Глава первая. Детство, юность и подвижничество св. Иоанна (347–380 гг.)

It is not known exactly in what year the great saint was born: writers differ in their opinions regarding this for ten years. According to a more likely assumption, John was born around 347 A.D., in Antioch. His parents were noble and rich people. His father, Secundus, held the high position of governor in the imperial army, and his mother, Anfusa, was a very educated woman for her time and at the same time an exemplary wife and mother of the family. Both of them were Christians, and not only in name, as often happened during that transitional time, but true and real Christians, devoted to the Holy Church: it is known that Sister Secunda, Aunt Joanna, was even a deaconess in the Antiochian Church. It was in such a pious house that John was born. Secundus and Anfusa were still young people and they had only two more babies - a two-year-old girl and a newborn boy, John, the joy and consolation of their parents. But before this pious family had time to enjoy their happiness, great grief befell them: in the prime of life and career hopes, its head, Secundus, died, leaving behind a young widow Anfusa with two little ones. The grief of the young mother, who was only twenty years old, was boundless. True, she did not need a means of living, since she had a significant fortune; but her moral torment was heavier than material need. Young and inexperienced, she inevitably had to become the subject of various searches on the part of many false friends who were not averse to taking advantage of her wealth, and any other woman in her position could easily become a victim, if not of hobbies, then of deception and seduction. But Anfusa was one of those great women who, fully aware of their true purpose and dignity, stood above all hobbies and everyday vanity. As a Christian, she looked at her misfortune as a test from above, and, discarding any thought about a second marriage, decided to forget about herself and devote herself entirely to maternal care for the orphaned babies. And she fulfilled this decision with such steadfastness that it caused involuntary surprise among the pagans. The famous pagan rhetorician Livanius, having subsequently learned about her maternal selflessness, involuntarily and with surprise exclaimed: “Oh, what kind of women Christians have!” Her determination was not weakened by the new grief that struck her maternal heart. Her little daughter soon died, and Anfusa was left alone with her son, who became the object of all her love and maternal concerns and, at the same time, hopes. Belonging to high society and being an educated woman herself, Anfusa did not fail to give her son the best education of that time. Having retired from all the entertainments of the world and completely concentrating on her small family, she herself was able to teach her son the first rudiments of education, and this was the greatest benefit for John. From the lips of his loving mother, he received his first lessons in reading and writing, and the first words that he learned to form and read were undoubtedly the words of Holy Scripture, which was the favorite reading of Anfusa, who found consolation in it in her premature widowhood. These first lessons were imprinted on John’s soul for the rest of his life, and if he himself subsequently constantly, so to speak, breathed and fed on the word of God and made its interpretation the main task of his entire life, then he undoubtedly accepted this love for him under the influence of his pious mother. So childhood passed and the boy’s adolescence began. His position required further education; Anfusa made every effort to do this and, sparing no expense, provided all the amenities for the education and self-education of her son. It is not known how and where John actually received his further education, whether at home with the help of hired teachers or in some Christian school. Antioch was famous for its schools and was a kind of Syrian Athens. There were many pagan schools of all kinds, which were famous for their teachers, shining with pompous eloquence and vague philosophy, and next to them were Christian schools, where the word of God was mainly taught and interpreted, although general knowledge was not neglected, so far as it could be gleaned from the best representatives of the classical world. One way or another, John received a book education, but it constituted only part of his upbringing, which the Providence of God, preparing his chosen one for his future great destiny, led in another way, allowing him to visually comprehend the futility of obsolete paganism and the greatness and holiness of Christianity. At this very time, when John was 14–15 years old and when, therefore, his soul was just opening up to the conscious perception of the events and phenomena surrounding him, paganism made a last desperate attempt to overcome Christianity. His representative was Emperor Julian the Apostate. Having