Saint
Jean le silenciaire, Monastère de Saint Sabbas, Menologion de Basil II
Icon of Saint John the Silent from the Menologion of Basil II
Иоанн Молчальник, Константинополь. 985 г. Миниатюра Минология Василия II. Ватиканская
библиотека. Рим.
Saint Jean le Silenciaire
Moine dans la laure de
Saint-Sabas et évêque de Colonia (+ 558)
Connu également sous le
nom de Jean l'Hésychaste, il est aussi fêté le 3 décembre.
Originaire du Pont en
Asie Mineure, il renonça au monde en devenant moine dans un petit monastère
qu'il fonda. Devenu célèbre par l'éclat de ses vertus, il fut appelé à devenir
évêque de Colonia. Il y resta quelque temps puis quitta cette charge à l'insu
de tous et se présenta au monastère de saint Sabas à
Jérusalem. Bien que reconnu après quelques années, il put encore se retirer
seul sans que personne ne l'importune. Beaucoup de miracles ont jalonné sa vie
qui fut toujours humble et audacieuse pour servir Dieu.
Originaire d'Arménie, il
bâtit un petit monastère d'une dizaine de moines à Nicopolis. Après quelques
années d'épiscopat à Colonie, il se retira dans la grande Laure de Saint Sabbas
où il vécut dans le silence, habité par la prière.
En Palestine, l’an 558,
saint Jean le Silentiaire ou l’Hésychaste, qui après avoir laissé le siège
épiscopal de Colonia en Arménie, alla mener la vie monastique dans la laure de
Saint-Sabas, dans l’humble service des frères aussi bien que dans la solitude
et un silence austère.
Martyrologe romain
SOURCE : http://nominis.cef.fr/contenus/saint/6934/Saint-Jean-le-Silenciaire.html
Saint Jean le Silentiaire
Évêque de Colonie
(Cappadoce)
Fête le 13 mai
Nicopolis, Arménie, 454 –
† 558
Autre graphie : Jean
le Silentiaire ou le Silencieux de Colonie
Ermite en Palestine, à
l’âge de dix-huit ans, il construisit et dirigea un monastère ; dix ans
plus tard il devenait évêque de Colonie (Taxara), en Arménie. Après neuf ans
d’épiscopat, il partit pour Jérusalem où il voulut se faire admettre au monastère
fondé par saint Sabas ; pour cela il remplit les tâches les plus humbles
allégrement et toujours en silence. On ne découvrit que plusieurs années après
son identité, lorsque saint Sabas, l’en jugeant digne, voulut l’ordonner. On
permit à saint Jean de vivre dans la retraite et le silence. Il mourut à cent
quatre ans.
Sous l’Empire romain, le
silentiaire était un huissier, sous le Bas-Empire, il était un garde personnel
de l’empereur, tandis qu’à Byzance, le silentiaire était un dignitaire chargé
d’ordonner les audiences impériales.
SOURCE : http://www.martyretsaint.com/jean-le-silentiaire/
Jean le Silenciaire
Évêque, Solitaire, Saint
454-558
Jean, surnommé le Silenciaire, à cause de son amour pour le
silence et le recueillement, naquit en 454 à Nicopolis en Arménie. Son père et
sa mère comptaient parmi leurs aïeux des généraux d'armée et des gouverneurs de
provinces ; mais ils étaient encore plus illustres par leur vertu que par la
noblesse de leur extraction. Ils employèrent tous leurs soins pour donner une
éducation chrétienne à leur fils, et ils le virent avec plaisir répondre
parfaitement à leurs vues.
Jean était encore fort jeune lorsque la mort lui enleva son père et sa mère.
Devenu possesseur d'une fortune considérable, il consacra ses biens à de pieux
usages. Il bâtit à Nicopolis une église en l'honneur de la sainte Vierge, et un
monastère dans lequel il se renferma avec dix personnes animées de la même ferveur.
Il n'avait alors que dix-huit ans. Son but était de ne s'occuper que de la
sanctification de son âme, et d'en faire l'unique objet de toutes ses pensées.
Comme l'humilité est le fondement et la gardienne de toutes les vertus, il la
demandait sans cesse à Dieu par des prières ferventes. De son côté, il
travaillait à l'acquérir par des méditations fréquentes sur ses misères et la
bassesse de son néant, sur la majesté infinie et les perfections adorables de
l'Être suprême. Par là il apprenait à connaître Dieu et à se connaître
lui-même. Il avait une sainte avidité pour les humiliations, et il les recevait
avec joie de quelque part qu'elles lui vinssent. Il recherchait surtout celles
qui causent le plus de répugnance à la nature, et qui par conséquent sont les
plus propres à faire mourir l'orgueil. Le renoncement à sa propre volonté était
le moyen dont il se servait pour étouffer le germe des autres vices. Il y
ajoutait les macérations corporelles, afin de soumettre entièrement la chair à
l'esprit, et de disposer son âme aux exercices de la prière et de la
mortification. La pratique du silence lui parut aussi fort importante. Il
parlait rarement, par esprit d'humilité, par amour du recueillement, et par la
crainte de tomber dans les péchés dont la langue est le funeste instrument. Si
la nécessité l'obligeait de parler, il le faisait en peu de mots, et toujours
avec beaucoup de discrétion. Il bannit l'oisiveté de sa petite communauté, la
regardant avec raison comme la source de tous les vices. Des travaux pénibles,
et en même temps utiles, remplissaient tous les intervalles qui n'étaient
occupés ni par la prière publique, ni par d'autres devoirs essentiels. La
douceur, la sagesse et la piété de Jean lui gagnaient l'estime et l'affection
de ses frères. Tous avaient les yeux attachés sur lui, et s'efforçaient à
l'envi d'exprimer en eux les différents traits de leur modèle.
Malgré le soin que Jean prenait de cacher ses vertus, il ne put empêcher
qu'elles n'éclatassent au dehors. L'archevêque de Sébaste le força d'abandonner
sa solitude, et l'éleva sur le siège épiscopal de Colonie en Arménie, quoiqu'il
n'eût encore que vingt-huit ans. Il voulut inutilement s'opposer à son sacre,
qui se fit dans l'année 482. Il conserva dans cette dignité l'esprit de son
premier état, et continua les mêmes exercices, autant que les devoirs de
l'épiscopat le lui permirent.
Son frère et son neveu, qui avaient des emplois honorables à la cour de
l'empereur, furent singulièrement touchés de ses exemples. Ils surent mépriser
le monde au sein des honneurs et des richesses, et la grâce, qui sanctifie les
anachorètes dans les déserts, fit de tous les deux des saints à la cour. Jean
ne fut pas également satisfait de la conduite de son beau-frère, qui était
gouverneur d'Arménie. Plus d'une fois il lui fallut défendre son église contre
les oppressions d'un homme qui lui était si étroitement uni par les liens du
sang. Ses remontrances et ses prières étant inutiles, .il fut obligé d'avoir
recours à l'empereur Zénon, qui lui rendit justice et lui accorda sa
protection.
Il y avait neuf ans que le saint gouvernait son église. Toujours il avait vécu
d'une manière très pénitente, et s'était refusé même le nécessaire, afin
d'avoir de quoi assister plus abondamment les pauvres. Ses prédications et ses
exemples faisaient fleurir la piété dans son diocèse. Les affligés trouvaient
en lui un consolateur qui partageait leurs peines. Il était le père de ses
diocésains ; il les portait tous dans ses entrailles, pour les transformer en
autant de vrais disciples de Jésus-Christ.
Certains maux auxquels il ne pouvait remédier, joints à une forte inclination
qu'il se sentait pour la solitude, lui inspirèrent un ardent désir de se
démettre de l'épiscopat. Il est vrai que, selon les lois de l'Église, il ne
pouvait abandonner le troupeau dont la garde avait été confiée à ses soins.
Aussi se défia-t-il d'abord de son désir pour la retraite. Il eut recours à la
prière, afin de connaître plus parfaitement la volonté de Dieu. On lit dans sa
Vie, qu'étant une nuit en oraison, il vit une croix lumineuse se former dans
l'air, et qu'il entendit une voix qui lui disait : « Si vous voulez être »
sauvé, vous n'avez qu'à suivre cette lumière. » II lui sembla que la lumière
allait devant lui comme pour le conduire, et qu'elle lui indiquait la laure de
S. Sabas. Cette vision, continue l'auteur de sa Vie, ne lui laissa plus aucun
doute sur sa vocation. Il se démit donc de l'épiscopat, et s'embarqua pour la
Palestine.
