The Feast of the Three Hierarchs
February 2014
During the eleventh century, disputes raged in Constantinople about which of the three hierarchs was the greatest. Some preferred Saint Basil the Great (January 1). Others honored Saint Gregory the Theologian (January 25). A third group exalted Saint John Chrysostom (November 13).
Dissension among Christians increased. Some called themselves Basilians, others referred to themselves as Gregorians, and others as Johnites.
By the will of God, the three hierarchs appeared to Saint John, the Bishop of Euchaita in the year 1084 and said that they were equal before God. “There are no divisions among us, and no opposition to one another.”
They ordered that the disputes should stop and that their common commemoration should be celebrated on a single day. Bishop John chose January 30 for their joint Feast, thus ending the controversy and restoring peace.