seized the imperial throne, he threw off the mask of hypocritical piety and acted as an open enemy of Christianity, hatred of which had long been hidden in his soul. Everywhere he began to raise decaying paganism and at the same time humiliate and suppress Christianity. Since Antioch was one of the main strongholds of Christianity, which was there for the first time under its own name (Acts 9:26) and had glorious teachers and valiant confessors, Julian did not fail to turn his attention to this hotbed of a religion he hated and took all measures to suppress and exterminate it. At the same time, however, he was too far-sighted to act like the former persecuting emperors. He knew from history that brutal persecution could not achieve the extermination of that religion, for which the blood of its martyrs and confessors had always been a fruitful seed, and therefore he resorted to other measures and began to act, on the one hand, positively, raising the sad spirit of the pagans, and on the other - negatively, exposing Christianity to all sorts of restrictions, mockery and satires, the ability of which could not be denied to this royal apostate. Heading to Antioch, Julian did not fail to visit its suburb Daphne, where the once famous church of Apollo was located. Once this temple with the sacred grove surrounding it was a place of constant pagan celebrations and prayers, but now Julian was struck by its emptiness. There was not even anything to bring as a sacrifice, and the priest who met him had to slaughter his own goose on the occasion of this unexpected triumph. This picture deeply struck Julian, and even more so since there was a Christian church nearby, in which the relics of St. were revered by Christians. Vavil, resounded with sacred chants and was filled with worshippers. Julian could not stand it and then ordered the Christian church to be closed and the relics removed from it. This unjust order, however, did not suppress the spirit of Christians. They carried out the solemn transfer of the relics, and when this majestic procession took place, resounding the surroundings and streets of Antioch with the singing of the verses of the psalm: “Let those who bow down to idols, who boast about their idols, be put to shame” (Ps. 96:7), then Julian could clearly see the large number of Christians and their enthusiastic devotion to their faith. Then, betraying his philosophical calm and hypocritical tolerance, he ordered the arrest of many Christians, threw them into prison, and even ordered some to be tortured. Meanwhile, heavenly wrath broke out over the idolatry. The Church of Apollo, which Julian cared so much about, was struck by lightning and burned to the ground. Julian's rage was boundless, and he, suspecting Christians of arson, ordered the main Christian church in Antioch to be closed, and its elderly presbyter, St. Theodoret, who refused to hand over the most sacred belongings of the temple to the pagan authorities, was martyred. One noble widow, Publiya, was beaten simply because, when Julian passed by the gates of her house, the singing of the psalm was heard from him: “May God rise again and let His enemies be scattered!” (Ps.67:2). Two of the young military leaders of the imperial guard, Juventin and Maximin, once in a comradely company expressed a complaint about these injustices of the government towards Christians and, following a denunciation, were immediately arrested, imprisoned, and when they refused to bow to paganism, Julian ordered their execution, and at night they were beheaded, and their bodies were buried with due honors by Christians. Giving vent to his rage, Julian, however, at the same time understood that Christianity could not be suppressed by such cruelties, which only raised the courage and spirit in Christians. Therefore, he acted in other ways, namely through literary means. He himself wrote satires on Christianity, published works refuting the miracles and deity of Jesus Christ, tried to expose Christians as dark and ignorant fanatics and superstitions, and at the same time he in every possible way constrained the methods of education for them, forbidding them to teach in schools and closing the schools themselves, imposed heavy taxes on Christians, confiscated church property and expelled bishops and priests, gave Christians awards in the army, and installed them as governors in the provinces. persons known for their hatred of Christianity, and turned a blind eye to their zeal in eradicating the hated faith by all sorts of, often bloody, means. When one of the prefects drew his attention to the cruelties being committed against Christians in the provinces, he exclaimed in indignation: “What a disaster if ten Galileans fall at the hands of one pagan!” Finally, in a greater mockery of Christianity, he decided to rebuild the Jewish temple in Jerusalem in order to refute Christ’s prediction about its complete destruction. All these events took place before the eyes of