Lorsqu'il y fut arrivé, il visita d'abord les lieux, saints à Jérusalem. Après
quoi il se retira dans la laure de S. Sabas, laquelle était peu éloignée de
cette ville, et où l'on comptait cent cinquante solitaires, qui tous étaient
animés de l'esprit de leur saint abbé. Il avait alors trente-huit ans. S. Sabas
l'ayant reçu sans le connaître, le remit d'abord entre les mains de l'économe,
qui l'envoyait chercher de l'eau, et qui lui faisait porter des pierres aux
ouvriers occupés à bâtir un nouvel hôpital. Jean obéissait avec une grande
simplicité. Il gardait un silence perpétuel, avait un visage serein, et
paraissait toujours recueilli.
La manière dont il supporta cette épreuve l'eut bientôt fait connaître à son
supérieur. On le chargea du soin de recevoir les étrangers. Il servait chacun
des hôtes comme il aurait servi Jésus-Christ lui-même. Tout le monde était
frappé de son extérieur modeste et édifiant. S. Sabas ne pouvait assez admirer
la conduite que tenait un jeune religieux dans une place qui est si dangereuse,
même pour les plus parfaits. Rien, en effet, n'était capable de distraire son
âme, toujours unie à Dieu. Le saint abbé ne douta plus que Jean ne fût doué,
dans un degré éminent, de l'esprit de sa vocation. Voulant donc lui faciliter
les moyens de faire de nouveaux progrès dans l'exercice de la contemplation, il
lui permit d'aller vivre dans un ermitage séparé ; ce qui ne s'accordait
qu'à ceux qui étaient le plus solidement établis dans la perfection.
Jean, renfermé dans sa cellule, était cinq jours de la semaine sans prendre de
nourriture. Il ne sortait que les samedis et les dimanches, encore n'était-ce
que pour aller assister à l'office public de l'église. Après avoir vécu trois
ans de la sorte, il fut fait économe de la laure. Sa vertu attira visiblement
les bénédictions du ciel sur toute la communauté. Les occupations inséparables
de son emploi ne prenaient jamais sur le recueillement de son âme. Étant
embrasé d'amour pour Dieu, il n'avait pas besoin de faire d'effort pour penser
à lui continuellement. Cette sainte habitude d'être sans cesse en la présence du
Seigneur, et de ne jamais le perdre de vue, il ne l'avait point acquise tout
d'un coup, mais par degré. Il s'accoutuma d'abord à entremêler dans ses actions
extérieures ces prières connues sous le nom de jaculatoires, qu'il
puisait dans son propre cœur ou dans les livres saints. A force de répéter ces
prières, qui contenaient des actes d'amour, de louange, de componction, etc. il
se rendit familière la pratique de la divine présence, et cette continuité de
recueillement dont nous venons de parler.
Notre saint exerça quatre ans l'emploi d'économe. Son abbé, extrêmement édifié
de ses vertus, le jugea digne d'être élevé au sacerdoce. Il le présenta donc à
Élie, patriarche de Jérusalem, afin qu'il lui conférât les ordres. Lorsqu'on
fut arrivé dans l'Église du mont Calvaire, où se devait faire l'ordination,
Jean dit au patriarche qu'il avait quelque chose à lui communiquer en
particulier, et qu'il se laisserait ensuite ordonner si on l'en jugeait digne.
Élie l'ayant pris à l'écart, lui permit de s'expliquer. Le saint lui demanda le
secret, puis continua de parler ainsi : « Mon père, j'ai été fait évêque,
mais la multitude de mes péchés m'a déterminé à prendre la fuite et à me
retirer dans ce désert pour y attendre la visite du Seigneur. » Le
patriarche, étonné, appela S. Sabas, et lui dit : « Dispensez-moi, je vous
prie, d'ordonner cet homme, j'en suis empêché par quelques particularités qu'il
vient de me découvrir. » S. Sabas s'en retourna fort affligé. Il craignait
que Jean n'eût autrefois commis quelque grand crime. Dans cette perplexité, il
s'adressa humblement à Dieu, pour avoir révélation de ce qui causait sa peine
et son inquiétude. Sa prière ayant été exaucée, il fit venir son disciple, et
se plaignit à lui de la réserve dont il avait usé à son égard. Jean, qui se
voyait découvert, était sur le point de quitter la laure ; mais S. Sabas
l'engagea à y rester, après lui avoir promis toutefois de ne révéler son secret
à personne.
Jean vécut les quatre années suivantes sans parler à personne qu'à celui qui
lui apportait de quoi se nourrir. Quelques moines séditieux ayant obligé S.
Sabas à quitter sa laure en 503, notre saint, qui ne voulait point prendre part
à ces troubles, se retira dans un désert voisin, où il passa six ans dans un
silence absolu. Il ne conversa qu'avec Dieu durant tout ce temps-là, et ne
subsista que des herbes et des racines qui croissaient dans le désert. S. Sabas
fut rappelé en 510. H alla aussitôt trouver le saint dans sa solitude, et il le
ramena avec lui à la laure. Jean, accoutumé à l'exercice d'une sublime
contemplation, ne trouvait dans toute autre chose que vide et amertume. Il
rentra dans son ancienne cellule, où il continua pendant quarante ans de mener
une vie tout angélique. L'éclat de sa sainteté attira auprès de lui un grand nombre
de personnes. Il ne refusait jamais ses instructions aux personnes qui venaient
le consulter.
Parmi ces personnes était Cyrille, qui écrivit la Vie du saint quarante ans
après qu'il fut revenu dans son ermitage, et lorsqu'il était dans sa cent
quatrième année. Jean, malgré son grand âge, conservait encore une présence
d'esprit et une douceur de caractère qui le faisait aimer et respecter de tous
ceux qui le voyaient.
Cyrille, auteur aussi savant que judicieux, rapporte qu'ayant environ seize
ans, il alla consulter le saint, qui en avait alors quatre-vingt-dix, sur le
choix de l'état qu'il devait embrasser. Le vénérable vieillard lui conseilla de
se consacrer à Dieu dans le monastère de Saint-Euthyme. Cyrille en choisit un
de ceux qui étaient situés sur le bord du Jourdain. Mais il n'y fut pas plus
tôt arrivé qu'il tomba malade. Son état devenant plus dangereux de jour en
jour, il commença à se repentir de n'avoir pas suivi exactement le conseil du
serviteur de Dieu. Jean lui apparut pendant la nuit, et après l'avoir repris
avec douceur de son attachement à son propre sens, il lui dit que s'il se
rendait au monastère de Saint-Euthyme, il y trouverait la santé du corps et le
salut de lame. Le lendemain matin Cyrille s'étant levé, se sépara de ses
frères, malgré les instances qu'ils lui firent pour qu'il restât avec eux. Il
se mit en route sans avoir reçu d'autre nourriture que la sainte eucharistie,
et il marcha jusqu'à ce qu'il fût arrivé au monastère de Saint-Euthyme. A peine
y était-il entré, que sa santé se trouva parfaitement rétablie. »
Voici deux traits qui sont encore rapportés par le même Cyrille, Un jour,
dit-il, que je m'entretenais avec le serviteur de Dieu, un homme, appelé
George, lui apporta son fils, qui était possédé du démon, et le mit à ses
pieds, sans dire un seul mot. Jean comprit l'état malheureux de l'enfant. Il
lui fit le signe de la croix sur le front avec de l'huile bénite, et à
l'instant l'enfant fut délivré du malin esprit. Un gentilhomme de
Constantinople, infecté des erreurs de l'eutychianisme, ayant été présenté au
même saint par un nommé Théodore, Jean donna sa bénédiction au dernier. Non
seulement il refusa de bénir le premier, mais il le reprit encore avec douceur
de son attachement au schisme et à l'hérésie. Celui-ci étonné, et sentant bien
que ces circonstances ne pouvaient être connues de Jean que par révélation, se
convertit, et rentra aussitôt dans le sein de l'Église.
