Saint John Chrysostom.
(Celebrated November 13).
This beacon of Christianity was born in the city of Antioch in the year 344 A.D. His parents, Secundus and Anthusa, had been wealthy idolaters. Secounthos was also a respected general in the Roman army. At the time of John’s birth, however, both were baptized Christians. When John was still young he was baptized by Saint Meletius, who was the then Patriarch of Antioch.
Secundus died early in the Saint’s life, and thus Anthousa became a young widow left with John as her only comfort. She sought endlessly to teach him Christianity’s love and faith. In addition, he was educated by Libanius in rhetoric and by Andragatius in philosophy. Therefore, the Saint became familiar with the wisdom of both the Greeks and the Christians.
Soon, he departed Antioch and went to Athens where the Greeks had built their universities. Within a short time, he became known as the most eloquent speaker of the city. His fame spread throughout the capital and all the lands of the Greek speaking world. He was summoned many times to speak before the city’s governor. At one time, the governor had invited all the philosophers of Athens to his palace. He wanted to honor John, and therefore, sent a horse to the Saint’s home to bear him to the palace. John refused the use of the horse. The governor and the other philosophers saw him approaching on foot and admired his humility. To honor him they sat him in the center of the room. One of the pagan philosophers, named Anthemius, became extremely jealous. He said to the governor, "You have done an injustice to your honor. You have sat a stranger in the most honored seat and have ignored philosophers who have spent their entire lives in Athens. Not only this, but his religion is unlike ours." The governor replied, "We have not done an injustice. We honor this man because he is from a noble family and because of his great humility." Then Saint John spoke, "It does not become you, Anthemius, to call yourself a philosopher and then to be jealous of another’s honors. Jealousy does not add to our attributes, but detracts from them. As for my religion, I worship one God. This God created the world and tends his creation." But Anthemius interrupted him saying, "It is our gods who supply us with the three elements of the world — water, earth and fire." Before he could finish his statement, he had a seizure and fell to the ground shaking.
The other philosophers watched in amazement and then begged Saint John to cure Anthemius. The Saint prayed and the philosopher was cured. As it turned out, Anthemius was cured not only physically, but spiritually as well, for he went to the Bishop of Athens, sought and received baptism. Many other philosophers followed suit.
When John completed his formal education, he left Athens and went to Antioch. There, he led a monastic life for many years with a friend and former schoolmate named Basil (not Saint Basil the Great).
In Antioch, a monk named Eutichius admired Saint John and wanted to emulate him in every way. One night, this monk had a strange dream. A fierce looking white lamb came from heaven and stood in front of the praying figure of Saint John. The Saint was so frightened that he fell to his knees. The lamb said to the Saint, "Fear not, but have courage, for I am Saint John the Theologian." He gave John a scroll and told him that it contained the explanation of the Scriptures. Saint John Chrysostom did not consider himself worthy of such an honor, but Saint John the Theologian gave him courage and then ascended into heaven.
The other monks saw that Eutichius was troubled and asked him what his concern was. He told them of his dream and they all agreed not to reveal anything to Saint John. They expected to see great things happen to the Saint.
A rich nobleman of Antioch became ill and a severe pain affected one side of his head and his sight. He went to Saint John and begged him to relieve his suffering. Saint John said to him, "You are suffering because you do not truly believe in Christ and because you have led a sinful life. If you strengthen your belief in Christ and repent for your sins, you shall be cured." The nobleman prayed and asked forgiveness. He then held onto the robes of the Saint. Immediately the pain stopped and his vision was restored.
Another extremely rich man, named Archelaus, became ill in Antioch. He spent much of his time and money on physicians, but none could cure him. In the interim he had heard of Saint John’s greatness and power and decided that the holy man was his last hope of salvation. Finding the Saint in the monastery, he pleaded for assistance. Saint John taught him how to live a true Christian life and then told him to drink water from the monk’s cup. The nobleman drank the water and was completely cured of his sickness. But the most significant part of this story is that Archelaos was so moved that he distributed all of his money among the poor of Antioch and then became a monk in the monastery himself.
