John II (; c. 356 – 10 January 417) was bishop of Jerusalem from AD 387 to AD 417. John II succeeded to the episcopal throne of

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

on the death of

Cyril Cyril (also Cyrillus or Cyryl) is a masculine given name. It is derived from the Greek language, Greek name (''Kýrillos''), meaning 'lordly, masterful', which in turn derives from Greek (''kýrios'') 'lord'. There are various variant forms of t ...

in 386 (or 387). He was the author, according to an increasing number of modern scholars, of the five ''Mystagogical Catecheses'' traditionally ascribed to his predecessor Cyril. He is revered as a saint by the

Eastern Orthodox Church The Eastern Orthodox Church, officially the Orthodox Catholic Church, and also called the Greek Orthodox Church or simply the Orthodox Church, is List of Christian denominations by number of members, one of the three major doctrinal and ...

and his feast day is held on

March 30 Events Pre-1600 * 598 – Avar–Byzantine wars: The Avars lift the siege at the Byzantine stronghold of Tomis. Their leader Bayan I retreats north of the Danube River after the Avaro- Slavic army is decimated by the plague. * 1282 ...

. He is also honored as a saint by the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

, which commemorates him on 10 January (''Martyrologium Romanum'', 2004, p. 92).

Life

John's authority was harshly questioned twice by

Jerome Jerome (; ; ; – 30 September 420), also known as Jerome of Stridon, was an early Christian presbyter, priest, Confessor of the Faith, confessor, theologian, translator, and historian; he is commonly known as Saint Jerome. He is best known ...

, then

abbot Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the head of an independent monastery for men in various Western Christian traditions. The name is derived from ''abba'', the Aramaic form of the Hebrew ''ab'', and means "father". The female equivale ...

Bethlehem Bethlehem is a city in the West Bank, Palestine, located about south of Jerusalem, and the capital of the Bethlehem Governorate. It had a population of people, as of . The city's economy is strongly linked to Tourism in the State of Palesti ...

. The first time was in the frame of the first polemic with

Origen Origen of Alexandria (), also known as Origen Adamantius, was an Early Christianity, early Christian scholar, Asceticism#Christianity, ascetic, and Christian theology, theologian who was born and spent the first half of his career in Early cent ...

's followers, and is narrated mainly in Jerome's treatise dedicated to Pammachius "''Contra Ioannes Hierosolymitanum (Against John of Jerusalem)''", as well as in other letters of Jerome (n. 51, 82 and 86). Jerome accused John of supporting the ideas of the

ists. The Origenist doctrines attributed to John were: (i.) that the Son does not see the

Father A father is the male parent of a child. Besides the paternal bonds of a father to his children, the father may have a parental, legal, and social relationship with the child that carries with it certain rights and obligations. A biological fat ...

; (ii.) that souls are confined in earthly bodies, as in a prison; (iii.) that the

devil A devil is the mythical personification of evil as it is conceived in various cultures and religious traditions. It is seen as the objectification of a hostile and destructive force. Jeffrey Burton Russell states that the different conce ...

may be saved; (iv.) that the skins with which God clothed

Adam and Eve Adam and Eve, according to the creation myth of the Abrahamic religions, were the first man and woman. They are central to the belief that humanity is in essence a single family, with everyone descended from a single pair of original ancestors. ...

were human bodies; (v.) that the body in the

resurrection Resurrection or anastasis is the concept of coming back to life after death. Reincarnation is a similar process hypothesized by other religions involving the same person or deity returning to another body. The disappearance of a body is anothe ...

will be without sex; (vi.) that the descriptions of

Paradise In religion and folklore, paradise is a place of everlasting happiness, delight, and bliss. Paradisiacal notions are often laden with pastoral imagery, and may be cosmogonical, eschatological, or both, often contrasted with the miseries of human ...

are allegorical: trees meaning angels, and rivers the heavenly virtues; (vii) that the waters above and below the firmament are angels and devils; (viii.) that the image of God was altogether lost at the Fall. John ignored the accusations of Origenism and gave assurances about his faith in the

Trinity The Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the Christian doctrine concerning the nature of God, which defines one God existing in three, , consubstantial divine persons: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ) and God the Holy Spirit, thr ...