Il y eut beaucoup d'autres personnes à la sanctification desquelles le saint
contribua et par ses exemples et par ses conseils. Toujours renfermé dans son
ermitage, il persista constamment à retracer, autant que le peut permettre la
fragilité humaine, la fonction glorieuse des esprits célestes, qui sont sans
cesse occupés à bénir et à aimer le Seigneur. Il mourut peu de temps après
l’année 558. Il passa soixante-seize ans dans le désert, et sa retraite ne fut
interrompue que par la courte durée de son épiscopat.
Quoi de plus propre à confondre la dissipation et l'esprit immortifié du monde,
que les austérités, le silence, et la contemplation du saint dont on vient de
lire la Vie ? Il semble que l'on ignore que le recueillement intérieur
est, pour ainsi dire, l'âme du christianisme. Sans lui la dévotion et le zèle
même le plus actif n'ont rien que de superficiel. Un cœur dissipé n'est point
capable d'une piété réelle et solide. Mais si l'on est uni à Dieu, si l'on a
éprouvé la douceur de ses communications, on ne trouve plus que peine et dégoût
dans le tumulte et les embarras du monde; on n'a plus d'ardeur que pour cette
joie pure qui se rencontre dans la solitude. L'amour du silence, quand, il
procède d'un motif de religion, prouve qu'une âme fait ses principales délices
de s'entretenir avec Dieu, et qu'il n'y a que cet exercice qui lui procure une
véritable consolation. Aussi le silence est-il le paradis de toutes les âmes
qui tendent sincèrement à la perfection.
SOURCE : Alban Butler : Vie des Pères, Martyrs et
autres principaux Saints… Tome III. – Traduction : Jean
François Godescard.
SOURCE : http://alexandrina.balasar.free.fr/jean_le_silenciaire.htm
Saint Jean le Silenciaire
La vie de ce Saint
montrera son grand amour pour le silence monastique : de là lui est venu son
nom de SILENCIAIRE. Jean naquit en 454, à Nicopolis, en Arménie; ses parents,
qui comptaient parmi leurs aïeux des généraux d'armée et des gouverneurs de
province, étaient encore plus recommandables parleur piété.
A dix-sept ans, le jeune
homme se vit, par la mort de son père et de sa mère, possesseur d'une immense
fortune, qu'il distribua en bonnes œuvres; il bâtit une église en l'honneur de
la Très Sainte Vierge, et un monastère, où il se retira dans la compagnie de
plusieurs serviteurs de DIEU.
Sa vertu eut ceci de
particulier qu'il chargea peu d'austérités ses disciples, mais sut leur donner
des occupations saintes et variées. Sacré évêque malgré ses résistances, il
gouverna un petit diocèse voisin de Constantinople ; mais diverses peines qu'il
eut dans l'exercice de sa charge le firent renoncer à son siège; il s'enfuit
secrètement à Jérusalem pour y vivre inconnu.
Là il aperçut bientôt
dans le ciel une étoile brillante en forme de croix et entendit une voix qui
lui dit : « Si tu veux te sauver, suis cette lumière ! » La lumière le
conduisit en Palestine, au monastère de Saint-Sabas, où vivaient cent cinquante
solitaires, en des cellules séparées.
Jean fut appliqué à des
occupations vulgaires, dont il s'acquittait avec humilité, joie et promptitude
; devenu hôtelier, il recevait les voyageurs comme il eût reçu JESUS-CHRIST
lui-même.
Il passa ensuite trois
ans sans voir personne les cinq premiers jours de chaque semaine, puis quatre
ans sans parler à qui que ce soit. Jean avait poussé l'humilité jusqu'à cacher
au saint abbé Sabas sa dignité de prêtre et d'évêque, et celui-ci ne l'apprit
que par révélation divine.
La division s'étant mise
dans le monastère, Sabas fut obligé de le quitter, et Jean lui-même s'enfuit
dans le désert, où il passa neuf ans. Mais Sabas étant alors rentré en paix
dans son monastère, le Saint l'y suivit et y continua pendant quarante ans sa
vie silencieuse et angélique.
DIEU confirma tant de
vertu par le don des miracles. — Un jeune homme était venu demander au vieux
solitaire quel état il devait embrasser. Jean lui indiqua le monastère où il
devait entrer pour faire la volonté de DIEU; le jeune homme, en ayant choisi un
autre, y tomba dangereusement malade, et ne guérit qu'en promettant d'aller au
couvent désigné par le Saint.
Un chrétien le vint voir
un jour en compagnie d'un hérétique : « Mon père, bénissez-nous, dit le pieux
chrétien. — Pour vous, dit le solitaire, je vous bénirai bien; mais je ne puis
bénir votre compagnon, s'il ne renonce à l'hérésie. »
L'hérétique fut si frappé
d'être reconnu comme tel par quelqu'un qui n'avait jamais entendu parler de
lui, qu'il se convertit. Saint Jean mourut en 558, à l'âge de cent quatre ans,
après avoir passé soixante-seize ans au désert.
Pratique. Rappelez-vous
cette maxime : L'âme progresse en vertu dans le silence et la paix.
SOURCE : http://je-n-oeucume-guere.blogspot.ca/2009/05/13-mai-saint-jean-le-silenciaire-eveque.html
Also
known as
John Hesychastes
John Sabaites
John Silentiarius
John the Silent
3 December (Orthodox
calendar)
30 March on
some calendars
13 May of
some calendars
Profile
Son of Enkratios, a military commander,
and Euphemia; his brother and other family members were advisors to emperors.
John received an excellent secular and religious education. His parents died in 471,
and at age 18 John used his inheritance to build the Church of the Most
Holy Mother
of God in Nicopolis. By age 20 he had founded a monastery for
himself and ten fellow young monks. Bishop of
Colonia (Taxara) by age 28; ecclesiastical duties permitting, he continued to
live as a monk.
In his tenth year
as bishop,
his brother-in-law, Pazinikos, was appointed governor of Armenia,
and immediately began meddling in Church affairs. Overwhelmed by secular
matters he was not prepared for, he secretly fled to Jerusalem,
praying for a place to hide from the world. Accepted as a novice at
Saint Sabas monastery,
working as a steward and construction
worker. After four years at the monastery,
he was being considered for ordination,
and felt compelled to reveal his secret life to the Jerusalem Patriarch
Elias. Elias permitted him to take a vow of silence, and wall himself into
his cell for
another four years.
Lived as a hermit in
a hut built against a rock face in the desert wilderness for nine years; legend
says he was protected from brigands by a lion that
stayed nearby. Saint Sava convinced John to return to the monastery.
His secret came out, and he lived many years at the monastery under
the protection of Sava. Late in life he left his solitude to fight the Origenists. Miracle worker. Healer. Exorcist.
Born
8 January 454 at
Nicopolis, Armenia
8 January 558 in Jerusalem of
natural causes
bishop with
a finger to his lips
Additional
Information
Book
of Saints, by the Monks of
Ramsgate
Lives
of the Saints, by Father Alban
Butler
Roman
Martyrology, 1914 edition
Saints
of the Day, by Katherine Rabenstein
Short
Lives of the Saints, by Eleanor Cecilia Donnelly
books
Our Sunday Visitor’s Encyclopedia of Saints
other
sites in english
video
webseiten
auf deutsch
sitios
en español
Martirologio Romano, 2001 edición
fonti
in italiano
MLA
Citation
‘Saint John the
Silent‘. CatholicSaints.Info. 5 April 2024. Web. 15 April 2026.
<https://catholicsaints.info/saint-john-the-silent/>
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/saint-john-the-silent/
Book of Saints –
John the Silent
Article
(Silentiarius) (May 13)
(Saint) Bishop (6th century) Born at Nicopolis In Armenia (A.D. 454) and of
illustrious descent, after the death of his parents, he built a church and
monastery in his native city and, with some fervent companions, gave himself utterly
up to a life of prayer and penance. After ten years he was made Bishop of
Colonia in Armenia, where for nine years he showed himself a shining example to
his people. He then resigned his Bishopric, and quietly sought the Laura or
monastery of Saint Sabbas, near Jerusalem. He succeeded in concealing the fact
that he was a Bishop; and Saint Sabbas employed him as a labourer, promoting
him later to the offices of guest-master and house steward. When some time
later still, Saint Sabbas proposed that the monk John should be ordained
priest, the Saint was compelled to confide to the Patriarch of Jerusalem that
he was already a Bishop. This Saint John the Silent is one of the Fathers of
the Desert to whom ancient writers attribute a longevity far surpassing that of
average man. We are told that Saint John the Silent survived until A.D. 558,
when he would have attained the age of one hundred and four.
