Andrew of Crete, saint, archbishop of Crete (c. 660 - 740; commemorated July 4) - a great Byzantine songwriter, one of the first creators of canons and, apparently, the creator of the canon genre itself. Born in Damascus, he was mute as a child and received the gift of speech upon communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ at the age of seven. At the age of 14, he was taken by his parents to the Jerusalem monastery of the Brotherhood of the Holy Sepulcher and dedicated to God. Was the steward of the Brotherhood; after 681 he was sent to Constantinople and left at the Church of Hagia Sophia, ordained to the rank of deacon. For twenty years he worked at the church and headed the charitable institutions of the Church - the Home for Orphans and the Home for the Elderly. Then he was ordained to the rank of bishop and appointed archbishop of Crete, where he worked hard in preaching, prayer, and charity. When iconoclasm began in Byzantium, he came out in defense of the holy icons.
While still serving in Constantinople, he began to compose his wondrous hymns. He compiled canons for all the twelve feasts, canons for many saints, and many stichera. The most famous creation of Saint Andrew is the Great Penitential Canon, which is read in all churches on the 1st and 5th weeks of the Holy Pentecost. But the creation of Saint Andrew of Crete is also the penitential canon to our Lord Jesus Christ given in this book. The tribute to the feast of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary (and the second canon of the feast from which it is taken) also belongs to the pen of St. Andrew.
Antiochus, whose name is marked on one of the prayers for the coming sleep, is possibly a monk of the Palestinian Lavra, St. Savva the Sanctified, author of the work “Pandects” (c. 620) - an abbreviated presentation of the teaching of the Holy Scriptures and the Fathers of the Church on issues of Christian morality and partly faith in relation to monastic life. This Christian writer is not one of the canonized saints, but the tradition that carefully brought the prayer to the present day could have given him the title of “saint” - at least as someone who uttered the wondrous words of the holy prayer. But it is no less likely that this prayer was composed by another Syrian ascetic who was not a writer at all - for example, a venerable monk of the 5th century, whose memory is celebrated on February 23. Neither the ascetic instructions nor any other prayers of this saint have been preserved.
Basil the Great, saint, archbishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia (329-379; commemorated January 1) - ecumenical teacher of the Church. One of the greatest Christian theologians, the author of numerous conversations (the most famous are “Conversations on the Sixth Day” and 13 conversations on individual psalms) and teachings, dogmatic and polemical works, “Moral Rules”, a great organizer of monastic and church life. Saint Basil the Great regulated the order of worship and the Divine Liturgy. The liturgy bearing his name is celebrated in the modern Church ten times a year; the secret prayers that distinguish this Liturgy from the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom are undoubtedly the creation of St. Basil.
Saint Basil also owns many prayers that have survived to this day in the liturgy and in the cell rule: prayers at the end of the 6th and 9th hours, all or most of the morning prayers, secretly read by the priest at the beginning of the rite of Matins (and undoubtedly the one read after the 11th kathisma: “Shine in our hearts, O Lover of Mankind...”), prayers as part of various rites, two prayers before Communion (1st and 5th, p. 194 and 204) and one after Communion (2nd, p. 217), in the cell prayer rule - the 5th and 6th morning prayers.
Ephraim the Syrian (Syrian), venerable († c. 373-379; commemorated January 28) - a great Syrian ascetic, the author of numerous (up to 1000) works, most of which were translated from Syriac into Greek during his lifetime. St. Ephraim is one of the greatest interpreters of Holy Scripture. His sermons and moral teachings were among the most revered and beloved books of Orthodox Christians from the time they were written to the present day. The Monk Ephraim composed many prayers, as well as poems expounding church teaching and set to folk melodies, in order to contrast them with the songs of the Gnostic heretic Vardesan, which were spreading at that time. The Lenten prayer of St. Ephraim is universally obligatory for us during the days of the Holy Pentecost, and thanks to the conversion of Pushkin, it is also known to all non-church people. The prayer to the Most Holy Spirit, among the prayers for those coming to bed, also belongs to the Monk Ephraim (in a slightly different translation, this prayer is read after the 20th kathisma).
John of Damascus (that is, Damascus), venerable (c. 680-776; commemorated December 4) - great songwriter of the 8th century.
The Monk John was born into a pious and noble Christian family in the capital of Syria - Damascus, received an excellent education and was a minister of the Damascus Caliph. At this time he wrote brilliant works against various heresies and false teachings and in defense of icon veneration. For this he was slandered by the iconoclasts and executed by the caliph: his right hand was cut off. Through the saint’s fervent prayer, the Most Holy Theotokos healed him: the severed hand grew back to its place. After this, the Monk John left the court of the caliph and retired to the Lavra of the Monk Sava the Sanctified. The story of the chant “He rejoices in You...” is connected with the saint’s stay in the monastery.
Creator of the Octoechos - the services of the eight voices on which the weekly liturgical circle of the Orthodox Church is based. Author of the Easter canon, canons for the Nativity of the Theotokos, for the Entry of the Theotokos into the church, for the Nativity of Christ (2nd canon of the holiday, honorable), for the Epiphany, for Pentecost, the Ascension, the Transfiguration of the Lord, the Annunciation, the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary (and the irmos “I will open my mouth...”), many canons to the saints, prayers “Open the doors of Mercy for us...”, troparia “Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy on us...”, “Glorious Ever-Virgin, Mother of Christ God...”, “Many are my many sins, Mother of God...”, “Heavenly Armies of the Archangel...”, prayers before Communion 4th and 10th, numerous stichera, including funeral stichera “What a worldly sweetness...”. The rule for future sleep includes his prayer: “Master, Lover of Mankind, will this coffin really be my bed…”.
The book also contains his honors for the Entry of the Mother of God into the Church, the Nativity of Christ, the Ascension of the Lord, and Pentecost.
John Chrysostom, saint, archbishop of Constantinople (347-14 September 407; commemorated November 13) - one of the greatest fathers of the Church, a great shepherd and teacher, theologian, expositor of all Holy Scripture, author of timeless conversations and sermons, constituting a true encyclopedia of Christian doctrine; simple, clear, living, deep, they still hit the very heart, and during the life of the saint they attracted incredible crowds of listeners to him.
All the works of Saint John are the golden fund of Christian literature.
The future saint was brought up in the most pious family and received the best education of his time; then he spent four years among the desert monks and another two years in complete solitude, and his health was so upset that he was forced to return to his hometown of Antioch, where he accepted the deaconate and then the priesthood. John's sermons gained him incredible popularity; cursive writers recorded his every conversation. In 397 he was elected archbishop of Constantinople. The Antiochians would not have released their shepherd if he had not been taken out of the city by deception. In Constantinople, he immediately became involved in widespread charity and aroused the discontent of the nobles and clergy with his modest lifestyle and constant struggle for church discipline. The saint's courageous integrity, who denounced the vices of society and those in power, ultimately earned him the hatred of the empress; he was removed from the episcopal see, exiled, and on the way to an even more cruel exile he died with the words “Glory to God for everything!”