Our Father Among the Saints John the Almsgiver, Archbishop of Alexandria.
Saint John the Almsgiver was born in 555 on the island of Cyprus in the city of Amathus; his father, Epiphanius, was a ruler of Cyprus. The Saint was consecrated Archbishop of Alexandria in 608. A man of exemplary uprightness, in his zeal for Orthodoxy he strove mightily to fight the many heresies among the Christians in Egypt; but above all, he was famous for his singular generosity, humility, and sympathy towards all, especially the poor. His mercy was so great that the report of it reached the Persian invaders of Jerusalem, who desired to see him because of it. Saint John reposed in 619, at the age of sixty-four.
We provide some incidents from Saint John’s life to illustrate the almost supernatural spirit of mercy and magnanimity that characterizes him.
After he had been elected Archbishop of Alexandria, before being enthroned, he summoned the treasurers and highest officials of the Church and declared to them:
‘It is not right, brethren, that we should consider anyone in preference to Christ.’ The whole assembly which had gathered together was deeply moved at his words, and agreed thereto, and then the holy man continued, ‘Go therefore through the whole city, please, and make a list of all my masters down to the last.’ But his hearers could not imagine who these could be, and besought him to tell them, as they were astonished that any could possibly be masters of the Patriarch; and he opened his angelic mouth again and said: ‘Those whom you call poor and beggars, these I proclaim my masters and helpers. For they, and only they, are really able to help us and bestow upon us the kingdom of heaven.’
The imitator of Christ saw that this command was carried out with all speed, and he then bade them apportion a daily sum to be paid by his private treasurer sufficient for the needs of these poor; and they were more than seven thousand and a half.
Then like a true shepherd and no hireling he went with his sacred flock and the concourse of saintly bishops to the holy church and was enthroned by the will of God. (pages 210–11)
Here is how he overcame evil with good when informed that the stewards of his church were accepting bribes and perverting justice:
Thereupon he convoked them without delay and without bringing any charge against them, he increased the salaries they had received thereto, and at the same time made it an inflexible rule that they should never take a gift from anyone whatsoever, ‘for,’ said he, ‘Fire shall consume the houses of the receivers of bribes.’ Consequently by God’s grace their households from that time on prospered so exceedingly that some of them did not take their additional pay. (page 212)
Whilst this same crowd of people was still in the city, one of the strangers, noticing John’s remarkable sympathy, determined to try the blessed man; so he put on old clothes and approached him as he was on his way to visit the sick in the hospitals (for he did this two or three times a week) and said to him: ‘Have mercy upon me for I am a prisoner of war.’
John said to his purse-bearer: ‘Give him six nomismata.’ After the man had received these he went off, changed his clothes, met John again in another street, and falling at his feet said: ‘Have pity upon me for I am in want.’ The Patriarch again said to his purse-bearer: ‘Give him six nomismata.’ As he went away the purse-bearer whispered in the Patriarch’s ear: ‘By your prayers, master, this same man has had alms from you twice over!’ But the Patriarch pretended not to understand. Soon the man came again for the third time to ask for money and the attendant, carrying the gold, nudged the Patriarch to let him know that it was the same man; whereupon the truly merciful and beloved of God said: ‘Give him twelve nomismata, for perchance it is my Christ and He is making trial of me.’ (page 216)
If by chance the blessed man heard of anybody being harsh and cruel to his slaves and given to striking them he would first send for him and then admonish him very gently, saying: ‘Son, it has come to my sinful ears that by the prompting of our enemy you behave somewhat too harshly towards your household slaves. Now, I beseech you, do not give place to anger, for God has not given them us to strike, but to be our servants, and perhaps not even for that, but rather for them to be supported by us from the riches God has bestowed on us. What price, tell me, must a man pay to purchase one who has been honoured by creation in the likeness and similitude of God? Or do you, the slave’s master, possess anything more in your own body than he does? Say, a hand, or foot, or hearing, or a soul? Is he not in all things like unto you? Listen to what the great light, Paul, says: “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ did put on Christ. There can be neither Jew nor Greek, there can be neither bond nor free, for ye are all one man in Christ Jesus.” If then we are equal before Christ, let us become equal in our relations one with another; for Christ took upon Himself the form of a servant thereby teaching us not to treat our fellow-servants with disdain. For there is one Master of all Who dwells in heaven and yet regards the things of low degree; it does not say “the rich things” but “things of low degree.” We give so much gold in order to make a slave for ourselves of a man honoured and together with us bought by the blood of our God and Master. For him is the heaven, for him the earth, for him the stars, for him the sun, for him the sea and all that is in it; at times the angels serve him. For him Christ washed the feet of slaves, for him He was crucified and for him endured all His other sufferings. Yet you dishonour him who is honoured of God and you beat him mercilessly as if he were not of the same nature as yourself.
‘Tell me, is this all you care for humble John? Would you like it if each time you sinned, God were immediately to punish you and take vengeance on your sin? Assuredly not. Tell me how in your daily prayers you can say, “Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors”?’
With such and similar arguments from the store within him would the blessed one admonish the man and then dismiss him. Unless he heard that the master had reformed his ways, he would arrange that the ill-treated slave should reach in secrecy a place of refuge; then he would ask that he might buy him, and directly the just man had purchased him he would immediately set him free. (pages 243–44)
One day a man asked an alms of the Saint who directed that ten coppers and no more should be given to him. The beggar then violently abused the Patriarch to his face for not having given him as much as he wanted. But when his attendants were anxious to thrash him for his insolence, the Patriarch rebuked them severely, saying: ‘Leave him alone, brothers. Here have I been insulting Christ for sixty years by my deeds, and can I not bear one insult from his fellow?’ And he commanded his almoner to open the money-bag and let the beggar take as large a sum as he wished. (page 245)
These have been taken from the life of Saint John the Almsgiver that was written by Leontius, Bishop of Neapolis in Cyprus, in the excellent translation of Elizabeth Dawes and Norman H. Baynes in Three Byzantine Saints, to which the page numbers above refer, and it is available here, and highly recommended. No summary or sampling can do justice to this marvellous life, and it ought to be read in its entirety.
The first paragraph of the above account is taken from the Great Horologion,
Copyright © 1997, Holy Transfiguration Monastery, Brookline, MA, all rights reserved.
All reproduction of texts or icons on this website in any form
without prior written permission is forbidden.