MLA
Citation
Monks of Ramsgate. “John
the Silent”. Book of Saints, 1921. CatholicSaints.Info.
27 October 2013. Web. 16 April 2026.
<https://catholicsaints.info/book-of-saints-john-the-silent/>
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/book-of-saints-john-the-silent/
New
Catholic Dictionary – Saint John the Silent
Also
known as
Saint Hesychastes; Saint
Silentiarus
Profile
Confessor, Bishop of
Colonia, Armenia, born Nicopolis, Armenia, 452; died near
Jerusalem, 558. His life of mortification and self-denial continued even when
he was Bishop of Colonia. His last days were spent in seclusion and perpetual
silence in the desert near Jerusalem. Represented holding his finger to his
lips, signifying his love of silence. Feast, 13
May.
MLA
Citation
“Saint John the
Silent”. New Catholic Dictionary. CatholicSaints.Info.
31 July 2013. Web. 16 April 2026.
<https://catholicsaints.info/new-catholic-dictionary-saint-john-the-silent/>
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/new-catholic-dictionary-saint-john-the-silent/
St. John the Silent
Feastday: May 13
Birth: 452
Death: 558
Bishop of Colonia in
Palestine and a hermit. Born in Nicopolis, Armenia, he established a monastery
at the age of eighteen. Appointed a bishop at
the age of twenty-eight, he spent nine years in his office before retiring
to Jerusalem to
embrace the eremitical life. Through a vision, he found his way to the
monastery, or laura, of St. Sabas, asking to be walled up and living for
seventy-five years as a silent recluse.
SOURCE : https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=4055
John the Silent B (RM)
Born at Nicopolis, Armenia, in 454; died near Jerusalem, 558. At the death of
his prominent parents and he was 20, John founded a monastery and become a monk
with ten companions in his native city. Despite their youth, the little
community led a most edifying life of devotion and hard work. As their leader,
John acquired a reputation for sanctity that led to the archbishop of Sebaste's
choosing him, at age 28, as bishop of Colonia (Taxara), Armenia, against his
will.
Nevertheless, for nine
years he executed his episcopal functions with zeal, even to the point of
depriving himself of the necessities of life in order to relieve the poor. As
much as possible, he continued to lead the life of a monk. Then his inability
to remedy certain evils combined with the pull of a secluded life. He resigned
his position and headed quietly for Jerusalem.
His vita says that in
prayer one night, John saw a bright cross in the air and heard a voice say,
"If you want to be saved, follow this light." At length he followed
it to the laura of Saint Sabas near Jerusalem. Hiding his episcopal dignity, he
entered the monastery of 150 monks, where he spent the rest of his life. At
first Saint Sabas assigned him under the steward to fetch water, carry stone,
and serve the workmen building a new hospital. Having obediently carried out
his work in this position, Sabas made him guest-master.
When Sabas recognized
that his novice was on the road to Christian perfection, he allowed John to
occupy a separate hermitage. John left his cell only on Saturdays and Sundays
to attend public worship in the church. After three years as a hermit, he was
chosen to be steward of the laura.
Four years later, Saint
Sabas thought John was worthy of ordination to the priesthood. Upon their
arrival at the church of Mount Calvary, where John was to be presented to
Patriarch Saint Elias for ordination, he turned to the patriarch and said,
"Holy father, I have something to tell you in private: afterwards, if you
judge me suitable, I will receive holy orders." During the private
interview and after he bound the bishop to secrecy, John revealed:
"Father, I have been consecrated bishop. But on account of my many sins I
have fled and sought out this desert to await the coming of the Lord."
Elias reported to Sabas
that he would be unable to ordain John because of what he had revealed. As they
returned to the laura, Sabas was deeply grieved because he feared that John
must have committed a terrible crime. His fears were relieved when God revealed
the situation to him during his earnest prayer--but he was not to divulge the
secret.
In 503, both Sabas and
John were forced to leave the laura for the nearby desert. Six years later,
when Sabas was recalled, John also returned and lived in his hermitage for
another forty years. Although his humility and love of obscurity would have
made the hidden life preferable, John's sanctity and wisdom drew numerous
people seeking his advice. He now saw it was God's will to lead others to God.
When alone he occupied himself with uninterrupted exercises of love and praise
until his death (Benedictines, Walsh).
In art, Saint John is
portrayed as a bishop with his finger on his lips (Roeder).
SOURCE : http://www.saintpatrickdc.org/ss/0513.shtml
St. John the Silent
(Hesychastes,
Silentiarius).
Bishop of Colonia,
in Armenia,
b. at Nicopolis, Armenia,
8 Jan., 452; d. 558. His parents,
Encratius and Euphemia, wealthy and honoured,
belonged to families that
had done great service in the State and had given to it renowned generals and
governors, but they were also good Christians,
and gave their son a holy education.
After their death in 471, John distributed his inheritance among his
relatives, retaining only a small share, with which he built a church and
a monastery.
Here, with ten congenial companions, he began a life of mortification and self-denial,
wonderful traits of which are recorded by his biographer. The Bishop of Sebaste drew
him out of his solitude and made him Bishop of Colonia (Taxara)
in 481, against which promotion John vainly struggled. In his new
dignity he preserved the monastic spirit entire, and
the austerities and exercises as far as was compatible with duty.
His brother-in-law Pasinius oppressed the Church to
such an extent that John had to call upon the Emperor Zeno for assistance.
As soon as matters had been properly arranged, John left his see,
went to the Laura, near Jerusalem,
and placed himself under the obedience of St. Sabas,
without revealing his identity. In course of time Sabas,
who had subjected John to all kinds of trials and had found him ready
to perform even the most common and menial labours, thought him worthy of
receiving priesthood,
and for this purpose sent him to Elias, the Patriarch of Jerusalem. John now revealed all,
and Elias informed Sabas that John had confided
to him things which forbade his ordination. Sabas at
first felt very sad, but was comforted by a vision in which the true state
of affairs was made known to him. John with the permission of his
superior entered a hut built against the face of a rock in the desert,
and here passed the remainder of his days in seclusion and
perpetual silence, whence his surname. A
contemporary, Cyril of Scythopolis,
wrote his life. His feast is
on 13 May.
Sources
Butler, Lives of the Saints; Acta SS., May, III, 230; Streber in Kirchenlex, s.v. Johannes Hesychastes.
Mershman, Francis. "St. John the Silent." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 8. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1910. 12 May 2015 <http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08495a.htm>.
Transcription. This
article was transcribed for New Advent by Gary Mros.
Ecclesiastical approbation. Nihil Obstat. October 1, 1910. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York.
Copyright © 2023 by Kevin Knight.
Dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
SOURCE : http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08495a.htm
May 13
St. John the Silent,
Bishop and Confessor
From his excellent life,
written by Cyril the monk, his disciple, a little before the death of the
saint. See Godeau, Éloges des Évêques Illustres, § 56, p. 330.
A.D. 559.
JOHN had his surname
given him from his love of silence and recollection. He was born at Nicopolis
in Armenia, in the year 454. His descent by both parties was from the most
illustrious generals and governors of that part of the empire; but he derived
from their virtue a much more illustrious nobility than that of their pedigree.
They were solicitous above all things to give their son the most holy
education. After their death, he, with part of his estate, built at Nicopolis a
church in honour of the Blessed Virgin, as also a monastery, in which, with ten
fervent companions, he shut himself up when only eighteen years of age, with a
view of making the salvation and most perfect sanctification of his soul his
only and earnest pursuit, directing to this end all his thoughts and
endeavours. As humility is the foundation and guardian of all virtue, this he
laboured in the first place to obtain. Accordingly he made it his earnest
petition to God; and, by assiduous meditation on his own nothingness, his
absolute insufficiency, numberless miseries, and baseness, and on the infinite
majesty and adorable perfections of God, he studied to know God and himself. He
learned sincerely to look upon all manner of humiliations as his due, and to
receive them with joy from whatever quarter they were sent; and cheerfully to
exercise himself in those which appeared most repugnant to flesh and blood, and
most proper to beat down all secret sentiments of pride. To kill the seeds of
all other vices, he practised the most constant and severe denial of his own
will, and he added corporal austerities to subdue his flesh, and to fit his
soul for the spiritual functions of contemplation and prayer. Not only to shun
the danger of sin by the tongue, but also out of a sense of sincere humility
and contempt of himself, and the love of interior recollection and prayer, he
very seldom spoke; and if necessity obliged him to open his mouth, it was
always in very few words, and with great discretion. He banished sloth out of
his little community as a fruitful source of vice, and the poison of all
virtue. Some humbling, painful, and useful labour filled up in his house all
the intervals of time which public prayer and other necessary duties left
vacant. His mildness, prudence, and piety won him the esteem and affection of
all his brethren, who strove in every virtue to be the copies of their holy
abbot. But, to his extreme affliction, when he was only twenty-eight years old,
the archbishop of Sebaste obliged him to quit his retreat, and ordained him
bishop of Colonian in Armenia in 482.
