St. John the Almsgiver

St. John the Almsgiver
St. John the Almsgiver
    St. John the Almsgiver
     Catholic_Encyclopedia St. John the Almsgiver
    (JOANNES ELEEMOSYNARIUS; JOANNES MISERICORS).
    Patriarch of Alexandria (606-16), b. at Amathus in Cyprus about 550; d. there, 616. He was the son of one Epiphanius, governor of Cyprus, and was of noble descent; in early life he was married and had children, but they and his wife soon died, whereupon he entered the religious life.
    On the death of the Patriarch Theodorus, the Alexandrians besought Emperor Phocas to appoint John his successor, which was accordingly done. In his youth John had had a vision of a beautiful maiden with a garland of olives on her head, who said that she was Compassion, the eldest daughter of the Great King. This had evidently made a deep impression on John's mind, and, now that he had the opportunity of exercising benevolence on a large scale, he soon became widely known all over the East for his munificent liberality towards the poor. One of the first steps he took was to make a list of several thousand needy persons, whom he took under his especial care. He always referred to the poor as his "lords and masters", because of their mighty influence at the Court of the Most High. He assisted people of every class who were in need. A shipwrecked merchant was thus helped three times, on the first two occasions apparently without doing him much good; the third time however, John fitted him out with a ship and a cargo of wheat, and by favourable winds he was taken as far as Britain, where, as there was a shortage of wheat, he obtained his own price. Another person, who was not really in need, applied for alms and was detected by the officers of the palace; but John merely said "Give unto him; he may be Our Lord in disguise." He visited the hospitals three times every week, and he freed a great many slaves. He was a reformer who attacked simony, and fought heresy by means of improvements in religious education. He also reorganized the system of weights and measures for the sake of the poor, and put a stop to corruption among the officials. He increased the number of churches in Alexandria from seven to seventy.
    John is said to have devoted the entire revenues of his see to the alleviation of those in need. A rich man presented him with a magnificent bed covering; he accepted it for one night, but then sold it, and disposed of the money in alms. The rich man "bought in" the article, and again presented it to John, with the same result. This was repeated several times; but John drily remarked: "We will see who tires first." It was not John. Another instance of his piety was that he caused his own grave to be dug, but only partly so, and appointed a servant to come before him on all state occasions and say "My Lord, your tomb is unfinished; pray give orders for its completion, for you know not the hour when death may seize you." When the Persians sacked Jerusalem in 614, John sent large supplies of food, wine, and money to the fleeing Christians. But eventually the Persians occupied Alexandria, and John himself in his old age was forced to flee to his native country, where he died.
    His body was brought to Constantinople, thence to Ofen by King Matthias Corvinus of Hungary; thence in 1530 to Toll near Presburg, and finally in 1632 to Presburg cathedral. He was the original patron saint of the Hospitallers, and was commemorated by the Greeks on 12 Nov. His life, written by Leontius of Neapolis, in Cyprus, was translated into Latin by Anastasius the Librarian in the ninth century and was referred to at the Seventh General Council.
    SCHR=99DL in Kirchenlex., s.v. Johannes, der Almosengeber; BUTLER, Lives of the Saints; Acta SS., II Jan., 495 sqq.; DAVIDSON in Dict. Christ. Biog., s.v. Joannes (15); MIGNE, P.G., XCIII, CXVII; LEQUIEN, Oriens Christ., II, 445; PALAFOX Y MENDOZA, Vida de S. Juan (Madrid, 1762).
    C.F. WEMYSS BROWN
    Transcribed by Robert B. Olson Offered to Almighty God for John R. Olson

The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume VIII. — New York: Robert Appleton Company. . 1910.


Catholic encyclopedia.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • John the Almsgiver, Saint — • Also called John Eleemosynarius. Patriarch of Alexandria, d. 616 Catholic Encyclopedia. Kevin Knight. 2006 …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • John The Almsgiver —    Patriarch of Alexandria (qq.v.) from 610 619; saint. He was a native of Cyprus (q.v.) and a simple layman before he was elevated to the rank of patriarch. He was renowned for his support of Orthodoxy (q.v.) against Monophysitism (q.v.), as… …   Historical dictionary of Byzantium

  • John the Merciful — Saint John the Merciful (also known as John the Almsgiver, John the Almoner, John V of Alexandria, John Eleymon, and Johannes Eleemon)(Casarano s patron, in Italy) was the Patriarch of Alexandria in the early 7th century (from 606 to 616). He was …   Wikipedia

  • Saint John — or St. John may refer to:Peopleaintscriptural saints* John the Baptist, who baptised Jesus at the start of Jesus ministry * John the Apostle, one of the twelve apostles of Jesus * John the Evangelist, author of the Gospel of John; in some… …   Wikipedia

  • Chronological list of saints in the 7th century — A list of 7th century saints: Name Birth Birthplace Death Place of death Notes Aetherius     602   Bishop of Lyon Comgall 516   603   Fintan of Cloneenagh   …   Wikipedia

  • Moschos, John —    Monk, saint, and author of The Spiritual Meadow, a popular account of encounters with monks in Palestine, Syria, and Egypt (qq.v.) during the late sixth century. Among those John and his spiritual son Sophronios (q.v.) met were John Klimachos… …   Historical dictionary of Byzantium

  • Leontios of Neapolis —    See John The Almsgiver …   Historical dictionary of Byzantium

  • ИОАНН V (III) МИЛОСТИВЫЙ — [греч. ᾿Ιωάννης ὁ ᾿Ελεήμων] († 11.11.620 (или 619)), свт. (пам. 12 нояб.; пам. визант. 11 и 12 нояб.; пам. зап. 11 нояб. и 23 янв. (день перенесения мощей в Пожони)), патриарх Александрийский с 610 г. Источники сведений о жизни И. М. весьма… …   Православная энциклопедия

  • San Giovanni Elemosinario — St. John the Almsgiver, by Titian. San Giovanni Elemosinario is a church of Venice, northern Italy, dedicated to Saint John the Almsgiver. This church was founded in 1071, and was completely destroyed by the disastrous Rialto fire in 1514. The… …   Wikipedia

  • Hospitals — • Originally, hospital meant a place where strangers or visitors were received; in the course of time, its use was restricted to institutions for the care of the sick Catholic Encyclopedia. Kevin Knight. 2006. Hospitals     Hospitals …   Catholic encyclopedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”