Many men in Antioch became monks, patterning their lives after that of Saint John. One such man, Eucleos, who was blind in one eye, had come to Saint John’s monastery. The Saint realized that this affliction was a great burden to Eucleos. Thus, the Saint said to him "May God cure you, my brother, and let you see both spiritually and physically." Immediately Eucleos gained his sight.
In another instance, a woman had been suffering intermittent hemorrhages for two years. I n those days, this was a common illness for women, but it was also very serious. Her husband went to Saint John and asked for help. The Saint instructed the man to tell his wife to believe in Christ with all her heart, to be generous, and to lead a pure life. The husband returned to his wife and did as he had been told. His wife followed his directions explicitly, and within a short period she was cured.
Also at that time, a lion had been terrorizing the farmers of Antioch. So ferocious was he, that it became extremely dangerous for the farmers to tend their fields. Many were killed by the beast while they tilled their land. Finally, they turned to Saint John for assistance. He scolded them for abandoning God. They asked forgiveness for their negligence. The Saint forgave them and granted them a wooden cross. They were instructed to place the cross on the road which led into Antioch. The people did as the Saint instructed. The following morning, the lion was found dead, lying before the cross.
Saint John remained in this monastery for four years, performing many miracles and serving as an example of Christian life to the other monks and to the citizens of Antioch. Wanting to lead the life of a hermit monk, however, he eventually left the monastery and went into the wilderness. Here he lived without any of the comforts of life. He was subjected to the extreme heat of the day and the freezing cold of the desert night. Because of these elements, John became ill and was forced to return to Antioch. There, the Patriarch Meletius (who had baptized him) welcomed John with open arms and made him a reader (anagnostis). Later he was ordained a deacon by Flavianos. He remained a deacon for five years and then returned to his former monastery. During this time, the Second Ecumenical Council was called in the city of Constantinople. Meletius left Antioch and went to Constantinople to attend the Council. While in Constantinople, he died and Flavianos became Patriarch of Antioch. One night, Patriarch Flavianos saw a dream where an angel instructed him to go to the monastery and take Saint John to the Patriarchal Church. There, he was to ordain him into the priesthood. That same night, Saint John, while praying, was told by an angel that the Patriarch would come to him the next day and he was to go with him, for this was the will of God. The next morning, Saint John told the other monks of his vision. They wept, for they were to lose their beloved brother. The Patriarch arrived at the monastery and he told Saint John of his vision. They held a Liturgy at the monastery and prepared to leave. The other monks gathered around John. Crying, they begged him not to leave them. Flavianos comforted the monks and, together with Saint John, departed for Antioch. When the people of Antioch heard of the Saint’s arrival, they gathered at the church to witness the ordination. As the ceremony progressed, a vision of a white dove appeared in the church. The Patriarch was about to ordain John when the dove descended and sat on the Saint’s head. This symbolized the blessing given by the Holy Spirit.
Because of his teachings, and his explanations of the Scriptures (all of which he did eloquently), the people of Antioch called him "the mouth of Christ," "the second Paul," and "Chrysostom" (golden mouth). The name Chrysostom was used most frequently and it is this name that we still associate with Saint John.
An affluent woman, named Euclea, had five sons, four of which had died. The fifth became extremely ill with a burning fever. Fearing for the life of her only remaining son, she ran with her husband to the church where Saint John was performing the Liturgy. When they arrived, the Saint was reading the scripture where the woman begged Christ to cure her sick daughter. Euclea fell at the Saint’s feet and begged him to cure her only child. John realized that the son was suffering because of the sins of his parents. The Saint told Euclea and her husband that to save their son, they would have to repent for the sins which they had committed. They shed bitter tears and Saint John instructed them to bring their son to the church. He took a chalice of water and blessed it. Then he gave three sips of the Holy Water to the boy. His fever fell immediately.