In this dignity John
preserved always the same spirit, and, as much as was compatible with the
duties of his charge, continued his monastic austerities and exercises. His
brother and nephew, who enjoyed honourable places in the emperor’s palace, were
moved by his example to contemn the world in the very midst of its honours; and
the same grace which sanctifies anchorets in their deserts, made them saints in
the court. But he found not the same comfort in a brother-in-law, who was
governor of Armenia, against whose oppressions of his church the saint was
obliged to have recourse to the emperor Zeno, and readily obtained his
protection. St. John had fulfilled all the duties of a holy bishop nine years,
practising all the austerities of his former life, and refusing to allow
himself even the necessary conveniences of life, that he might bestow all he
possessed on the poor. He instructed his flock by preaching, and, by his
example, invited them to practise what he taught. He was the comforter of all
that were in affliction, and bore their burdens with them; and he never ceased
to instil sentiments of humility, moderation, and compunction into the hearts
of those who lived in the more dangerous flattering state of worldly
prosperity. He was the father of all, and carried them all in his heart, that
he might plant in them the spirit, and transfer them into the heart of Christ.
Certain evils which he found it impossible for him to remedy, joined with his
strong inclination to a retired life, gave him an earnest desire to resign his
charge. By the rule of the church and his sacred engagement, he was bound not
to abandon the spouse to which he was tied, or to leave exposed to wolves a
flock which the supreme Pastor had intrusted to his care. But the divine grace
sometimes makes exceptions in order to raise a soul to an extraordinary
sanctity. John had reason at first to look upon the thought of such a project
as suspected, to examine it impartially, and to consult God for a considerable
time by earnest prayer. The author of his life assures us, that whilst he was
watching one night in prayer, he saw before him a bright cross formed in the
air, and heard a voice, which said to him, “If thou desirest to be saved,
follow this light.” He then seemed to see it move before him, and at length
point out to the Laura of St. Sabas. Being satisfied what the sacrifice was
which God required at his hands, he found means to abdicate the episcopal
charge, and embarked in a vessel bound for Palestine. He went first to
Jerusalem, and having there performed his devotions, retired to the
neighbouring Laura of St. Sabas, which at that time contained one hundred and
fifty fervent monks, all animated with the spirit of their holy founder and
superior. St. John was then thirty-eight years old. St. Sabas first placed him
under the steward of the Laura, to fetch water, carry stones, and serve the
workmen in building a new hospital. John went and came like a beast of burden,
continuing always recollected in God, always cheerful and silent. After this
trial, the experienced superior appointed him to receive and entertain strangers.
The blessed man served every one as if he had served Christ himself, whom, he
considered in his members; and all persons were exceedingly edified with his
humility and devotion. St. Sabas observed every step, and admired to see the
behaviour of this young monk in an employment which is often dangerous to the
monastic spirit, even in those that are most advanced; for the dissipation of
such an attendance seemed no way to interrupt his attention to God, or abate
his spirit of recollection. St. Sabas by this time clearly perceived that his
novice was already a masterly proficient in the monastic profession, and
eminently endowed with the spirit of his vocation. Therefore, to afford him
opportunities of the greatest spiritual progress by uninterrupted contemplation,
he allowed him a separate hermitage; which was his method only with regard to
the more perfect. During five days in the week, which he passed without taking
any nourishment, John never left his cell; but on Saturdays and Sundays he
attended the public worship of God in the church. After passing three years in
this eremitical life, he was made steward of the Laura. His virtue drew a
blessing on the community; neither was this employment any distraction to his
mind. Such indeed was his love of God, that his soul stood in need of no effort
to think continually on him. Such a habit is not to be attempted at once. Too
strained an attention might hurt the head, as experience has sometimes shown.
This practice, and a constant attention to the divine presence, is to be
acquired at first by frequent ejaculations to God during exterior actions,
repeated at intervals; either such as naturally occur to the devout mind, or
select ones of divine praise, compunction, love, &c., such as are contained
in the petitions of the Lord’s Prayer, the Psalms, or other parts of the
inspired writings. By this method, such a practice in John grew habitual, and
by daily use became more perfect and familiar.
Our saint had discharged
this last office four years, when St. Sabas, judging him worthy to be promoted
to the priesthood, presented him to the patriarch Elias. When they came to the
church of Mount Calvary, where the ordination was to be performed, St. John
said to the patriarch, “Holy father, I have something to impart to you in
private; after which, if you judge me worthy, I will receive holy orders.” The
patriarch took him aside, and John, having obtained from him a promise of
secresy, said, “Father, I have been ordained bishop; but on account of the
multitude of my sins have fled, and am come into this desert to wait the visit
of the Lord.” The patriarch was startled, and calling in St. Sabas, said to
him, “I desire to be excused from ordaining this man, on account of some
particulars he has discovered to me.” St. Sabas went back much afflicted,
fearing lest John had been formerly guilty of some grievous crime. Under this
uncertainty, God revealed to him, at his request, the state of the affair.
Whereupon, calling for John, he complained to him of his unkindness in concealing
the matter from him. Finding himself discovered, John was for quitting the
Laura, nor could St. Sabas prevail on him to stay, but on a promise never to
divulge the secret. John lived after this four years in his cell, without
speaking to any one except to the person who brought him necessaries. In the
year 503, the factious spirit of certain turbulent disciples obliged St. Sabas
to quit his Laura. St. John, that he might have no part in such an unhappy
disturbance, withdrew into a neighbouring wilderness, where he spent six years
in silence, conversing only with God, and subsisting on the wild roots and
herbs which the desert afforded. When St. Sabas was called home again, he went
to seek St. John in his desert, and brought him back in 510. But a long and happy
experience had taught him, that a soul which has been accustomed to converse
only with God, finds nothing but emptiness and bitterness in any thing besides.
His love of obscurity and humility made him desire more and more to live
unknown to men; but such was the lustre of his sanctity as rendered it
impossible for him to succeed herein to the full extent of his desire. He went
back with his old master, and confined himself for forty years to his cell,
after his return to the Laura; but did not refuse instructions to those who
resorted to him; among whom was the judicious and learned monk Cyril, who wrote
his life when the saint had lived forty years in his hermitage, after his
return, and was one hundred and four years old. He at that age retained the vigour
of his mind, and that sweetness which rendered him always amiable and
venerable. This Cyril of Scythopolis, who is one of the ablest writers of
antiquity, relates, that in his youth, when he was about sixteen years of age,
he addressed himself to St. John, who was then ninety years old, and begged his
advice concerning the choice of a state of life. The holy old man advised him
to dedicate himself to God in the monastery of St. Euthymius. Cyril, however,
preferred one of the little monasteries on the banks of the Jordan. But he was
no sooner arrived at the place than he fell sick of a fever. His distemper
every day augmented, and he began grievously to afflict and condemn himself for
having neglected the advice of the servant of God. But in the night St. John
appearing to him in his sleep, after a gentle reprimand for not having followed
his counsel, told him, that if he repaired to the monastery of St. Euthymius,
he should be restored to his health, and should find his salvation. The next
morning he arose, and notwithstanding the entreaties of the brethren, broke
from them, and having taken no other refreshment but that of the blessed
eucharist, which he had received that morning, he set out, walked to the
aforesaid monastery of St. Euthymius, and found himself perfectly recovered.
