THE THREE HIERARCHS

by Achilles G. Adamantiades

Introduction

On January 30, the Orthodox Church celebrates collectively the memory of three great fathers of the early Church: Basil the Great (330‑379 A.D.), Gregory the Nanianzene, also known as the Theologian (329‑388 A.D.), and John Chrysostom (347‑407 A.D.). Each of the three saints is also celebrated separately: Basil, on January 1st, Gregory, on January 25th, and John, on November 13^th (and also on January 27^th for the transfer of his holy relics). Why then did the Church deem it necessary to also dedicate one day to their joint celebration? A clue is given by the fact that in many Orthodox communities, the day is also known as the day of Greek Letters, which we are also celebrating today.

What are the common characteristics of the Three Hierarchs that place them in a category all of their own? And what are the specific messages that derive from their rich, adventurous, and productive lives that could be relevant to the Orthodox Christians of today? I will attempt to identify these common characteristics based on my study of these three saints and my experience in the Church, which is the ultimate criterion for truth and the right way (orthi doxa and orthi praxis). I will offer four such commonalities: (i) outstanding intellect and a profound steeping in the classical Greek culture; (ii) devotion to the Orthodox faith and committed defense against its heretical enemies; (iii) dedication to philanthropic and social work; and (iv) unsurpassed strength and integrity of character.

The Four Common Characteristics of the Three Hierarchs

The first and best‑known reason is that the three Hierarchs had received an extensive education in the dominant culture of their time; the Hellenic culture, with its precise language and all its brilliant literary and philosophical works. They excelled in it and distinguished themselves as men of high education, profound scholarship, and literary accomplishment. Nevertheless, they decided that it was more important for them to dedicate their talents to the new message, that of Jesus of Nazareth and his Apostles. In doing so, they used their philosophical and rhetorical skills in the service of the Church, assisting her to formulate its teachings and dogmas with such clarity and precision that would have been impossible without their classical training. In this way, they produced a historic synthesis, one of the great intellectual accomplishments of history: the merging of Hellenic culture on one hand, a culture whose time had come and gone, in a historical sense, and the Gospel of Jesus on the other, that brought to the world a new and powerful message whose time had arrived. Without rejecting the value of the former, they turned their attention to the powerful message of the latter. To appreciate the magnitude of their spiritual accomplishment, one has to be mentally positioned in the intellectual milieu of the third and fourth centuries A.D., with its virulent hostility of the emerging Christian world toward everything that smacked of paganism and idolatrous religion; this animosity manifested itself in the vengeful demolition of Greek temples, destruction of Greek statues, and a profound disdain for all that was not Christian.

Several enlightened Churchmen and theologians worked to bridge this gap and to reconcile and blend the two cultures. Thus the three Hierarchs belong to a group of saints that are known in world literature and religion as the Greek Fathers. This raises an interesting question that often arises even in today's discussions: who is a Greek? The Greek Fathers were not born in what is today defined as "Hellas"; nor do we know their genetic heredity. The ancients Greeks had faced and resolved this question: "Ἕλληνας καλεῖσθαι τοὺς τῆς παιδεύσεως τῆς ἡμετέρας ἢ τοὺς τῆς κοινῆς φύσεως μετέχοντας" (Isocrates, Panegyric 50.1), which is translated into: "Greeks should be called those who partake of Greek education rather than those of our common Greek stock". Greekness is, therefore, determined neither by geography nor by genetics but by cultural identity. It is in this sense that the early Christian Church has been indelibly marked by Hellenic features as much as it is characterized by its Jewish origins. For example, the two liturgies that are used most often in church services, the shorter one of John Chrysostom and the longer one by Saint Basil, the Great, are grand syntheses of the practices of the Jewish temple and of the style of Greek drama. In this way, shedding its pagan faith of the past, Greek language and culture became versatile vehicles of expression of the New Faith.

The second common feature of the Three Hierarchs is their devoted service to the Church. Their great intellect and oratorical talents were given to the precise definition of the Church's dogmas and the defense of the faith against the heresies of their time. By combining their mental power and dialectical tools, acquired through many years of practice, and their personal example, they emerged victorious against such strong (and often gifted) heretics as Arius, Sabellius, Apollinaris and Eunomius. The Trinitarian and Christological dogmas occupied the debates of the time and threatened the unity of the young Church. The three Hierarchs, with their great wisdom and profound theological thought that derived from their secure anchoring in the collective experience of the Church, were able to help define the dogma of the Triadic God: three distinct Persons who, however, share, in perfection, action, intent, and purpose. God is therefore, a Trinity of Persons, while this Trinity is a Monad of life because the life of God is not a passive event of maintaining existence but a dynamic actualization of an unbroken union of love; a most fundamental and meaningful formulation of a basic article of the Orthodox Faith.