: however, it is probable that John did have certain Origenist leanings. The immediate occasion of this crisis was the visit of Epiphanius, bishop of Salamis in

Cyprus Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...

, at Jerusalem, in 394. Epiphanius preached, in the Church of the Resurrection, a pointed sermon against Origenism, which was thought to be directly aimed at John. After many unseemly scenes, Epiphanius advised Jerome and his friends to separate from their bishop John. To be fully independent from him, Epiphanius ordained Paulinian (Jerome's brother) to priesthood. Epiphanius attempted to defend his irregular action, but John appealed to

Alexandria Alexandria ( ; ) is the List of cities and towns in Egypt#Largest cities, second largest city in Egypt and the List of coastal settlements of the Mediterranean Sea, largest city on the Mediterranean coast. It lies at the western edge of the Nile ...

against Jerome and his supporters as schismatics. The bishop,

Theophilus Theophilus is a male given name with a range of alternative spellings. Its origin is the Greek word Θεόφιλος from θεός (''theós'', "God") and φιλία (''philía'', "love or affection") can be translated as "Love of God" or "Friend ...

, at once took the side of John. The dispute was thus prolonged for about four years, and, after some attempts at reconciliation, and the exhibition of much bitterness, amounting to the practical excommunication of Jerome and his friends, the dispute was stopped, perhaps by Theophilus.

Philip Schaff Philip Schaff (January 1, 1819 – October 20, 1893) was a Swiss-born, German-educated Protestant theologian and ecclesiastical historian, who spent most of his adult life living and teaching in the United States. Life and career Schaff was ...

, ''Jerome: The Principal Works of St. Jerome'' New York: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 189
Text from CCEL
/ref> The dispute broke out afresh when Jerome deeply criticized the reception reserved by John for some of the 400 Origenistic monks of Nitria, dispelled by the Egyptian deserts by the bishop of Alexandria Theophilus (fifty of these monks went to

Constantinople Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...

, and found there a cordial welcome with the bishop

John Chrysostom John Chrysostom (; ; – 14 September 407) was an important Church Father who served as archbishop of Constantinople. He is known for his preaching and public speaking, his denunciation of abuse of authority by both ecclesiastical and p ...

in 401). The second harsh attack against John was triggered off in 414 by Jerome and concerned

Pelagius Pelagius (; c. 354–418) was a British (Celtic Britons, Brittonic) theologian known for promoting a system of doctrines (termed Pelagianism by his opponents) which emphasized human choice in salvation and denied original sin. Pelagius was accus ...

, supported by a

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

disciple of

Augustine Augustine of Hippo ( , ; ; 13 November 354 – 28 August 430) was a theologian and philosopher of Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia, Roman North Africa. His writings deeply influenced the development of Western philosop ...

of the name of Paulus Orosius, took a stand against the deacon

, who was then received in Jerusalem and not explicitly condemned by the local synod of Diospolis (415). We have a letter of Pope Innocent I who censures John for having allowed the Pelagians to cause a disturbance at Bethlehem and exhorts him to be more watchful over his diocese in future: this lette

is dated 417, the year of the death of both John and Innocent, and it is probable that John never received it. Although sources are more diverse here, the accusation of

arianism Arianism (, ) is a Christology, Christological doctrine which rejects the traditional notion of the Trinity and considers Jesus to be a creation of God, and therefore distinct from God. It is named after its major proponent, Arius (). It is co ...

seems a little simplistic and it is probable that we do not have all the information needed to understand the situation. In 415, two years before his death in 417, he was probably directly involved in the discovery of the

Relic In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains or personal effects of a saint or other person preserved for the purpose of veneration as a tangible memorial. Reli ...

s of

Saint Stephen Stephen (; ) is traditionally venerated as the protomartyr or first martyr of Christianity."St ...