The same author tells us that whilst he was conversing one day with St. John on
matters of piety, he saw a man named George bring his son, who was a child
possessed by the devil, and lay him on the ground before the saint without
speaking a word. St. John understood the miserable condition of the child, and
made the sign of the cross on his forehead with blessed oil, and the same
instant the child was delivered from the evil spirit. A nobleman of
Constantinople, who was infected with Eutychianism, was introduced by one
Theodorus to the saint. The holy man gave his blessing to Theodorus, but
refused it to the nobleman, with a mild reproach for his schism and heresy;
who, seeing that he could only have been apprized of these circumstances by
revelation, became upon the spot a most devout Catholic. St. John, by his
example and counsels, conducted many fervent souls to God, and continued in his
hermitage to emulate, as much as this mortal state will allow, the glorious
employment of the heavenly spirits in an uninterrupted exercise of love and
praise, till he passed to their blessed company, soon after the year 558;
having lived seventy-six years in the desert, which had only been interrupted
by the nine years of his episcopal dignity.
His astonishing
austerity, love of silence, and sublime contemplation condemn the unmortified
spirit and dissipation of the world. Interior recollection is, as it were, the
soul of Christian virtue. Without it, the most active zeal and devotion will
only be superficial. A dissipated heart can never be truly devout. One that is
united with God, and relishes the sweetness of his divine converse, finds the
tumult of creatures and the noise of the world an insupportable burden, and he
truly understands from experience what pure joy holy solitude is able to
afford. A love of Christian silence, or a silence of virtue and choice, not of
stupidity or sullenness, is a proof that a soul makes it her chiefest delight
to be occupied on God, and finds no comfort like that of conversing with him.
This is the paradise of all devout souls.
Rev. Alban
Butler (1711–73). Volume V: May. The Lives of the Saints. 1866.
SOURCE : http://www.bartleby.com/210/5/131.html
Saint John the Silent
JOHN was born of a
noble family at Nicopolis, in Armenia, in the year 454; but he derived
from the virtue of his parents a much more illustrious nobility than that of
their pedigree. After their death, he built at Nicopolis a church in honer of
the Blessed Virgin, as also a monastery, in which, with ten fervent companions,
he shut himself up when only eighteen years of age, with a view of making the
salvation and most perfect sanctification of his soul his only and earnest
pursuit. Not only to shun the danger of sin by the tongue, but also out of
sincere humility and contempt of himself, and the love of interior recollection
and prayer, he very seldom spoke; and when obliged to, it was always in very
few words, and with great discretion. To his extreme affliction, when he was
only twenty-eight years old, the Archbishop of Sebaste obliged him to quit his
retreat, and ordained him Bishop of Colonian in Armenia in 482. In this dignity
John preserved always the same spirit, and, as much as was compatible with the
duties of his charge, continued his monastic austerities and exercises. Whilst
he was watching one night in prayer, he saw before him a bright cross formed in
the air, and heard a voice which said to him, "If thou desirest to be
saved, follow this light." It seemed to move before him, and at length
point out to the monastery of St. Sabas. Being satisfied what the sacrifice was
which God required at his hands, he found means to abdicate the episcopal
charge, and retired to the neighboring monastery of St. Sabas, which at that
time contained one hundred and fifty fervent monks. St. John was then
thirty-eight years old. After living there unknown for some years, fetching
water, carrying stones, and doing other menial work, St. Sabas, judging him
worthy to be promoted to the priesthood, presented him to the Patriarch Elias.
St. John took the patriarch aside, and, having obtained from him a promise of
secrecy, said, 'Father, I have been ordained bishop; but on account of the
multitude of my sins have fled, and am come into this desert to wait the visit
of the Lord?' The patriarch was startled, but God revealed to St. Sabas the
state of the affair, whereupon, calling for John, he complained to him of his
unkindness in concealing the matter from him. Finding himself discovered, John
wished to quit the monastery, nor could St. Sabas prevail on him to stay, but
on a promise never to divulge the secret. In the year 503, St. John withdrew
into a neighboring wilderness, but in 510 went back to the monastery, and
confined himself for forty years to his cell. St. John, by his example and
counsels, conducted many fervent souls to God, and continued to emulate, as
much as this mortal state will allow, the glorious employment of the heavenly
spirits in an uninterrupted exercise of love and praise, till he passed to
their blessed company, soon after the year 558; having lived seventy-six years
in the desert, which had only been interrupted by the nine years of his
episcopal dignity.
REFLECTION.—A love of
Christian silence is a proof that a soul makes it her chiefest delight to he
occupied on God, and finds no comfort like that of conversing with Him. This is
the paradise of all devout souls.
SOURCE : http://jesus-passion.com/saint_john_the_silent.htm
Saint John the Silent
Bishop, Monk of Saint
Sabas
(454-558)
Saint John was born of a
noble Christian family of Nicopolis in Armenia, in the year 454, inheriting
from the virtue of his parents a more illustrious nobility than that of their
station. After their death, the young man built at Nicopolis a church in honor
of the Blessed Virgin, as well as a monastery, which he himself entered when
only eighteen years of age, with ten fervent companions, all desiring to make
the salvation and perfect sanctification of their souls their unique and
earnest pursuit.
Not only to shun the
danger of sinning by the tongue, but also out of sincere humility and contempt
for himself and love for interior recollection and prayer, Saint John very
seldom spoke. When he was obliged to do so, it was always in very few words,
and with discretion. He was greatly afflicted when, at the age of only
twenty-eight, he was obliged by the Archbishop of Sebaste to quit his retreat
in 482, for the Archbishop desired to ordain him bishop of Colonian in Armenia.
In this new dignity Saint
John always preserved the same spirit, and, insofar as was compatible with the
duties of his charge, continued his monastic austerities and exercises. But
finding himself persecuted in his diocese and fearing to bring down on it still
greater troubles, he resolved to leave and go to Jerusalem, to live there
unknown. While he was watching one night in prayer, however, he saw before him
a bright cross formed in the air, and heard a voice which said to him, If you
desire to be saved, follow this light. It seemed to move before him and finally
point to the monastery of Saint Sabas, not far away, which at that time
contained one hundred and fifty fervent monks. Saint John was then thirty-eight
years old.
After living there
unknown for some years, fetching water, carrying stones, and doing other menial
work, Saint Sabas, judging his monk worthy to be promoted to the priesthood,
presented him to the Patriarch Elias of Jerusalem. Saint John took the
patriarch aside, and, having obtained from him a promise of secrecy, said, Father,
I am already a priest and have also been consecrated bishop; but on account of
the multitude of my sins I have fled, and have come to this desert to await the
visit of the Lord. The patriarch was startled, but promised not to reveal the
matter. God, however, through the ministry of an Angel, revealed to Saint Sabas
also while he was at prayer, that his monk was a bishop. Then Saint John,
finding himself discovered, wished to leave the monastery; Saint Sabas
prevailed on him to remain, by a promise never to divulge the secret.
In the year 503, Saint
John withdrew into a neighboring wilderness, but in 510 returned to the
monastery, where he confined himself for another forty years to his cell. By
his example and counsels, he guided many fervent souls to God and continued to
emulate, as much as this mortal state would allow, the glorious employment of
the heavenly spirits in their uninterrupted exercise of love and praise. He
passed to their blessed company soon after the year 558, having lived
seventy-six years in the desert, interrupted only by the nine years of his
episcopal dignity.
Reflection. A love of
Christian silence is proof that a soul makes it a delight to be occupied on
God, and finds no consolation comparable to that of conversing with Him. This
is the paradise of all devout souls.
Little Pictorial Lives of
the Saints, a compilation based on Butler's Lives of the Saints and
other sources by John Gilmary Shea (Benziger Brothers: New York, 1894); Les
Petits Bollandistes: Vies des Saints, by Msgr. Paul Guérin (Bloud et
Barral: Paris, 1882), Vol. 5
SOURCE : https://magnificat.ca/cal/en/saints/saint_john_the_silent.html
Saint John the Silent
Jul 18, 2020 /
Written by: America
Needs Fatima
Feast May 13
John was born in
Nicopolis in Armenia in the year 454 into a noble and virtuous family.
Unusually devout even from childhood, John did not pursue the careers popular
in his family; instead, after the death of his parents, he was divinely
inspired to build a monastery where he afterwards lived with ten other young
men, living the life of monks. John was only eighteen years old.
