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Feast of the Three Holy Fathers, Great Hierarchs
and Ecumenical Teachers, Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian,
and John Chrysostom
January 30
Introduction
During the reign of the Emperor Alexius Comnenus (1081-1118), a
controversy arose in Constantinople among men learned in Faith and
zealous for virtue about the three holy Hierarchs and Fathers of
the Church, Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian and John Chrysostom.
Some argued for Saint Basil above the other two because he was able,
as none other, to explain the mysteries of the Faith, and rose to
angelic rank by his virtues. Organizer of monastic life, leader
of the entire Church in the struggle with heresy, austere and demanding
shepherd as to Christian morals, in him there was nothing base or
of the earth. Hence, said they, he was superior to Saint Chrysostom
who was by nature more easily inclined to absolve sinners.
The partisans of Saint Chrysostom retorted that the illustrious
Archbishop of Constantinople had been no less zealous than Saint
Basil in combating vices, in bringing sinners to repentance and
in raising up the whole people to the perfection of the Gospel.
The golden-mouthed shepherd of matchless eloquence has watered the
Church with a stream of homilies in which he interprets the divine
word and shows its application in daily life with more accomplished
mastery than the two other holy Doctors.
According to a third group, Saint Gregory the Theologian was to
be preferred to the others by reason of the majesty, purity and
profundity of his language. Possessing a sovereign mastery of all
the wisdom and eloquence of ancient Greece, he had attained, they
said to such a pitch in the contemplation of God that no one had
been able to express the dogma of the Holy Trinity as perfectly
as he.
With each faction setting up one of the Fathers against the other
two in this way, the whole Christian people were soon caught up
in the dispute, which far from promoting devotion to the Saints
in the City, resulted in nothing but ill-feeling and endless argument.
Then one night the three holy Hierarchs appeared in a dream to Saint
John Mauropus, the Metropolitan of Euchaïta (5 Oct.), separately
at first, then together and, speaking with a single voice, they
said: “As you see, the three of us are with God and no discord
or rivalry divides us. Each of us, according to the circumstances
and according to the inspiration that he received from the Holy
Spirit, wrote and taught what befits the salvation of mankind. There
is not among us a first, a second or a third, and if you invoke
one of us the other two are immediately present with him. Therefore,
tell those who are quarrelling not to create divisions in the Church
because of us, for when we were on earth we spared no effort to
re-establish unity and concord in the world. You can conjoin our
three commemorations in one feast and compose a service for it,
inserting the hymns dedicated to each of us according to the skill
and knowledge that God has given you. Then transmit it to the Christians
with the command to celebrate it each year. If they honor us thus
as being with and in God, we give them our word that we will intercede
for their salvation in our common prayer.” At these words,
the Saints were taken up into heaven in a boundless light while
conversing with one another by name.
Saint John immediately assembled the people and informed them of
this revelation. As he was respected by all for his virtue and admired
for his powerful eloquence, the three parties made peace and every
one urged him to lose no time in composing the service of the joint
feast. With fine discernment, he selected 30 January as appropriate
to the celebration, for it would set the seal to the month in which
each of the three Hierarchs already had a separate commemoration
(Saint Basil – January 1; Saint Gregory – January 25;
Saint John (translation of relics) – January 27).
The three Hierarchs—an earthly trinity as they are called
in some of the wonderful troparia of their service—have taught
us in their writings and equally by their lives, to worship and
to glorify the Holy Trinity, the One God in three Persons. These
three luminaries of the Church have shed the light of the true Faith
all over the world, scorning dangers and persecutions, and they
have left us, their descendants, this sacred inheritance by which
we too can attain to utmost blessedness and everlasting life in
the presence of God and of all the Saints.
With the feast of the three Hierarchs at the end of January—the
month in which we keep the memory of so many glorious bishops, confessors
and ascetics—the Church in a way recapitulates the memory
of all the Saints who have witnessed to the Orthodox faith by their
writings and by their lives. In this feast we honor the whole ministry
of teaching of the holy Church, namely, the illumination of the
hearts and minds of the faithful through the commemoration of all
the Fathers of the Church, those models of evangelic perfection
which the Holy Spirit has raised up from age to age and from place
to place to be new Prophets and new Apostles, guides of souls heavenward,
comforters of the people and fiery pillars of prayer, supporting
the Church and confirming her in the truth.
Adapted from The Synaxarion: The Lives of
the Saints of the Orthodox Church, Vol. 3, compiled by Hieromonk
Makarios of Simonos Petra and translated from the French by Christopher
Hookway (Chalkidike, Greece: Holy Convent of the Annunciation of
Our Lady, 2001) pp. 352-354.
Icon of the Feast
The Three Hierarchs are depicted in the icon of the feast full-bodied
and in a frontal pose. They are dressed in their hierarchical vestments,
indicating their position as bishops of the Church. Saint John Chrysostom
stands between Saint Basil (to his right) and Saint Gregory (to
his left).
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1. From
left to right: Saint Basil the Great, Saint John Chrysostom,
Saint Gregory the Theologian (detail). |
Each Hierarch holds a closed gospel book, signifying their roles
as great teachers and preachers of the Church. Saint John and Saint
Basil are giving the traditional blessing with their right hand,
and Saint Gregory has his hand respectfully resting over the gospel
book. Saint Gregory and Saint Basil hold the gospel with their left
hands covered by the phelonion and omophorion as a sign of special
respect.
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| 2. Each Hierarch holds a
gospel book signifying that they are great teachers and preachers
of the church. Saints Basil and John offer blessings with their
right hands (detail). |
3. Saint Gregory holds the
gospel book with both hands with his left covered respectfully
with the phelonion and omophorion (detail). |
Orthodox Christian Celebration of the Feast of the Three Hierarchs
The Feast and commemoration of the Three Hierarchs is celebrated
with the Divine Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom which is conducted
on the morning of the feast and preceded by a Matins (Orthros) service.
A Great Vespers is conducted on the evening before the day of the
Feast.
Scripture readings for the Feast of are the following: At Vespers:
Deuteronomy
1:8-17; Deuteronomy
10:14-21; and the Wisdom of Solomon 3:1-9. At the Matins: John
10:9-16. At the Divine Liturgy: Hebrews
13:7-16, Matthew
5:14-19.
In many Greek Orthodox parishes the Feast of the Three Hierarchs
is combined with a celebration of Greek Letters. This usually includes
special events which are dedicated to the preservation and promulgation
of the ideals of Orthodox Christianity and Hellenic education. The
Three Hierarchs were great men of letters who were not only defenders
of Orthodox Christianity, but supporters of Greek learning. The
relationship of these Fathers of the Church to education and learning
is addressed in an article on our web site by Rev.
Dr. Demetrios J. Constantelos entitled “Hellenic Paideia and
Church Fathers – Educational Principles and Cultural Heritage.”
Hymns of the Feast
Apolytikion: First Tone
The three most great luminaries of the Three-Sun Divinity
have illumined all of the world with the rays of doctrines divine
and true; they are the sweetly-flowing rivers of wisdom, who with
godly knowledge have watered all creation in clear and mighty streams:
The great and sacred Basil, and the Theologian, wise Gregory, together
with the renowned John, the famed Chrysostom of golden speech. Let
us all who love their divinely-wise words come together, honoring
them with hymns; for ceaselessly they offer entreaty for us to the
Trinity.
Kontakion: Second Tone
Receive, O Lord, the Sacred Heralds who preached God, the
pinnacle of Teachers, unto the enjoyment of Your riches and rest.
You have received their labors and their suffering as being above
and beyond all fruitful offering. For You alone glorify Your Saints.
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