The Antiochian governor at that time was a heretic and wanted to spread the false teachings of Markianus. Markianus taught that there were four gods. The first, the Father, was innocence and no one was capable of knowing him. The second god was the Great or, who created the four elements — earth, air, fire, and water. The third god was named Wise, and he borrowed the four elements of the Creator and formed the Earth and mankind. Christ was the fourth god, but he was considered inferior to the other gods. During the time that the governor supported this heresy, his wife became ill with dysentery. Many doctors tried to cure her and many heretics prayed for her, but their efforts were in vain. Finally they carried the woman to the church where John was teaching. When Saint John saw them, he ordered them to leave the church for they were heretics and thus enemies of Christ. The governor maintained that this was the religion they had been taught from childhood and that was why they accepted it. They were, however, willing to change their beliefs. Saint John then ordered them to bring water which he blessed and sprinkled on the woman. She was immediately cured and walked back to her home. Both the governor and his wife subsequently believed in the orthodox teachings. They did many philanthropic deeds, such as building homes for the poor, hospitals, orphanages and churches.
When the others who believed in this heresy saw that the governor and his wife had denounced the Markian teachings, they began to curse Saint John, calling him a magician and a heretic. John warned them to change their ways or else suffer the consequences. Within a few days an earthquake shook the city of Antioch and leveled the houses of the heretics. Not one Christian home was damaged. This disaster caused the heretics to denounce their ideas. For many days, they came to Saint John to be baptized as Christians.
Towards the end of the 4th century, the Patriarch of Constantinople, Nectarius, died. He had succeeded Saint Gregory the Theologian. The question arose as to whom to elect as the new Patriarch. After a great deal of turmoil, five men decided to go to Antioch, bring back Saint John to Constantinople, and ordain him Patriarch. With the consent of the Emperor Arcadius and that of the other bishops, a letter was written to Flavianos, Patriarch of Antioch, informing him of the death of Nectarios and of the election of John the Chrysostom to the position of Patriarch of Constantinople. When John was informed of this decision, he was deeply troubled, for he did not deem himself capable of fulfilling the great responsibilities of this position. When the people were informed, a riot nearly ensued in Antioch. They refused to let their teacher and father leave. Flavianos tried by every means to calm them, but to no avail. Fearing that blood would be shed if they persisted, the representatives of the Emperor Arcadius returned to Constantinople without John.
Arcadius wrote a letter to the governor of Antioch instructing him to send Saint John to him even if the Saint refused. The governor was to do this secretly so that the people would not be aware of the Saint’s departure. Thus a note was written to the Saint asking him to go to the Martyr’s Church outside the city for someone needed his help. The note was not signed. When he arrived, he saw a carriage in front of the church. This seemed strange to him for people rich enough to own carriages did not frequently attend church. Suddenly, five soldiers surrounded him and instructed him to go with them. Saint John was placed in the carriage and taken to Constantinople. When they neared the city, thousands of people, including many priests and bishops, came to welcome the new Patriarch. Among them was Theophilus who was the Patriarch of Alexandria and the nephew of the Empress Eudoxia. Theophilus ordained John, Patriarch of Constantinople, on December 15, 398 A.D. The next day, the Emperor and other officials went to the Patriarchate and received the Patriarch’s blessing.
As Patriarch, Saint John had one overriding duty — to save the souls of his people. He wrote many speeches instructing the people to lead Christian lives in order to obtain salvation.
The people in the area of Phoenicia were still idolaters. Saint John was determined to convert these people to Christianity. Thus, with the consent of Arcadius, soldiers went to Phoenicia and destroyed all the heathen temples. In their place they erected churches and monasteries. Monks were then sent to these monasteries and within a short time, they converted the Phoenicians to Christianity. In addition to this, John was also successful in halting the spread of heresy throughout the rest of the kingdom.
Saint John was renowned for his explanations of the Holy Scriptures. He also interpreted the Epistles of Saint Paul, whom he admired greatly. In order to assure himself that the interpretations of the Epistles were correct, he asked God to offer him a sign.