Under his direction, they
led a devoted life of work and piety, gaining for him a reputation of
leadership and sanctity. Because of this, the Archbishop of Sabaste was moved
to consecrate John as Bishop of Colonia in Armenia at the young age of
twenty-eight. Although he felt himself insufficient and unworthy of the office,
John accepted the position with humility and governed his diocese for nine
years before he decided to resign and fulfill his desire to live a life of
seclusion. Thus he found his way to Jerusalem.
While at prayer one
night, John was granted a vision in which he was guided to the monastery of St.
Sabas and there the pilgrim was granted permission to dwell in a lonely
hermitage to pursue uninterrupted contemplation.
Such was his sanctity
that after four years, having disclosed to no one that he had once been a
bishop, and St. Sabas wishing to have John ordained to holy orders, the abbot
presented him to the Patriarch Elias of Jerusalem. However, upon their arrival
at Calvary, John requested a private audience with the patriarch and disclosed
his long-held secret. Upon learning of his previous consecration, St. Sabas was
startled and reproached John for keeping the knowledge from him. Abashed at
being discovered, John desired to abscond from the monastery.
However, St. Sabas was
able to convince him to remain by promising to keep his secret. Hence, John
continued to reside in his cell for four more years, speaking to no one save
the one who brought him his necessities.
In the year 503, trouble
– caused by certain disruptive members of the community – was stirring in the
cloister and St. Sabas was forced to leave his own monastery; consequently,
John also decided to leave and went into a nearby wilderness where he lived in
prayer, mortification and silence for six years. Only when St. Sabas was
finally restored to his community was he again able to persuade John to also
return. However, having become accustomed to conversing only with God, John was
unable to find anything but emptiness in all else.
Pursuing once more his
own obscurity and humility, he retired to his old solitary cell and remained in
that dwelling for forty more years. During that time, he never turned away any
of the people who came seeking his instruction and counsel. One of these whom
John instructed was a young man of sixteen named Cyril who later wrote John’s
life.
John died in 558 at the
age of one hundred and four – he had lived in solitude for seventy-six years,
interrupted only by the nine years of his episcopate as bishop of Colonia.
SOURCE : https://americaneedsfatima.org/articles/saint-john-the-silent
Short
Lives of the Saints – Saint John the Silent, Hermit
Entry
Saint John, surnamed the
Silent, was born of a very wealthy family living at Nicopolis, in Armenia, in
the latter part of the fifth or the beginning of the sixth century. He devoted
his wealth to building a monastery, and also a church which was dedicated to
the Blessed Mother of God. Having retired into the former, he was drawn thence
at the age of twenty-eight and made bishop of Colonia, but after discharging
faithfully the duties of that office for nine years he again withdrew from the
world, first to a secluded spot as a solitary, and later to the monastery of
Saint Sabas. Saint John gave himself up entirely to a life of contemplation.
His rule was never to speak except in cases of necessity, and then to speak
with such discretion that no word might be either wrong or useless. He died
about the year 560.
Thus let me live unseen,
unknown,
Thus, unlamented, let me die;
Steal from this world, and not a stone
Tell where I lie.
– Alexander Pope
Favorite Practice – To
guard not only against wrongs but useless words.
MLA
Citation
Eleanor Cecilia Donnelly.
“Saint John the Silent, Hermit”. Short
Lives of the Saints, 1910. CatholicSaints.Info.
16 April 2021. Web. 16 April 2026.
<https://catholicsaints.info/short-lives-of-the-saints-saint-john-the-silent-hermit/>
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/short-lives-of-the-saints-saint-john-the-silent-hermit/
St John the Silent of St
Sabbas Monastery
Commemorated on December
3
Saint John the Silent was
born around 454 in the city of Nicopolis, Armenia into the family of a military
commander named Enkratius and his wife Euphemia. The boy began to study Holy
Scripture, and he loved solitude and prayer with all his heart.
With the inheritance his
parents left him, John built a church dedicated to the Most Holy Theotokos. At
eighteen years of age John became a monk, living an ascetic life of fasting,
prayer and temperance with ten other monks at the church he had founded.
At the request of the
citizens of Colonia, the Metropolitan of Sebaste consecrated the
twenty-eight-year-old John as Bishop of Colonia. Having assumed the episcopal
throne, the saint did not alter his strict ascetic manner of life. Under the
influence of the saint his relatives, his brother Pergamios (an associate of
the emperors Zeno and Anastasius) and his nephew Theodore (an associate of the
emperor Justinian), also lived in a Christian manner.
In John’s tenth year as
bishop, the governorship of Armenia was assumed by Pazinikos, the husband of
the saint’s sister, Maria. The new governor began to interfere in spiritual and
ecclesiastical matters, and there was unrest in the Church. St John then went
to Constantinople, and through Archbishop Euthymius, he entreated the emperor
Zeno to defend the Armenian Church from the evil Governor.
Overwhelmed by worldly quarrels,
John secretly left his diocese and sailed to Jerusalem. With tears he besought
God to show him a place where he might live and find salvation. A bright star
appeared, which led St John to the Lavra of St Sava.
John, concealing his
episcopal rank, was accepted in the community as a simple novice. Under the
guidance of the igumen St Sava (December 5), Bishop John toiled obediently for
more than four years at every task he was assigned. When a guesthouse was built
at the Lavra, St John served the workers, serving their food and assisting in
the construction of the building. When a cenobitic monastery for novices was
being built, John was once again assigned to help the workers.
Seeing St John’s humility
and love of labor, St Sava deemed him worthy of ordination to presbyter. St
John was forced to reveal his rank to Patriarch Elias of Jerusalem (494-517),
who told St Sava that John could not be ordained. Moreover, he said that John
was to live in silence, and that no one should trouble him. Soon the Lord also
revealed St John’s secret to St Sava. St John spent four years in his cell,
receiving no one and not going out even for church.
Desiring ever greater
solitude and increased abstinence, St John quit the Lavra and withdrew into the
desert, where he spent more than nine years, eating plants and grass. He
survived a devastating incursion of the Saracens and did not perish, only
because the Lord sent him a defender: a ferocious lion. When the enemy tried to
harm the saint, the lion attacked them and they scattered in fright. Tradition
speaks of many miracles St John performed during this time in the desert.
When St Sava returned
after an extended stay in Scythopolis, he persuaded St John to forsake the
wilderness and to live at the monastery. After this, the Lord, in a miraculous
way, revealed to everyone at the Lavra that the monk John was actually a
bishop.
When St John reached age
seventy, his holy and God-bearing spiritual Father St Sava died. The saint
grieved deeply over this, since he was not present at the time. St Sava
appeared to him in a vision, and having consoled him, he foretold that there
would be much toil ahead in the struggle against heresy. St John even had to
leave his solitude to strengthen the brethren in the struggle with the Origenists.
St John the Silent spent
sixty-six years at the Lavra of St Sava the Sanctified. Through his constant
ascetic efforts, by his untiring prayer and humble wisdom, St John acquired the
grace of the Holy Spirit. At his prayers, many miracles took place, and he was
able to discern the secret thoughts of people. He healed the sick and those
possessed by demons. Even during his lifetime he saved those who invoked his
name from certain destruction. Once, he scattered fig seeds on barren rock, and
a beautiful and fruitful tree sprang up. In time, the tree grew so much that it
overshadowed the saint’s cell.
St John the Silent
departed to the Lord in peace at the age of 104.
SOURCE : http://oca.org/saints/lives/2014/12/03/103468-st-john-the-silent-of-st-sabbas-monastery
San Giovanni il
Silenziario Vescovo
Festa: 7 dicembre
† 558
Rinunciò al governo della
diocesi di Taxara, Armenia, per entrare nel monastero di San Saba, in
Palestina, dove visse servendo umilmente i suoi fratelli.
Martirologio
Romano: In Palestina, san Giovanni Silenziario o l’Esicasta, che, lasciato
l’episcopato di Colonia nell’antica Armenia, condusse nella laura di san Saba
una vita monastica di umile servizio ai fratelli, di rigorosa solitudine e di
silenzio.
San GIOVANNI il
silenziario (detto anche Ericaste, Sabaita), vescovo a Colonia (Armenia).
Assai venerato nella Chiesa orientale, nacque a Nicopoli in Armenia dove, rimasto orfano fin dalla gioventù, fondò ben presto un monastero nel quale si ritirò con altri compagni guidandoli nella vita religiosa.