the youth John. Although already in adolescence he was distinguished by unusual concentration for his age, avoided companionship and loved to indulge in solitary reflections in the quiet of his home, drawing from the reading of St. The Scriptures and his deep spiritual being were material for his education, but he could not remain completely indifferent to what was happening outside his home, and since his pious mother undoubtedly experienced many anxious days during these persecutions of Christianity, he also had to share her worries and fears. One might even think that he took an active part in the affairs of Christians. Reading his enthusiastic word of praise, subsequently pronounced over the tomb of the holy confessors of the faith of Christ, the valiant warriors Iuventinus and Maximinus, one cannot help but understand the impression that he himself once participated in the burial of these martyrs and he, along with many other Christians, shed hot tears over their headless corpses 1 . Julian's furies ended with his well-deserved death during the Persian campaign, when he, mortally wounded, in an insane rage threw clods of mud with his dried blood towards the sun and exclaimed in his dying breath: “You have defeated me, Galilean!” After him, the throne passed to Jovian, who during his short reign tried to make amends for the damage caused to Christianity by his predecessor: he restored the name of Christ on the military banner, freed churches from taxes, and returned bishops from exile. His successor Valentinian acted in the same way, and although he made a major mistake by inviting Valens as his co-ruler, to whom he granted the east, in general he tried to heal the wounds inflicted on Christianity by the royal apostate, and indeed did a lot in this regard, prescribing, for example, the celebration of Sunday and prohibiting various sorceries and night sacrifices, under the pretext of which the pagans committed all sorts of abominations and supported people's hostility towards Christianity. By this calmer time, John was already a young man. When Valentinian ascended the throne, John was already about 18 years old, and he blossomed into a beautiful young man, if not in body, then in soul. Anfusa's maternal heart was delighted at the sight of her son, who, like a treasure, protected by her for so many years from all harmful influences and dangers, now showed all the signs of great talents. And the loving mother considered it her duty to give him the opportunity to settle in the world in accordance with his position and talents. To succeed in everyday life, he needed to complete his education with some special course, and she, noticing in him a predisposition for oratory and thoughtfulness, gave him the opportunity to enter the school of the most famous teacher of eloquence at that time, Livan. This was a pagan sophist, one of Julian's closest collaborators. Like him, he stubbornly clung to paganism and dreamed of reviving it on new philosophical principles. He looked down on Christianity, and although he did not harbor bitter enmity towards it, he was not averse to laughing at his strange beliefs in some carpenter’s son. Having once visited a Christian school in Antioch, which was under the direction of a very devout and strict Christian teacher, Livanius ironically asked the latter: “What is the carpenter’s son doing now?” To this blasphemous question the teacher answered seriously: “He Whom you mockingly call the son of a carpenter is in fact the Lord and Creator of heaven and earth. “He,” the teacher added, “is now building funeral horns.” Soon after this, news of Julian's unexpected death arrived, and the mocking rhetorician could not help but reflect on the answer he received from the Christian teacher. In any case, he was not distinguished by any kind of fanatical, blind hostility to Christianity, and therefore taking a course in higher eloquence was not dangerous even for Christian youths. For example, St. studied with him. Basil the Great and even subsequently maintained correspondence with him. Nor could Saint John fear any bad influences from him, who, having been brought up in the pious house of his mother, was now fully a warrior of Christ, able to wield spiritual weapons to repel all attacks on his faith. And he, with his characteristic thirst for knowledge, devoted himself to higher science and immediately discovered such talents and began to make such progress that he involuntarily delighted his teacher. The latter, not without some alarm, saw how this extraordinary speaker grew up in his school, who threatened to overshadow the teacher himself over time, and this worried him all the more because John was a Christian and was preparing to be a great herald and preacher of Christianity, while Livanius himself still hoped to resurrect the decaying corpse of paganism. There is no doubt that the old sophist would very much like to persuade the young speaker to his convictions, and this secret