ON ST. JOHN THE ANCHORITE, CONFESSOR,
BY THE DEAD SEA IN PALESTINE.
From the Greek Fasti and the Roman Martyrology.
Toward the end of the sixth century.
CommentaryJohn, Anchorite and Confessor, by the Dead Sea in Palestine (S.)
J. P.
At the first day of this month, in the preliminary Commentary of the Life of St. Symeon the Fool, we gave certain things about St. John, his companion in the anchoretic life, and deferred certain things to this day, sacred to his cult. Both are noted in the Typicum wont to be cited under the name of St. Sabas in these words: Sacred cult among the Greeks, Of our holy fathers Symeon the fool for Christ and John his fellow-ascetic. The Calendar of the Greeks edited by Genebrardus has thus: Symeon the hermit and John his colleague. But the Syriac or Chaldaic Calendar printed at Rome in the year 1624 thus: Of St. John and Symeon, who was called the abject for Christ. Add the manuscript Menaea of the Ambrosian library, the Arabic-Egyptian Martyrology, rendered into Latin by Gratia Simonius the Maronite, the Menaion of Chifflet, the Slavo-Russian Menologium, the Horologium printed in the year 1607, the new Greek Anthologium likewise published in print, the Calendar of the Ruthenians printed in Possevinus volume 2 of the Sacred Apparatus (where Symeon is not added), the great printed Menaea, following Maximus bishop of Cythera, the Menologium rendered into Latin by Sirletus, and the Basilian Synaxarium: concerning the eulogies the fifth paragraph of the Commentary just cited may be consulted.
[2] From the Greeks St. John passed to the Latins: Molanus reports him thus in his second edition, which is of the year 1573: [and to the Latins; of his Life at the 1st of this month, and other things pertaining to him.] Of SS. the fathers Simeon, who for Christ was called Salus, and John his fellow-ascetic. Both Ferrarius noted in his Catalogue of the Saints who are not in the Roman Martyrology. The cause I know not, I marvel the more; since in the Roman both are noted: Symeon indeed on the first of this month, but John on this 21st: In Syria, of St. John the monk, colleague of St. Symeon. To the Life of this last, the deeds of the other are intermixed, in volume 1 of July, from page 136. Of the age of St. John you will judge from what was said of the age of St. Symeon in §2 of the preliminary Commentary; and from the chronological notes interspersed in the Life; whence it is gathered that they lived about the beginning of the sixth century or a little later, and about its end both died at nearly the same time. But of the writer of the Life and his praises it is treated in §3. For the rest, they are worshiped with a solemn Office among the Greeks, as is clear from the praised great Menaea, which recite a sacred canon or canticle composed with acrostic letters in honor of both. It would be superfluous to transcribe it here. Let some specimen toward the end of the same canon suffice: Bearing one soul, fathers, in two bodies, you had one aim in diverse manners, O Symeon, John: therefore we praise you. The Synaxarium of the Ruthenians, described at greater length at the 23rd of this month, on the occasion of SS. Trophimus and Theophilus, has this peculiarity, that after Simeon Salus it mentions John the Faster: of whom in the Praetermissi of today. Furthermore our John we have ascribed in the title above to the Dead Sea in Palestine, because there he led the ascetic life; yet the Saint can also be attributed to Syria, with the Roman Martyrology, because he was a native of Syria, as is held from the said Life chapter 1, number 1. But how Edessa, which was his birthplace, is attributed now to Syria now to Mesopotamia, you will read in the notes on the Life of St. Alexius at the 17th of this month, page 254, letter i.