John the Prophet
{{Short description|6th century Greek monk and saint}}
{{Infobox saint
|name=John the Prophet
|honorific-prefix = Saint
|birth_date=
|death_date=c. 543
|feast_day=6 February
|venerated_in=Roman Catholic Church
Eastern Orthodox Church
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|titles=Monk and Abbot
|beatified_date=
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|beatified_by= Pre-Congregation
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|influences = Barsanuphius
|influenced = Seridus of Gaza, Dorotheus of Gaza
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John the Prophet, known also as Venerable John, was an eastern christian hermit of the monastery of Seridus and teacher of Dorotheus of Gaza.Barnasuphius and John Letters, translated by John Chryssavgis Catholic University of America Press (2002) He is venerated as a saint in the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches.
Life
Not much is known about John's early life, though it is known he was not ordained.{{sfn|Torrance |2013|p=122}} Jennifer Hevelone-Harper identifies him as John of Beersheba, a monk with whom Barsanuphius of Gaza corresponded, though this remains contested.{{sfn|Hevelone-Harper|2019|p=424}}
What is known is that at some time between 525 and 527 he came to the monastery of Seridus upon invitation of Barsanuphius who gave up his cell to make space for John.{{sfn|Torrance |2013|p=122}}
He practiced a life of silence and according to the Christian view, earned the gifts of prophecy and perspicacity, for which he earned the designation of prophet.{{cite web|url=http://www.orthodoxphotos.com/readings/instructions/barsanuphius.shtml|publisher=Orthodox Photos|title=Elders Barsanuphius and John|accessdate=March 20, 2025}} While abbot Seridus served as scribe and letter carrier for Barsanuphius, Dorotheus of Gaza, later a famous writer, served for eight years as letter carrier for John.{{sfn|Hevelone-Harper|2019|p=420}} According to Church tradition, he knew the date of his demise and in response to Abba Elianus' request, he postponed his death for two weeks in order to instruct him on how to run the cloister.{{cite web|url=http://www.orthodoxphotos.com/readings/instructions/barsanuphius.shtml|publisher=Orthodox Photos|title=Elders Barsanuphius and John|accessdate=April 9, 2011}} The feast day of John the prophet is marked by Eastern Orthodox Church on February, 6 (Old style).
References
{{Reflist}}
Sources
- {{cite book |last1=Hevelone-Harper |first1=Jennifer L. |editor1-last=Sogno |editor1-first=Cristiana |editor2-last=Storin |editor2-first=Bradley K. |editor3-last=Watts |editor3-first=Edward J. |title=Late Antique Letter Collections: A Critical Introduction and Reference Guide |date=19 November 2019 |publisher=Univ of California Press |isbn=978-0-520-30841-1 |pages=424 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sHSvDwAAQBAJ |access-date=3 April 2024 |language=en |chapter=The Letter Collection of Barsanuphius and John}}
- {{cite book |last1=Torrance |first1=Alexis |title=Repentance in Late Antiquity: Eastern Asceticism and the Framing of the Christian Life C.400-650 CE |date=2013 |publisher=OUP Oxford |isbn=978-0-19-966536-5 |pages=118–157 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LKoGyqLzX9MC |access-date=2 April 2024 |language=en}}
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Category:Year of birth unknown
Category:6th-century Byzantine writers
Category:Ancient letter writers
Category:6th-century Christian saints
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