hope forced him to treat his beloved student with special attention. But his hope was in vain. John at this time had almost charted out his path in life, having decided to devote himself to the service of his Lord Jesus Christ, and the old sophist, being on his deathbed, with sincere sorrow answered the question of those close to him who he would like to appoint as his successor in the school: “John,” he groaned, “if the Christians had not kidnapped him from us.” 2 Along with eloquence, John also studied philosophy from a certain philosopher Andragathius, also famous in Antioch. Philosophy at this time had long lost its former classical character, and by it was meant a predominantly superficial study of previous philosophical systems, and the lack of depth of thought was covered up with streams of vague and pompous eloquence. But the more outstanding representatives of philosophy still knew how to give their science the character of a certain philosophy, and if they managed to penetrate into the laws of the spiritual life of man, then by this they already rendered a service to their students, since they drew their attention from the diversity of external phenomena to the mysterious region of the spiritual world. Andragathius probably belonged to this kind of philosopher, and if John subsequently showed an amazing ability to penetrate into the deepest recesses of people’s spiritual life, which is what his sermons and treatises shine with, then, in addition to natural spiritual insight, he owed this a lot to his teacher. Having completed his education, John, fully armed with talents and knowledge, was ready to embark on the path of life. As a noble and brilliantly educated young man, a wide field opened up before him. Due to his position, he could have entered the public service; but the recent dramatic upheavals on the imperial throne, which had an impact on the entire administration, could undermine confidence in the strength of this kind of service, and therefore John preferred a freer occupation - the legal profession - an occupation that, without constraining a person with certain responsibilities, at the same time opened the way for young talented people to a high and honorable position in society. Almost all the noble youth of that time began their public life as a lawyer, and it was practiced, for example, by Saints Basil the Great, Ambrose of Milan, Sulpicius Severus and other celebrities of that time. This activity immediately introduced John into the stormy cycle of life, and he came face to face with that world of untruths, intrigues, insults and oppression, enmity and lies, tears and gloating, which make up the everyday life of people and which he did not know in the peaceful home of his pious mother. This reverse side of life, although it disgusted his unspoiled soul, nevertheless gave him the opportunity to become acquainted with that abyss of untruths and vice, which is often hidden behind lies and hypocrisy, but appears in all its ugliness at the trial, and it was this judicial activity that subsequently gave John the opportunity to portray vices with such mercilessness, which, exposing them in all their vileness, thereby aroused an involuntary disgust for them. Law at the same time taught him to public speaking, and he immediately showed such brilliant success in this field that his old teacher Livanius involuntarily admired him. The young lawyer obviously had a brilliant future ahead of him: his oratory gave him wide fame, which, while giving him abundant funds, at the same time opened the way to the highest government positions. From among the most talented lawyers who had acquired a name for themselves in the courts, the government invited persons to whom it represented the administration of the provinces, and John, following this path, could gradually reach the highest positions - sub-prefect, prefect, patrician and consul, with which rank was associated the title “famous” - illustris. And the side of this life he saw could not help but captivate the young man, who had recently come into the light of God, especially since all sorts of social pleasures and entertainment were inseparable from this life. A man of society had to visit theaters and circuses and, willy-nilly, indulge in those hobbies and passions with which secular people tried to fill the emptiness of their lives. And John indeed visited these places of entertainment with his young friends and comrades, but it was here that his unspoiled nature most of all rebelled against such emptiness. Both lawyering and these entertainments showed him with irresistible clarity all the emptiness and lies of such a life, and he saw how far this real world with its untruths and evils, with its passions and vices is from the divine ideal that was presented to him when, in his own favorite expression, having drunk his soul from the pure source of Holy Scripture, he entered the field of life with an immaculate heart. His soul could not withstand