John the Prophet

Saint John the Prophet
Monk and Abbot
Died	c. 543
Venerated in	Roman Catholic Church; Eastern Orthodox Church
Feast	6 February
Influences	Barsanuphius
Influenced	Seridus of Gaza, Dorotheus of Gaza

John the Prophet, known also as Venerable John, was the hermit of the monastery of Seridus and teacher of Dorotheus of Gaza.

Life

Not much is known about John's early life, though it is known he was not ordained. Jennifer Hevelone-Harper identifies him as John of Beersheba, a monk with whom Barsanuphius of Gaza corresponded, though this remains contested.

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.

He practiced a life of silence and according to the Christian view earned the gifts of prophecy and perspicacity, for which he received the death, he was close to Barsanuphius of Palestine, with whom he exchanged letters. 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 how to run the cloister. The feast day of John the prophet is marked by Eastern Orthodox Church on February, 6 (Old style).

Sources

• Hevelone-Harper, Jennifer L. (19 November 2019). "The Letter Collection of Barsanuphius and John". In Sogno, Cristiana; Storin, Bradley K.; Watts, Edward J. (eds.). Late Antique Letter Collections: A Critical Introduction and Reference Guide. Univ of California Press. p. 424. ISBN 978-0-520-30841-1. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
• Torrance, Alexis (2013). Repentance in Late Antiquity: Eastern Asceticism and the Framing of the Christian Life C.400-650 CE. OUP Oxford. pp. 118–157. ISBN 978-0-19-966536-5. Retrieved 2 April 2024.