At that same time, a nobleman had risen against Emperor Arcadius. The Emperor, in turn, confiscated all of the man’s possessions and threatened to execute him. The nobleman became desperate and decided to ask for Saint John’s assistance. When he arrived at the Patriarchate, Saint John could not offer him an audience immediately, but instructed him to return that evening. Saint John told the assistant priest, Proclos (who later succeeded Saint John as Patriarch), to show the nobleman to the Saint’s room when he arrived. That evening, the nobleman returned and Proclos went to inform the Patriarch of his arrival. The door to the room was shut, so Proclos looked through the keyhole. He saw Saint John sitting at his desk writing, with a bald-headed man, slightly bent, looking over his shoulder. Seeing this, Proclos returned to the nobleman and told him that the Patriarch was in conference. Proclos returned to the Patriarch’s room several times during the night, but the man was still talking with John. Thus the nobleman waited the entire night to see Saint John. Morning came and the Patriarch prepared to perform the Matins, realizing neither that the nobleman had waited all night for him, nor that Proclos had seen the vision.
That morning the nobleman returned to the Patriarchate since it was of the utmost importance for him to see the Patriarch. Proclos went again to inform John of the nobleman’s arrival, but again saw the same man in the Patriarch’s room. John looked extremely interested in what the man was telling him. Proclos was bewildered on how the man was entering, since everyone had to come by him.
The nobleman returned for the fourth time and Proclos assured him that the Patriarch was alone, for he had made certain that no one passed without his knowledge. When Proclos went to the Patriarch’s room, he was shocked to find the same man still there. He returned to the nobleman and told him to go to his home for it was impossible for him to see John.
That third day, the Saint had remembered the nobleman and inquired about him. Proclos told John that the man had come three times, but each time, the Patriarch was busy talking to the same man. John asked Proclos whom he had seen in the room. Proclos told him that it looked as if it were the Apostle Paul whose icon sat on the Saint’s desk. Joyously, Saint John realized that this was the sign he had asked for from God concerning his interpretations of the Apostle’s epistles. Thus, Saint John wrote The Fourteen Epistles of the Apostle Paul containing the explanation of the letters. This book is one of the greatest works in the writings of the Orthodox Church.
After conferring with the nobleman, the Patriarch agreed to act as mediator between the nobleman and the Emperor. Within a short time, the differences were settled and the nobleman was again granted his confiscated property.
The Saint began to acquire many enemies, during his stay in office. He spoke openly and condemned anyone who did not live according to the Christian teachings. He expelled many priests, either for false teachings or because of their involvement in scandalous affairs. He also condemned the royalty for their extravagant way of life. Thus the Empress, and other pleasure-loving people turned against him. These enemies were to cause the Saint a great amount of uneasiness and unhappiness.
Eutropios, the Chamberlain of the Emperor, was one of the bitterest enemies of the Saint. He was a heathen and did everything in his power to cause trouble in the Church. In his desire for power, Eutropios began to oppose the Emperor and Empress, He erected statues to himself, claiming to be the second founder of Constantinople. Finally, he insulted the Empress. She ordered that Eutropios be arrested and executed. He fled to the church of the Patriarchate and begged for asylum. The soldiers followed him and entered the church. John immediately stepped between the soldiers and Eutropios and instructed the soldiers to leave. They returned to the Empress to tell her what had happened. The next day the soldiers gathered outside of the church and demanded Eutropios’ death. Saint John ascended the pulpit and gave one of the most famous speeches of his life. Thus he dispersed the soldiers and saved the heathen from execution.
Another event occurred at this time to arouse more problems for the Patriarch. There were many people in Constantinople who believed in the Arian Heresy. They had their own churches and tried to convert the orthodox Christians. Thus, Saint John asked Arcadius to give the heretics a choice — either to return to the orthodox thinking or to leave Constantinople. Arcadius agreed and related his decision to the Arian priests. Many heretics, not wishing to leave their homes and the city, returned to the Christian Church. Others left Constantinople and resettled in the city’s outlying areas. During the great feast days of the Church, the heretics would return to the city and sing hymns against the Orthodox Church. To try to stop this, Saint John wrote hymns against the heretics and called them antiphona (against the voices). So much hatred arose between the two groups, that blood was eventually shed.