this test, and he decided to break all ties with this worthless world of lies and untruths in order to devote himself entirely to serving God and striving for that spiritual perfection that had become the need of his soul. This beneficial revolution was largely facilitated by one of his closest friends and peers, namely Vasily 3. John speaks enthusiastically about the friendship that connected him with him in adolescence. “I had many friends,” he says at the beginning of his book “On the Priesthood,” “sincere and faithful, who knew and strictly observed the laws of friendship; but out of many, one surpassed all others in his love for me. He was always my inseparable companion: we studied the same sciences and had the same teachers; they practiced eloquence with the same eagerness and zeal and had the same desires, stemming from the same activities.” But a shadow of division lay between the friends. When John devoted himself to secular social life, his friend Vasily devoted himself to “true wisdom,” that is, he accepted monasticism. The example of a true friend could not help but influence John, and, although for some time he still indulged in worldly dreams and hobbies, the other side of worldly life he saw struck him so much that he began to gradually free himself from the storm of life, again became close to Vasily, who did not fail to exert on him all the good influence that true friendship is capable of, and John decided to give up this miserable, vain the world with its evils and endless worries, in order to also completely devote oneself to God and true wisdom. The friend was deeply rejoiced at this change in the life of his companion, and their intention to work together in the field of monastic life was ready to come true. But unexpectedly an important obstacle was encountered, namely from the pious Anfusa. Having raised her son and set him on the path of life, she achieved the goal of her many years of care and, as a mother, of course, rejoiced at his success. True, she could not help but worry at the sight of how her young son gave himself up to the storm of life, and therefore, in her own words, she was daily exposed to a thousand fears for him, but she was consoled by the fact that the fervor of youth would pass and her beloved son, having reached the age of a perfect husband, would at the same time come to the measure of the age of Christ and become worthy in public life of both his position and the Christian title. What sorrow struck her tender maternal heart when she learned that her beloved John had decided to enter the monastic life! All her hopes were shattered into dust, and she could not bear it. Calling on all the power of persuasiveness of her maternal love, she began to beg her son with tears not to plunge her into a second widowhood and orphanhood, and these tears could not help but shake his decision. He abandoned his idea and remained in his mother’s house, although now he was completely alien to all worldly hobbies and completely devoted himself to deeds of piety, studying the Holy Scriptures, which forever became the main source that fed his thirsty soul. Together with Vasily, he attended a special ascetic school, where the Holy Scriptures were taught by the most famous teachers at that time - presbyters Flavian and Diodorus, and these pious teachers, and especially Diodorus, finally strengthened him in the idea of ​​​​dedicating himself to the exploits of teaching and piety. Probably through this school, and perhaps even earlier, John became close to the pious Bishop Meletius, who, drawing attention to the gifted and pious young man, tied him to himself and performed holy acts on him. Sacrament of Baptism. At this time John was about 22 years old (369). The reason why his baptism was delayed for so long is partly explained by the custom of that time - to postpone baptism until adulthood, when all the passions of youth have passed, and also, probably, by the circumstances of the time. The Church of Antioch at this time was beset by sad unrest caused by the Arians. Having seized power into their own hands, they boldly and strongly oppressed the Orthodox, while sowing discord among themselves, so that their pious bishop Meletius was expelled several times. This was the situation in the early years of John’s childhood and continued at intervals for more than twenty years. Therefore, it is quite natural that Anfusa, deeply devoted to the Orthodox Church, had enough reason to postpone the baptism of her son, so as not to become an accomplice of a destructive heresy. Now the turmoil had subsided somewhat, Bishop Meletius could return to Antioch and again took his throne, and the Christians of Antioch could be baptized with a clear conscience and safely. Baptism had a profound effect on John. If he had already decided to devote himself to spiritual life, now, having taken the bath of rebirth, he clung with all his soul to the deeds of piety, and Archpastor Meletios, noticing his