun to disappear, as is observed in monasteries enslaved by the laity. Inside the holy enclosure, worldly people kill cattle, eat meat, sing songs and do all sorts of worldly things without restraint. What the accursed Copronymus could not accomplish is being accomplished by the faithful.” The sound and convincing voice of the Antiochian hierarch, which sounded with noble indignation against the prevailing evil, unfortunately, did not eradicate it. But the speech represents an example of Byzantine oratory and is very important historically. The author also revealed an excellent knowledge of Byzantine ascetic works, which he lists in his word. From other works of I., treatises on unleavened bread (against the Latins) and the sacrament of the Eucharist, extracts from ascetic Byzantine works and a letter to the Ephesian Archbishop Theodore are known, but all of them have not been published, except for an excerpt from the last letter.