A eunuch named Brison was singing the antiphona with the Christians on one such Feast Day when heretics began to throw rocks at them. Brisanas was struck in the forehead and killed. From that time on the Arians were not allowed to chant in Constantinople.
A Church Council was held in Constantinople in which twenty-two Bishops from Anatolia attended. During the meeting, Bishop Eusebius, from Valentinopolis, handed Saint John a letter listing several charges against the Metropolitan of Ephesus, Anthony. These charges were that:
He gave the golden and silver pieces in the Metropolitan Church to smiths, who melted them down and made jewelry which was sold at his son’s jewelry exchange.
Much marble which was in the Church was taken by the Metropolitan and put in his personal bath house.
Money planned for use by the Church was taken by the Metropolitan and used to build his son a house.
Anthony’s son had committed murder which had gone unpunished.
The lands that had been given to the Church by the mother of Julian the Apostate had been sold by Anthony.
Anthony’s former wife had returned to live with him and that she had another child by him while he was a bishop.
He made those who wanted to be ordained pay for the service. This was considered to be the most serious of the charges.
When Saint John read these charges he asked Eusebius if they had been written out of hatred for Anthony. Eusebius answered that he had written the truth for the good of the church. John warned him that once these charges were read to the clergy and laity, the decision would be out of his hands. The charges were read and it was decided that Anthony should stand trial for the last charge. If he were found guilty, the other charges would just support the accusation. John was satisfied with this decision.
Several priests whom Anthony had ordained were summoned before the bishops, but they denied having paid Anthony. Thus John saw that it would be difficult to accuse Anthony without a witness. He, therefore, decided to go to Ephesus. Anthony, knowing what John would discover, persuaded the Emperor’s representative not to allow the Patriarch to leave Constantinople. The Patriarch sent two other bishops and Eusebius to Ephesus to discover if the charges were valid. He gave them two months in which to find witnesses. If they failed, Eusebius would be punished for his false accusations.
Meanwhile, Eusebius received many gifts and favors from Anthony and he no longer wanted the charges to be proven true. He, therefore, did not bring forth any witnesses. After two months, the bishops departed for Constantinople. Midway there, Eusebius summoned them to return to Ephesus, saying that he had found witnesses. He did this so that the bishops would not have him punished for the false accusation. The bishops returned to Ephesus to question the witnesses. However, by that time, all the bishops had left Constantinople. Within a year of the first accusations, Anthony died and the case was forgotten. The people of Ephesus did ask Saint John to go to their city to clear the Church of other scandalous priests.
John boarded one of the royal ships and went to Apemian, the seaport of Ephesus. Here he was met by other bishops and taken to the city. There, bishops were questioned as to what amount they had paid to be ordained. The amount was reimbursed from the estate of the late Bishop Anthony. A new bishop was also elected to serve that area and Eusebius was duly punished.
It was Saint John’s habit to publicly criticize all people who were greedy, unjust, and selfish. Many of the nobility of Constantinople objected to this, even though the Saint would never mention names. There was a nobleman named Theodorichus in Constantinople who was extremely rich. The Empress Eudoxia had become jealous of this man and wanted to destroy him. However, she could find no valid excuse to do this. She, therefore, decided to ask him to lend a large sum of money to the Empire. If he gave the money, she would never return it to him; and if he refused, she could easily ruin him. Theodorichos realized what Eudoxia was attempting to do and thus went to Saint John for help. The Patriarch wrote a letter to the Empress and suppressed her scheme. Afterwards, Saint John told Theodorichus that if God had not intervened no doubt he would have given his money to the Empress. Therefore, he should be generous with his money and share it with the Church. Theodorichus donated a large portion of the money to the Church’s treasury, keeping just enough to support himself and his family. When Eudoxia discovered what Theodorichus had done with his fortune, she was furious. She immediately sent a letter to Saint John accusing him of scheming to obtain Theodorichus’ wealth for himself.
