Synaxis of the Ecumenical Teachers and Hierarchs
Categories: hymns, feast-days, church-history
Date: 29 January 2008 10:03:00
On January 30, the Orthodox Church commemorates the Synaxis of the Ecumenical Teachers and Hierarchs: Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, and John Chrysostom. The Troparion and Kontakion for the day show the importance of these three great luminaries of the 4th Century Church:
Troparion - Tone 1:
Let us who love their words gather together
and honour with hymns the three great torch-bearers of the triune Godhead:
Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian and John Chrysostom.
These men have enlightened the world with the rays of their divine doctrines.
They are sweetly-flowing rivers of wisdom
filling all creation with springs of heavenly knowledge.
Ceaselessly they intercede for us before the Holy Trinity!
Kontakion - Tone 2:
O Lord, You have taken up to eternal rest
and to the enjoyment of Your blessings
the divinely-inspired heralds, the greatest of Your teachers,
for You have accepted their labours and deaths as a sweet-smelling sacrifice,
for You alone are glorified in Your saints!
An explanation of the Feast from the Orthodox Church in America:
During the eleventh century, disputes raged in Constantinople about which of the three hierarchs was the greatest. Some preferred St Basil (January 1), others honored St Gregory the Theologian (January 25), while a third group exalted St John Chrysostom (November 13).Dissension among Christians increased. Some called themselves Basilians, others referred to themselves as Gregorians, and others as Johnites.
By the will of God, the three hierarchs appeared to St John the Bishop of Euchaita (June 14) in the year 1084, and said that they were equal before God. "There are no divisions among us, and no opposition to one another."
They ordered that the disputes should stop, and that their common commemoration should be celebrated on a single day. Bishop John chose January 30 for their joint Feast, thus ending the controversy and restoring peace.
We celebrated the Feast this evening [January 29], with Matins and Divine Liturgy. I confess I only remained for Matins: the heat and humidity has been getting to me, and given that I came home after Matins as I felt I was about to drop. Matins is one of my favourite services: a great number of hymns and readings especially for the day.
A blessed Feast to all!