07 works, Today, December 3rd, is Saint John the Silent's day, his story, illustrated #336

Unknown artist

Savior's Good Silence

Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks

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Saint John the Silent (c. January 8, 454 – c. 558), also known as St John the Hesychast. John was born in 454 AD in Nicopolis, Armenia. He came from a family of mainly generals and governors. His parents died when he was 18 and he built a monastery where he stayed with 10 young monks. Under John's direction, they led a life of hard work and devotion.

John built a reputation for leadership and sanctity, which led the archbishop of Sebaste to consecrate him bishop of Colonia in Armenia. He was only 28 at the time and had no desire for such a role. Nevertheless, he held the post of bishop for nine years before seeking to return to a life of seclusion. 

Cornelia Li

The soul separating from the body

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Cornelia Li is a Chinese born illustrator currently based in Toronto, Canada. She is intrigued by narrative weaved into daily interaction between people and their surroundings and set out to capture the relationship by externalize the ideas and emotions into elements in her images. Her work has been recognized by Society of Illustrators, American Illustration, Communication Arts, The AOI, 3x3 Illustration, National Magazine Award, and more. More on Cornelia Li 

St. John prayed to God to reveal to him how the soul separates from the body at death. While still at prayer, he was taken outside himself and had the following vision: A good man died in front of a church in Bethlehem, and angels took his soul from his body and carried it to heaven with sweet singing. Coming to himself out of his ecstasy, John immediately set out on the road to Bethlehem. When he reached Bethlehem, he saw the dead body of the man exactly as he had seen it in his vision.

Unknown artist

Vita scene; Saint Sabbas the Sanctified

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Detail; Saint Sabbas the Sanctified

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While John was praying one night, he saw a bright cross form in the air and heard a voice say to him, “If thou desirest to be saved, follow this light.” He saw the light move and point to the monastery of St. Sabas. At 38 years old he joined the monastery, which held 150 monks. St Sabas, who received him and, knowing nothing of his rank, assigned him a lowly place among the new monks. Saint John cheerfully undertook whatever task was given to him and served the other monks in humility and silence.

Unknown artist

Saint John the Silencer, Monastery of Saint Sabbas, c. 985

Constantinople,Miniature Minology of Vasily II.

Vatican Library. Rome

After some tests, St. Sabas let John have a separate hermitage for uninterrupted contemplation. For five days a week he fasted and never left his cell but on Saturdays and Sundays he went to public Mass. After three years of this he was made the steward of the monastery.

Pieter Brueghel the Elder, (1526/1530–1569)

The Procession to Calvary, c. 1564

Oil on oak wood

Height: 124 cm (48.8 in); Width: 170 cm (66.9 in)

Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, Austria

Pieter Bruegel (also Brueghel) the Elder (c. 1525 – 9 September 1569) was a Netherlandish Renaissance painter and printmaker from Brabant, known for his landscapes and peasant scenes. He is sometimes referred to as the "Peasant Bruegel". From 1559, he dropped the 'h' from his name and signed his paintings as Bruegel.

Bruegel was born in Breda, and entered the Antwerp painters' guild in 1551, it is inferred that he was born between 1525 and 1530. His master was the Antwerp painter Pieter Coecke van Aelst, whose daughter Maria Bruegel married in 1563. 

Bruegel became a free master in the Guild of Saint Luke of Antwerp. In 1552 Bruegel was assigned to paint the rear of two wings of a triptych in Mechelen; the middle panel was painted by Pieter Balten. Between 1552 and 1553 Bruegel traveled to Italy, probably by way of France. He visited Rome, where he met the miniaturist Giulio Clovio, whose will of 1578 lists three paintings by Bruegel. About 1555 Bruegel returned to Antwerp by way of the Alps, which resulted in a number of exquisite drawings of mountain landscapes. These sketches, which form the basis for many of his later paintings, are not records of actual places but "composites" made in order to investigate the organic life of forms in nature.

He received the nickname "Peasant Bruegel" or "Bruegel the Peasant" for his practice of dressing up like a peasant in order to socialize at weddings and other celebrations, thereby gaining inspiration and authentic details for his genre paintings. He died in Brussels on 9 September 1569 and was buried in the Kapellekerk. More on Pieter Brueghel the Elder

John had never told anyone he had been bishop, so after four years St. Sabas thought John was worthy to become a priest and presented him to the patriarch Elias of Jerusalem. They traveled to Calvary for the ordination but upon their arrival John requested a private audience with the patriarch. John said, “Holy Father, I have something to impart to you in private; after which, if you judge me worthy, I will receive holy orders.” They spoke in private after a promise of secrecy. “Father, I have been ordained bishop; but on account of the multitude of my sins have fled, and am come into this desert to wait the visit of the Lord.” The patriarch was startled but told St. Sabas, “I desire to be excused from ordaining this man, on account of some particulars he has revealed to me.” St. Sabas was afraid John had committed a crime and after he prayed God revealed the truth to him. Sabas complained to John about keeping the secret from him and John wanted to leave the monastery. Sabas convinced him to stay by promising to keep his secret. John stayed in his cell for four years, speaking to no one except the person who brought him necessities.

Unknown artist

St. John moved to a nearby wilderness

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In 503 AD certain turbulent disciples forced St. Sabas to leave his monastery. St. John moved to a nearby wilderness where he spent six years in silence, conversing only with God and eating only wild roots and herbs. When St. Sabas returned to his community, he found John in the desert and convinced him to move back to the monastery. John had become used to speaking only with God and found only bitterness and emptiness in anything else. He treasured obscurity and humility so he wanted to live unknown to men but was unable to do so. He returned with St. Sabas and lived in his cell for forty years. During this time he did not turn people away who desired his instruction.

Unknown artist

Life and Works of St. John the Hesychast

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One of these people was Cyril of Scythopolis who wrote about John's life. The two men first met when John was ninety and Cyril was sixteen. Cyril had asked him what to do with his life and John recommended he join the Laura of St. Euthymius but Cyril did not listen. Instead, he went to a small monastery on the bank of the River Jordan. He fell ill there and deeply regretted not listening to John. While there, John appeared to him in a dream and after scolding him for not obeying said that if he returned to St. Euthymius’ monastery, he would get well and find his salvation. The next day he did so and was well again. John died in 558 AD at the age of 104. He lived in solitude for 76 years, interrupted only for the 9 years he was bishop. More on Saint John the Silent

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