Saint John, considering himself innocent of this accusation, responded to the Empress’ letter. He explained to her that long ago he had distributed his own inheritance among the poor, and that he had done the same with the money he received from Theodorichus. He also stated that the nobleman himself had decided to give the money to the Church so that the Empress’ greed could not be satisfied. Unfortunately, this insult enraged Eudoxia and she became the Saint’s ardent enemy.
Still another event caused Eudoxia to be bitter against Saint John. There lived a very rich widow in Alexandria, named Kallitrope. The governor of Alexandria, Pavlacios, wanted to rob this woman of her money. Accusing her of a false crime, he demanded five-hundred gold pieces as a fine.
Two years later, Paulacius was summoned to Constantinople to pay his taxes to the Empire. With this opportunity, Kallitrope also went to the capital city, hoping to present her case to the Emperor. Upon telling the Emperor of the injustice that Paulacius had subjected her to, the Emperor handed the case over to the Eparch of Constantinople. Unfortunately, he sided with Pavlacios since this money was part of the taxes which Paulacius had to pay.
Seeing that she would not receive fair treatment from these men, Kallitrope decided to go to Eudoxia, thinking that, being a woman, the Empress would stop this injustice. Eudoxia was nonetheless greedy. She gave the widow only eighty gold pieces and told her to leave the palace. Filled with despair, Kallitrope departed and went to Saint John. Hearing the widow’s case, the Patriarch summoned Paulacius to the Patriarchate and ordered him to return the money to the widow. He informed the Saint that he had given the money to the Emperor. Thus Saint John had Paulacius jailed in the prison of the Partriarchate. When Eudoxia heard of Paulacius’ imprisonment, she went to Saint John and ordered him to release the nobleman. The Patriarch refused and told Eudoxia that unless the money were returned to the widow, he would not release Paulacius. The Empress ordered two hundred soldiers to go to the Patriarchate and free Paulacius. When the soldiers arrived at the gates of the prison, they saw an angel of the Lord who held a spear and ordered the soldiers to leave. When they returned and told the Empress of the event, she became frightened. She called upon a nobleman named Flumentius who was a friend of Saint John and instructed him to go to the Patriarch to convince him to free Paulacius. Flumentius could not persuade the Patriarch to free the prisoner. Thus, he returned to Eudoxia and informed her of the Patriarch’s steadfastness in the matter. Flumenius then went to his home, got five-hundred gold pieces, and took them to the Patriarch who in turn released the prisoner.
Eudoxia again sent a message to Saint John. She informed him that the rulers of the Empire did not interfere in ecclesiastical affairs and that the Patriarch should not interfere with the affairs of the State. Also, she requested that he refrain from criticizing her. His reply was that he would continue to criticize her until she would change her lifestyle so as to permit her soul to receive the riches of heaven.
Eudoxia was now determined to have the Saint deposed. Thus, she and other enemies including Patriarch Theophilos of Alexandria, laid a trap. Together they asked the bishops to call a council. Here false accusations were made against Saint John, especially from Patriarch Theophilos. The council of bishops heard forty accusations against the Saint. The accusations included:
Selling the marble of the Church of Saint Anastasia
Putting several monks in irons
Beating the son of a nobleman
Selling many jewels of the Church
Cursing several clergymen
Having a man named Servius murdered
Not giving an account of the Church’s income
The bishops who were against the Patriarch outnumbered those who were on the side of his righteousness. They signed the documents deposing the Patriarch and suggested to the Emperor that he send the spiritual head of the Church into exile. The Emperor Arcadius ordered his soldiers to patrol the city since the citizens were almost in a state of riot due to the council’s decision. When the Bishop of Rome, Ignatius heard of the council’s decision, he wrote a letter to Arcadius condemning him for his actions.