The works of the three Hierarchs fill many volumes and are now part of world literature. In the unbroken historic road of Orthodoxy, they were to be followed by a string of equally profound and fundamental works of other fathers of the Church like John Climacus, Maximos the Confessor, John Damascus, Symeon the New Theologian, Gregory Palamas and many other (perhaps lesser) figures. Their theological thought guided the faithful and protected the faith not only during the early Church but also throughout the centuries even down to our own times.

The third common characteristic of the three fathers is their strong commitment to philanthropic and social work, even as they were personally inclined toward a life of solitude and contemplation. While they were writing great works of theology, they saw it as their duty to undertake social initiatives and occupied themselves with works of charity, thus exemplifying that "faith without works is dead" (πίστις άνευ έργων νεκρά εστίν-James 2, 20). Basil is known for establishing the famous Basiliad, a city‑like compound constituting the first organized hospital in history, dedicated especially to the care of the invalid, the orphans and the poor. Gregory, a recluse and a poet by nature, immersed himself as a bishop in all manner of works for the young, the elderly, the widows, and the needy of his diocese. And John Chrysostom has remained in history as the most fiery and brilliant advocate of the cause of social justice. His sermons sharply berated the extravagance of the wealthy while a large part of society and of the Christian community suffered in abject poverty. According to Chrysostom, property should be considered as a “trust by God to man”; therefore, charity to the poor is one of the Christian's primary obligations. When elected Patriarch of Constantinople, in 398 A.D., he stripped his household to give to the poor and urged the clergy to do the same. Thus, the three saints used their monastic retreats not as self‑fulfilling or escapist exercises but as a source of spiritual strength that translated into practical, concrete works of compassion, love, and care for the people of God.

Finally, the three Hierarchs proved themselves as men of great personal integrity, sincere virtue, and strength of character. Coming from well‑to‑do backgrounds and poised to have brilliant careers in law or literature, they gave up everything for a life of utter simplicity, discipline, and frugality. Being endowed with great and rare gifts, they never sought high office. Rather, they were drafted, literally forced to take up the office of bishop or archbishop on popular demand. Instead of basking in the limelight, they preferred the life of the monastery. Being maligned and unjustly accused, they blessed with Christian magnanimity their detractors. They never schemed against their rivals nor did they enter backstage maneuvering and plotting, a common practice in their time (as well as in ours). Above all, they did not hesitate to criticize the malfeasance of persons in high position, oblivious to the consequences. Confronted with mighty rulers (for example, Basil, with Emperor Valens and John Chrysostom, with Empress Eudoxia) they spoke with candor and without fear as true spiritual leaders, defending Christian orthodoxy and ethics. In the face of threats of severe punishment, they remained serene, steadfast in their faith, and forgiving. They preferred loss of office, destitution, and even exile, rather than compromise of the trust of the Church. They remain unique profiles in courage and unparalleled examples of unimpeachable character.

Conclusion

Such were the three Hierarchs: men of intellect but also of action. Monastics who loved the quiet contemplative life, yet involved themselves in the social concerns and practical needs of their people; minds of theory but also hearts of good practice, mouths of lofty eloquence and souls of quiet counsel; dealing with the mighty as well as with the humblest of persons in the same saintly manner. They left to the Church a lasting legacy of great works of theological erudition as well as examples of good works. They mastered the depths of classical scholarship, yet devoted their lives to the defense of the faith. They reached the highest ecclesiastical offices and remained humble and self-effacing.

For these reasons the three great Fathers of the Church stand alone in the entire history of the Christian Church. Being saints of the Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church in its undivided form, they are revered by Orthodox as well as other denominations alike. They can be called three mighty pillars of our civilization. They accomplished a historic and ingenious blending of the ancient Hellenic culture with the Christian Gospel that ensured both the survival of the first and the successful spreading of the second.

The Three Hierarchs, whose memory we celebrate today, are bright beacons of light, inspiring all Christians of today with their lofty example. In a world beset by shallowness, selfishness, greed, ignorance, and strife, they are offering themselves as unique examples, illuminating the way toward a life given to scholarship, devotion to faith, love of fellow man, and strength of character.

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This talk was given at the Greek Letters Celebration sponsored by the Pprometheas Society of Greater Washington, and given at the Founders Hall of the St. George of Bethesda Greek Orthodox Church on January 28, 2005.