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Zeno the Hermit | |
|---|---|
| Monk, Hermit, and Ascetic | |
| Died | 416 [1] Antioch |
| Honored in | Eastern Orthodox Church Eastern Catholic Church |
| Feast | January 30 |
Saint Zeno the Hermit was a disciple of St. Basil the Great and hermit. He is venerated as a saint by the Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Church and his feast day is the 30 January. [2]
Zeno was born to a Christian family of privilege and status in the region of Pontus around the year 339. [3] From an early age he devoted himself to the study of letters and sciences and quickly distinguished himself and became known to all, for the multitude of his virtues, his perfect education, his morals, his physique and his distinguished parents.
When Emperor Valens ascended the throne in 364 AD, he summoned the now famous Zeno to his palace and offered him a great position. Zeno accepted and spent his early adulthood in the emperor's service. When however there was a vacancy for the position of Royal Postman, Zeno offered his services. The position which Zeno occupied was one of significant respect and prestige for to be such a courier was to bear the implicit trust of the Emperor. Messages needed to arrive swiftly, secretly and safely to where they were sent and in antiquity, this was far from a guarantee. The persons selected to be messengers on the public post had to be both physically fit and morally incorruptible, worthy of the personal confidence of the Emperor. Working amongst the soldiers who were sent out to deliver the imperial edicts enabled him to be close to the Church Fathers, the ascetics and the common people who lived simply and virtuously in the provinces. During his time in cursus publicus, Zeno stayed in monasteries and hermitages, praising and glorifying God. The name of the emperor's simple and humble postman had become known in many towns and villages, especially to the poor and suffering. A royal mission to Bishop Basil of Caesarea determined the later course of Zeno's life, as he was enchanted by Basil's eloquence, preaching and his humble, ascetic life. [3]
Upon the death of the emperor in 378 AD, Zeno abandoned his post and sought the ascetic life of a hermit. Near Antioch he took up residence in a cave where he dwelt far from society for some forty years. He became well known for his humility and holiness. Zeno's mattress was a stack of grass on stones and he dressed in rags. His food was bread, which a friend of his used to bring him every two days, and he brought the water himself from far away. When the Isaurians invaded that place and killed many ascetics, Zeno blinded them with his prayer, and they missed the door of his cell.
Saint Zeno died in 416 AD at the age of 78, leaving a reputation as a holy hermit throughout the Byzantine Empire.
Zeno the Hermit of Antioch is commemorated on the 30th of January in the Orthodox and Byzantine Catholic Churches. [2] In Greece he was declared the protector of postal workers by the Greek Post Office in 1968. He is commemorated with a holiday for all postal workers on the 10th of February. [3]
Gregory of Nazianzus, also known as Gregory the Theologian or Gregory Nazianzen, was a 4th-century Archbishop of Constantinople and theologian. He is widely considered the most accomplished rhetorical stylist of the patristic age. As a classically trained orator and philosopher, he infused Hellenism into the early church, establishing the paradigm of Byzantine theologians and church officials.
Pachomius, also known as Saint Pachomius the Great, is generally recognized as the founder of Christian cenobitic monasticism. Coptic churches celebrate his feast day on 9 May, and Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches mark his feast on 15 May or 28 May. In the Lutheran Church, he is remembered as a renewer of the church, along with his contemporary, Anthony of Egypt on 17 January.
Basil of Caesarea, also called Saint Basil the Great, was a bishop of Caesarea Mazaca in Cappadocia, Asia Minor. He was an influential theologian who supported the Nicene Creed and opposed the heresies of the early Christian church, fighting against both Arianism and the followers of Apollinaris of Laodicea. His ability to balance his theological convictions with his political connections made Basil a powerful advocate for the Nicene position.
Severus the Great of Antioch, also known as Severus of Gaza or the Crown of Syrians, was the Patriarch of Antioch, and head of the Syriac Orthodox Church, from 512 until his death in 538. He is venerated as a saint in the Oriental Orthodox Church, and his feast day is 8 February.
May 20 - Eastern Orthodox Church calendar - May 22
July 18 - Eastern Orthodox Church calendar - July 20
Saint Nicetas of Medikion or Nicetas the Confessor, who is commemorated on 3 April, was a monk who opposed Byzantine Iconoclasm.
January 29 - Eastern Orthodox liturgical calendar - January 31
February 9 - Eastern Orthodox liturgical calendar - February 11
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Saint Simeon Stylites the Younger, also known as Simeon of the Admirable Mountain, is a saint in the Catholic Church and Eastern Orthodox Church.
Daniel the Stylite is a saint and stylite of the Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic and Eastern Catholic Churches. He is commemorated on 11 December according to the liturgical calendars of these churches.
Theodore Stratelates, also known as Theodore of Heraclea, was a martyr and Warrior Saint in the Eastern Orthodox, Catholic and Oriental Orthodox Churches.
Procopius of Scythopolis was a 4th century martyr who is venerated as a saint. He was a reader and exorcist in the church at Scythopolis; he also was famous as an ascetic and erudite theologian. Eusebius of Caesarea wrote of his martyrdom, which occurred during the persecution of Roman Emperor Diocletian, and stated that "he was born at Jerusalem, but had gone to live in Scythopolis, where he held three ecclesiastical offices. He was reader and interpreter in the Syriac language, and cured those possessed of evil spirits." Eusebius wrote that Procopius was sent with his companions from Scythopolis to Caesarea Maritima, where he was decapitated.
Venerable Luke the Stylite lived in Constantinople in the 10th century.
Saint Peter the Hermit of Galatia near Antioch, in Byzantine Syria, lived in the early fifth century AD.
Joannicius the Great was a Byzantine Christian saint, sage, theologian and prophet. Well known for his devoted asceticism and defense of icon veneration, Joannicius spent the majority of his life as a hermit on Mysian Olympus, near what is today Bursa, Turkey. Joannicius lived during the reign of Emperor Theophilos, a noted iconoclast, which contrasted with Joannicius's embrace of icon veneration. Icon veneration was later restored to the Byzantine Empire under the reign of Empress Theodora, a move that some devotees ascribe to Joannicius's influence and prophecies. Joannicius served in the Byzantine army in his early years before devoting his life to ascetic study and monastic contemplation. He is venerated with a feast day on November 4 in the Eastern Orthodox Church and Roman Catholic Church.
November 17 - Eastern Orthodox liturgical calendar - November 19
December 19 - Eastern Orthodox liturgical calendar - December 21
Paul of Xeropotamou was a Byzantine ascetic, lived between the 9th and the 10th century on Mount Athos, where he also restored and founded monasteries. He is commemorated in the Orthodox Church and his feast day is on 28 July.