The night that Saint John was exiled, an earthquake shook the city of Constantinople. Arcadius became extremely frightened and sent a messenger recalling John from Prametus, the Saint’s place of exile. When the citizenry of Constantinople heard that Patriarch John was returning, they crowded the narrow streets of the city and awaited the arrival of their leader. Saint John reached the gates of Constantinople and stopped. He requested that another council come and re-examine him. The crowd yelled so much for him to enter the city, that the Patriarch honored their request. Upon reaching the Patriarchate, Saint John was hesitant about taking the Patriarchal chair. However, the citizens again forced him to take his rightful place.
The Emperor and his wife were not so easily swayed. They were determined to be rid of this uncooperative hierarch. Eventually, they slaughtered hundreds of Christians, and threatening to kill many more, they succeeded in coercing Saint John into exile.
He was escorted to the small Armenian village of Cucussus. Even here, however, he attracted more followers. Fearing that his power would grow, his enemies forced him to undertake a long and tedious journey. On this journey, John’s ill ness and age took their toll. He felt that the end was near. And so, one morning he dressed in white garments, raised his hands towards the sky, and said, "Glory be to God for all things." With that his soul passed into heaven.
Years after his death, a dispute arose as to the superiority of Chrysostom over Basil the Great and Gregory the Theologian. Basil was the most philosophical, Gregory the most theological and Saint John the most eloquent of all the pillars of Orthodoxy. All three were undoubtably the great Fathers of the Orthodox Church. I n order to illustrate the equality of the Three Great Hierarchs, the Church has sanctioned a common feast for all three, celebrated on January 30.
The Transfer of Saint John Chrysostom’s Body to Constantinople.
(Celebrated January 27).
After the death of the Saint in his place of exile, the Empress Eudoxia began hemorrhaging and her entire body began to decay. She realized that she was suffering because of her injustices to Patriarch John. During her last days oh earth, she tried to remedy these injustices. Even after her death the Empress did not rest in peace, for her grave trembled for thirty-three years until the body of Saint John was returned to Constantinople.
Eudoxia left as her heirs four daughters, Poulcheria, Foulia, Arcadia and Mary, and one son, Theodosius. The Emperor Arcadius ruled for fourteen years upon Eudoxia’s death. Her daughters remained unwed. Poulcheria ruled after Arcadius, for nineteen years until Theodosius came of age to rule. After thirty years of Theodosius’ reign, Proclus, a student of Saint John was elected Patriarch of Constantinople. In 435, he approached Emperor Theodosius and requested that the relics of Saint John be brought to Constantinople.
Upon the Emperor’s consent, his representatives were sent to Komana (the burial place of the Saint) where they requested the citizens to show them the spot where Saint John rested. Not wanting to deny an imperial order, the citizens took the representatives to the tomb of Saint John. By the power of God, the men were not able to budge the boulder which covered the tomb. Not until Theodosius wrote a letter of apology in the Saint’s name and prayed that he permit his body to be brought to Constantinople were the men able to move the boulder.
A procession started from Comana to Constantinople. The Saint’s body was placed in a golden coffin and hundreds of people, chanting and holding candles led the procession. When they approached Chalcedon, the citizens of Constantinople prepared to accept the Saint’s body. Hundreds of ships crowded the harbor of Constantinople and thousands of people lined the streets. Just before they reached Constantinople, the coffin was placed on one of the Imperial barges. Suddenly, a fierce storm arose and all the boats which were in the harbor listed. The imperial barge landed in front of the home of Kallitrope, a widow whom Eudoxia had wronged. The storm then subsided. After several moments, the current of the Hellespont changed, and the barge floated to the Church of Saint Thomas where the Empress Eudoxia was buried. As the barge docked there, the grave of the Empress, which had trembled for thirty-three years, became peaceful.
The Emperor was unsure as to where to bury the body of the Saint. Therefore, it was taken to the Church of Saint Irene and placed in front of the altar, however, nothing happened. It was then placed on a royal coach and taken to the Church of the Holy Apostles. When the body was placed in front of this altar, a voice was heard to say, "Peace be with you." The body was buried in this Church, where it remains today.