Writings

According to the 5th century ecclesiastic writer Gennadius of Massilia, John "''wrote a book against those who disparaged his studies, in which he shows that he follows the genius of Origen not his creed''". Due to his ''

Damnatio memoriae () is a modern Latin phrase meaning "condemnation of memory" or "damnation of memory", indicating that a person is to be excluded from official accounts. Depending on the extent, it can be a case of historical negationism. There are and have b ...

'', the writings of John II were not kept in general under his name, but, besides ''Mystagogical Catecheses'', it is very much probable that certain homilies, in

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

, Georgian or

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian diaspora, Armenian communities around the ...

, must be restored to him, as happened in the second half of 20th century for his homilies upon ''"the Feast of the Angels"'',M. van Esbroeck, ''Dans une Homily géorgienne sur les Archanges'', in ''Analecta Bollandiana'' 89 (1971) 155-176 and on the ''"Dedication of the Church of Holy Zion"''M. van Esbrœck, ''Une homélie sur l’Église attribuée à Jean de Jérusalem'', in ''Le Muséon'', 86 (1973), p. 283-304 The edition of a liturgical

lectionary A lectionary () is a book or listing that contains a collection of scripture readings appointed for Christianity, Christian or Judaism, Jewish worship on a given day or occasion. There are sub-types such as a "gospel lectionary" or evangeliary, ...

of Jerusalem, preserved in an old Armenian version, is also attributed to him.

Dedication of the Church of Holy Zion

According to M. van Esbrœck,M. van Esbrœck, ''Jean II de Jérusalem'', in ''Analecta Bollandiana'', Tome 102 (1984) John of Jerusalem showed great cleverness in understanding and including the

Jewish Christian Jewish Christians were the followers of a Jewish religious sect that emerged in Roman Judea during the late Second Temple period, under the Herodian tetrarchy (1st century AD). These Jews believed that Jesus was the prophesied Messiah and ...

minority in Jerusalem. One of the acts that ratified the reconciliation of the Greek and the Judeo-Christian communities was the Consecration of the Church of Holy Zion Bargil Pixner, ''The Church of the Apostles found on Mount Zion'',

Biblical Archaeology Review ''Biblical Archaeology Review'' is a magazine appearing every three months and sometimes referred to as ''BAR'' that seeks to connect the academic study of archaeology to a broad general audience seeking to understand the world of the Bible, the ...

16.3 May/June 199

on 394 CE: the homily pronounced by John was preserved in Armenian and not published until 1973. The new building on

Mount Zion Mount Zion (, ''Har Ṣīyyōn''; , ''Jabal Sahyoun'') is a hill in Jerusalem, located just outside the walls of the Old City (Jerusalem), Old City to the south. The term Mount Zion has been used in the Hebrew Bible first for the City of David ( ...

left untouched the Judeo-Christian

synagogue A synagogue, also called a shul or a temple, is a place of worship for Jews and Samaritans. It is a place for prayer (the main sanctuary and sometimes smaller chapels) where Jews attend religious services or special ceremonies such as wed ...

. The day of the consecration was, according to van Esbrœck, 15 September 394, and van Esbrœck suggests that it very probably corresponded in such a year to the 10th of Tishrei, the traditional day of the Hebraic holiday of

Yom Kippur Yom Kippur ( ; , ) is the holiest day of the year in Judaism. It occurs annually on the 10th of Tishrei, corresponding to a date in late September or early October. For traditional Jewish people, it is primarily centered on atonement and ...

. The scholar Daniel Stokl Ben Ezra suggests that the eve of Yom Kippur coincided with 20 September, i.e. with the last day of the week of Christian celebration called the " Encaenia" (dedication of the

church of the Holy Sepulchre The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, also known as the Church of the Resurrection, is a fourth-century church in the Christian Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem, Old City of Jerusalem. The church is the seat of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchat ...