pious inclinations, elevated him to the position of reader, which gave him the opportunity to fully satisfy his love of reading the Holy Scriptures. In order to fully concentrate on this exercise, John even took a vow of abstinence in speech and - a recent lawyer and speaker - became almost silent: he refrained from all idle talk and jokes and thereby accumulated the spiritual strength that he needed later. Meanwhile, unrest began again in Antioch; The Arians, taking advantage of the assistance of Emperor Valens, again began to oppress the Orthodox, and Meletius was exiled to prison. The situation of the Orthodox in general was difficult, and the ministers of the church in particular. For John, a new grief was added: his pious mother Anfusa died. He remained alone, and then he decided to completely put an end to this sinful world, full of all sorts of troubles, worries and sorrows, and retire to the desert - for a hermit’s life. His friend Vasily triumphed and rejoiced for his peer, and both of them took care to convert as many friends and comrades of their youth as possible to this true wisdom. Burning with zeal for spiritual asceticism, John was therefore all the more upset when he learned that one of his friends, Theodore, who had recently devoted himself to true wisdom and strived for asceticism, changed his mind and, carried away by his love for a certain Hermione, decided to leave his hermitage and marry his beloved. Extremely upset by this, John wrote to his friend two extremely strong and eloquent admonitions, in which, mourning the fall of his friend and depicting the vanity of the world with its charms, he called on Theodore to abandon his vain thoughts and return to wisdom. The exhortations - this was his first Christian edifying creation - had power, and Theodore repented of his weakness, returned to asceticism and subsequently became the bishop of Mopsuestia 4. The young friends, with all the fervor of their youth, devoted themselves to spiritual exploits, and John now competed with his friend Basil in matters of piety: striving himself, he encouraged others to exploits in deed and word, arousing in the lazy the desire for heaven - through the mortification of his flesh and the enslavement of its spirit. The rumor about their extraordinary asceticism spread throughout the surrounding area, and those suffering in spirit and body flocked to them from everywhere and received healing. Around this time, John wrote his two words “about contrition” to the monks Demetrius and Stelekhios, teaching in them a lesson of consolation to all those who were spiritually suffering and lamenting their sins. The Orthodox residents of Antioch were amazed at the exploits of the young monks, and even the council of bishops came to the idea of ​​how good it would be to place them closer to the church, which then needed selfless shepherds. And then a rumor spread that a plan had already been drawn up to take them both and ordain them as bishops. In those troubled times, such cases were not uncommon: young people were also elevated to the rank of bishop if they turned out to be worthy of this rank in terms of their intelligence and piety. The honor was great, but this news greatly amazed and alarmed John. This is why he retired to the desert in order to save his soul in solitude - away from the worries of this world, and now they want to place him again among these worries, and, moreover, in such a high rank that he did not even dare to think about. Therefore, he decided to evade this election one way or another, and since his friend Vasily turned out to be more inclined to God’s pre-election, he even deliberately assisted him in this, and he himself hid in the desert. Basil was indeed taken and ordained bishop, and when, having learned about his friend’s act, he began to complain about him, Reader John, to justify himself and to console his friend, wrote the famous book: “Six Words about the Priesthood,” in which he outlined all the sublimity and difficulty of pastoral ministry. This book has forever become a necessary guide for every shepherd of souls, and it is from it that all true shepherds who rule well the word of truth have drawn and still draw spiritual courage and strength. Vasily, having calmed down from his excitement, zealously devoted himself to his archpastoral service and, as Bishop of Rafan, subsequently participated in the 2nd Ecumenical Council in 381. Meanwhile, John, having escaped the episcopacy, devoted himself even more strongly to his spiritual asceticism. In this troubled time, when there was a heavy uncertainty in political life, and the destructive domination of the Arians continued in the church, many pious people preferred for the best to leave this miserable world with its unrest, unrest and disasters, in order to find complete peace for themselves in the desert. There, in silent solitude, among the eternally beautiful nature, all the evils of this world fell silent and the hermits could