Visse da monaco anche dopo essere stato creato vescovo di Colonia (Taxara) in Armenia. Dopo non molti anni lasciò la sede vescovile e si ritirò a Gerusalemme nell'ospedale di san Giorgio martire, al servizio dei vecchi poveri. In seguito, come si narra, la visione notturna d'una mirabile stella di straordinario splendore in forma di croce e una voce che gli disse: "Se vuoi salvarti, segui questa luce!" lo indussero ad entrare nella Grande Laura di san Saba, nella quale visse santamente sotto la guida del celebre monaco omonimo.
Ne scrisse la Vita il discepolo e famoso agiografo, Cirillo di Scitopoli.
Nei Sinassari bizantini è commemorato al 7 dicembre, talora anche al 3, 8 e 9
dello stesso mese. Il Lippomano, senza addurne motivi, lo collocò al 13 maggio,
che alcuni opinarono essere il giorno della sua morte.
Autore: Pietro Bertocchi
SOURCE : https://www.santiebeati.it/dettaglio/80740
Johannes Hesychastes
auch: Sabaites, Silentiarius, der
Einsiedler
Gedenktag katholisch: 7.
Dezember
13. Mai
Gedenktag orthodox: 30.
März, 3. Dezember
Gedenktag armenisch: 15.
Mai
Name bedeutet: J: Gott ist gnädig (hebr.)
H: der Stille, Betende (griech.)
Bischof von Colonia, Einsiedler
* 8. Januar 454 in Nicopolis, heute Koyulhisar in der Türkei
† 8. Januar 559 in Jerusalem in
Israel
Als Johannes 18 Jahre alt
war, starben seine Eltern, er wurde Erbe eines großen Vermögens, das er für die
Gründung eines Klosters in Nicopolis - dem heutigen Koyulhisar -
verwendete, in dem er fortan lebte; außerdem ließ er eine Marienkirche
bauen. Als der Bischof von Colonea in Armenien - dem heutigen Aksaray in
der Türkei - starb, wurde er mit 28 Jahren dort Bischof. 491 flüchtete er in
das von Sabas gegründete
Kloster, die Große Laura Mar
Saba bei Jerusalem, das ihm in einer Traumvision als Aufenthaltsort
bestimmt worden war. Hier hielt er seine Identität geheim und verrichtete die
niederen Klosterarbeiten. Ab 503 bis 509 lebt er als Einsiedler in der nahen
Wüste, in der Laura bewohnte er danach eine Einzelzelle.
Johannes' Vita berichtet
ausführlich über wundersame Begebenheiten aus der Zeit seines Einsiedlerlebens.
Bei ihrer Abfassung im Jahre 557 war Johannes 103 Jahre alt und noch unter den
Lebenden. Über seinen Tod berichtet ein Postscriptum.
Der nach Johannes
benannte Hesychasmus ist
bis heute v. a. in der Orthodoxen
Kirche in Russland eine verbreitete Gebetspraxis.
Martyrologium
Romanum Flori-Legium
Seite
zum Ausdruck optimiertUnser Reise-Blog:
Reisen zu den Orten, an denen die
Heiligen lebten und verehrt werden.
Empfehlung an
Freunde senden
Artikel
kommentieren / Fehler melden
Fragen? -
unsere FAQs antworten!
Impressum - Datenschutzerklärung
Schauen Sie sich zufällige Biografien an:
Hieronymus
von Torrejoncillo
Dag
Hammarskjöld
Asterius
Gefährten
Autor: Joachim
Schäfer - zuletzt aktualisiert am 02.05.2021
Quellen:
• Hans-Udo Rosenbaum. In: Friedrich-Wilhelm Bautz †, Traugott Bautz † (Hg.):
Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon, Bd. III, Herzberg 1992
korrekt zitieren: Joachim Schäfer: Artikel Johannes „Hesychastes”, aus dem Ökumenischen Heiligenlexikon - https://www.heiligenlexikon.de/BiographienJ/Johannes_Hesychastes.html, abgerufen am 16. 4. 2026
Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek verzeichnet das Ökumenische
Heiligenlexikon in der Deutschen Nationalbibliografie; detaillierte
bibliografische Daten sind im Internet über https://d-nb.info/1175439177 und https://d-nb.info/969828497 abrufbar.
SOURCE : https://www.heiligenlexikon.de/BiographienJ/Johannes_Hesychastes.html
Biographisch-Bibliographisches
Kirchenlexikon
Band III (1992) Spalten
389-390 Autor: Hans-Udo Rosenbaum
JOHANNES HESYCHASTES
(lat. J. Silentiarius, d. h. J. der Einsiedler; auch J. Sabaites). Bischof von
Kolonia, später Einsiedler-Mönch der Sabas-Laura. - Die einzige Quelle, die
über J.H. Auskunft gibt, ist die Heiligenvita, die Kyrill von Skythopolis über
ihn verfaßt hat (sie ist noch zu Lebzeiten des J.H. entstanden und beruft sich
mehrfach auf Augenzeugenschaft und persönliche Nachfrage; trotz einiger
legendärer Züge gelten ihre Nachrichten daher als historisch zuverlässig). Nach
Angabe dieser Quelle ist J.H. »am 8. Januar des 4. Jahres des Marcian, 7.
Indiction«, d.h. am 8.1. 454 geboren. Sein Geburtsort ist Nikopolis. Als er 18
Jahre alt ist, sterben seine Eltern, und er wird Erbe eines großen Vermögens,
das er zum Teil für die Gründung eines Klosters in Nikopolis verwendet, in dem
er fortan lebt. Außerdem läßt er eine Marienkirche bauen. Als der Bischof von
Kolonia (in Armenien) stirbt, weiht ihn der Metropolit trotz Sträubens als
28-jährigen zum Bischof (482). Dieses Amt versieht er 9 Jahre lang (482-491),
dann entzieht er sich ihm, indem er in die Sabas-Laura flüchtet, die ihm in
einer Traumvision als Aufenthaltsort bestimmt geworden war. Hier hält er seine
Identität geheim und verrichtet die niederen Klosterarbeiten (491-503). Von 503
bis 509 lebt er dann als Einsiedler in der nahen Wüste, auch wohl deshalb, weil
seine Identität inzwischen bekannt geworden war. 509 kehrt er dann in die Laura
zurück, wo er nunmehr eine Einzelzelle bewohnt. Über wundersame Begebenheiten,
die sich in dieser Zeit zutragen, berichtet die Vita ausführlich. Bei ihrer
Abfassung im Jahre 557 ist J.H., inzwischen 103 Jahre alt, noch unter den
Lebenden. Über seinen Tod berichtet ein Postscriptum, das nur in einer
georgischen Handschrift erhalten ist, von seinem Herausgeber aber für
authentisch angesehen wird; danach ist J.H. an einem Mittwoch, der auf den 8.
Januar fiel, gestorben. Das erste Jahr, für das diese Konstellation (nach 557)
zutrifft, ist das Jahr 559.
Ausgaben der Vita: Acta
Sanctorum Maii III, 1680, 16*-21* (in der 3. ed. 14*-18*), lat.: 230-236;
Eduard Schwartz, Kyrillos von Skytopolis, in: TU 49,2, 1939, 201-222;
André-Jean Festugière, Les moines d'Orient III, 3: Les moines de Palestine,
1963, 13-34 (frz. Übersetzung des Textes von Schwartz); K. M. Koikylides,
in: N‚a Si·n 3, 1906, Anhang 14-32; G. Bayan, Le synaxaire arménien
de Ter Israel, Mois de Maréri (= Mai), PO 21, 4, 1928, 458-462 (eine verkürzte
Fassung in Armenisch mit frz. Übers.); Gérard Garitte, La mort de S. Jean
l'Hésychaste d'après un texte Géorgien inédit, AnBoll 72, 1954, 75-84 (Edition
des Postscriptums).
Lit.: Bardenhewer V,
127-129; - DACL VI, 2362-2365; - Beck 409 f.; - LThK V, 1041; - Altaner8 241.
Hans-Udo Rosenbaum
Letzte Änderung:
24.03.2003
SOURCE : https://web.archive.org/web/20070303092512/http://www.bautz.de/bbkl/j/Johannes_hesy.shtml
Saint Jean le Silenciaire,
évêque (454-558) : http://orthodoxievco.net/ecrits/vies/synaxair/mai/jean3.pdf
.jpg){kind=link}