, which celebration was connected to the discovering of the

True Cross According to Christian tradition, the True Cross is the real instrument of Jesus' crucifixion, cross on which Jesus of Nazareth was Crucifixion of Jesus, crucified. It is related by numerous historical accounts and Christian mythology, legends ...

). Actually the central idea of John's homily is linked to the celebration of Kippur, through the blessing of the church altar, symbolized by the "''Kaporet''" (

Mercy seat According to the Hebrew Bible, the ''kaporet'' ( ''kapōreṯ'') or mercy seat was the gold lid placed on the Ark of the Covenant, with two cherubim at the ends to cover and create the space in which Yahweh appeared and dwelled. This was connecte ...

). In the first part of this

mystical Mysticism is popularly known as becoming one with God or the Absolute, but may refer to any kind of ecstasy or altered state of consciousness which is given a religious or spiritual meaning. It may also refer to the attainment of insight ...

and

allegorical As a literary device or artistic form, an allegory is a narrative or visual representation in which a character, place, or event can be interpreted to represent a meaning with moral or political significance. Authors have used allegory throughou ...

homily, the purification of the lips (

Isaiah Isaiah ( or ; , ''Yəšaʿyāhū'', "Yahweh is salvation"; also known as Isaias or Esaias from ) was the 8th-century BC Israelite prophet after whom the Book of Isaiah is named. The text of the Book of Isaiah refers to Isaiah as "the prophet" ...

6:7), associated with the purification of Kippur, is said to legitimatize the description of the descent of the Holy Spirit in the church-building, symbol of the whole Church. In the second part, John proposes a typology of the mystical experience describing seven

heaven Heaven, or the Heavens, is a common Religious cosmology, religious cosmological or supernatural place where beings such as deity, deities, angels, souls, saints, or Veneration of the dead, venerated ancestors are said to originate, be throne, ...

ly circles accessible by the mediation of the ''Kaporet''. At the eighth circle, there is the coming of the Holy Spirit as groom of the soul, as the Holy Spirit enters in the ''upper room'' ( Acts 1:13). This homily includes more than three hundred allusions to Biblical verses (including also the apocryphal

4 Ezra 2 Esdras, also called 4 Esdras, Latin Esdras, or Latin Ezra, is an apocalyptic book in some English versions of the Bible. Tradition ascribes it to Ezra, a scribe and priest of the fifth century BC, whom the book identifies with the sixth-ce ...

) and is influenced by texts like the Ascension of Isaiah. John also addresses four times the monk Porphyry, future bishop of Gaza, who was probably present at the ceremony.

Notes

References

* M. van Esbrœck, ''Jean II de Jérusalem'', in '' Analecta Bollandiana'', Tome 102, Fasc.1-2 (1984), p. 99-134 (includes also the text of John's homily on the ''Dedication of the Church of Holy Zion'', in French) * A. Piédagnel - P. Paris, ''Cyrille de Jérusalem, Catéchèses mystagogiques'', SC 126 (1966) et 126bis (1980) * P. Nautin, ''La lettre de Théophile d’Alexandrie à l’Église de Jérusalem et la réponse de Jean de Jérusalem (juin-juillet 396)'', '' Revue d'histoire ecclésiastique'', 96 (1974), p. 365-394 * F.J. Leroy, ''Pseudo-chrysostomica: Jean de Jérusalem. Vers une résurrection littéraire ?'', dans ''Studia patristica'', 10 (''TU'' 107), Berlin, 1970, p. 131-136 {{DEFAULTSORT:John 2 Bishop of Jerusalem 417 deaths 4th-century bishops of Jerusalem 4th-century Romans 5th-century bishops of Jerusalem Byzantine saints 4th-century Christian theologians Church Fathers 5th-century Christian saints Year of birth uncertain 5th-century Byzantine writers 4th-century Byzantine writers