worry about the salvation of their souls with a lightened heart. Therefore, the surrounding mountains of Antioch were filled with hermits, and a whole community was created from them, which led a life full of spiritual exploits. These were the true warriors of Christ, constantly on guard against the attacks of the flesh. Already at midnight they rose to pray and filled the desert mountains with harmonious psalmody. Having rested a little, they got up again at sunrise and performed Matins, after which each one occupied himself in his cell with reading the Holy Scriptures or copying the Holy Scriptures. books. During the day, at certain hours, they again gathered for common prayer, called the third, sixth, ninth and evening hours, and in the intervals they were engaged in various types of labor, which earned themselves meager food. According to the vow of non-covetousness, everything was common to them, as in the times of the apostles, so that the very words “mine and thine” were unknown to them. The life of these ascetics was difficult and harsh, but she found full reward in the peace of mind that she established, delighting them with the hope of God’s mercy and the joy of the grace that fell upon them from above. John spent four years in this monastic monastery (375–378), and the harsh life only further intensified his zeal for asceticism. True, for him, who was brought up in contentment, under the loving care of his mother, in a rich house, where all his needs were satisfied by servants, it was more difficult than for anyone to endure all the hardships of a hermit’s life in this harsh monastery of ascetics. And indeed, he himself was afraid of the work ahead of him, especially since, due to the very weakness of his body, he could not withstand such severe asceticism. But, weak in body, he was powerful in spirit and not only overcame all the difficulties of monastic life, but at the same time he also fought against the dangerous spirit of the times, rising up against monasticism. This spirit hostile to monasticism dates back to the accession of Emperor Valens. Carried away by the networks of the Arians, Valens turned out to be a cruel enemy of the Orthodox and began a merciless persecution against them. Knowing that the main stronghold of Orthodoxy is monasticism, he directed all his rage against the monks; On his orders, the famous Nitrian monasteries were destroyed, and this persecution ended with the barbaric burning of 24 Orthodox shepherds in Nicomedia. Even the pagans were indignant at such inhumanity, but nevertheless there were many who, taking advantage of the emperor’s mood, themselves contributed to him, putting up all sorts of obstacles for persons who wanted to accept the monastic life, and presenting the monks as enemies of the fatherland and the state. And in this difficult time, John acted as a champion of monasticism and wrote “Three Books for Those Who Are Enmity Against Those Who Attract to Monastic Life.” In these books, he poured out all the fervor of his monastic heart and eloquently proved what happiness the soul finds in the desert - in a solitary conversation with God. Under the same impression, he wrote a short discussion entitled: “Comparison of royal power, wealth and advantages with the true and Christian wisdom of monastic life.” These creations constitute an inexhaustible source of edification for monks and those striving for monasticism. Edifying others, John treated himself even more strictly and, not satisfied with the exploits of the cenobitic monastery, finally withdrew from it in order to subject his flesh to even more severe tests through a solitary life in a cave. He felt within himself the power of Elijah or John the Baptist and, like them, he strove into the desert, so that there, far from the world, he could prepare himself for the great service that lay ahead of him. Due to his zeal for asceticism, he was ready to settle forever in the desert; but God's Providence judged otherwise. Such a great lamp should not have been kept hidden, in the desert and in a cave, but it was necessary to shine brightly for everyone in the church candlestick. Severe asceticism upset John's health, and he, of necessity, had to leave the desert and return to Antioch. There he was joyfully greeted by Blessed Meletius and ordained him to the rank of deacon. Having previously declined the high rank of bishop, John now humbly accepted the rank of deacon (380), and from that time a new period began in his life. See Eulogy of St. martyrs Juventinus and Maximinus. In the new Russian edition it will be included in Volume II. This Basil should not be confused with St. Basil the Great of Caesarea, who was much older than John and already occupied a high position when the latter was still a youth. See about this in the exclusive message to the “Life of St. John Chrysostom" in Chetia-Menaia on November 13. Exhortations to Theodore the Fallen, written around 369 or 370. You might be interested in: