John of Oxyrhynchus

Holy Venerable John of Oxyrhynchus (of Egypt) is commemorated with the venerable Heraclamon, Andrew and Theophilus, who struggled in the desert of Egypt in the fourth century. The four were sons of the rulers of the city of Oxyrhynchus, in Middle Egypt. Already in school they became friends, and after they had learned the higher worldly sciences, they were set on fire with the desire to gain spiritual wisdom.

Resolving to give themselves to ascetic labour, they withdrew into the desert, where they met a holy man, already very old, and lived a year with him, profiting from his counsel. When he died, the venerable ones stayed there but settled in separate places. They fed on wild greens, eating only twice a week. Each spent his time alone, in the surrounding mountains and caves, and on Saturdays and Sundays they gathered together for common prayer and were deemed worthy of Holy Communion from the hand of an angel of God. So, after about sixty years of life, they fell asleep in peace.

In the desert they were met by Venerable Paphnutius, who listened to them and wrote down their story. Paphnutius, seeking ascetics more zealous than himself, had found first Venerable Onuphrius the Great, whose repose he related, then the hermit Timothy and three other elders. Coming to a beautiful place, with fruit trees and a spring, he saw four youths of luminous appearance coming, dressed in sheepskins. They told him that they came from Oxyrhynchus, where their parents were rulers and had sent them to school. Together with learning, the same desire for spiritual wisdom had been born in all of them. They took bread and water for seven days and left the city; in the desert a luminous man appeared to them, who led them to a place and entrusted them to an old servant of the Lord. With him they struggled a year, then the old man fell asleep, and they remained alone, six years now. All this time they did not eat bread, but only the fruits of the trees in the garden; each spent time in stillness apart, and every Saturday they gathered, saw one another and were comforted in the Lord.

Paphnutius stayed with them until Saturday to see the angel. The venerable ones told him to prepare, for the holy angel comes and brings the Divine Communion, and whoever receives it from his hand obtains the forgiveness of sins. Paphnutius sensed a fragrance as of incense and, while they sang and glorified Christ, he saw coming down from heaven an angel shining like lightning, in the form of a beautiful youth, who held in his hand the holy chalice. The four communed in turn, then Paphnutius communed also, in great trembling and joy, hearing the angel's words: "May the Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, our God, be to you incorruptible food, joy without end and eternal life." The next day he communed in the same way. Paphnutius asked the angel to let him remain until the end of his life with the venerable ones, but the angel answered that it was not God's will, but that he should return to Egypt and tell the brethren what he had seen and heard, especially the life and end of Venerable Onuphrius. At parting, the youths told him their names: the first John, the second Andrew, the third Heraclamon, the fourth Theophilus, ordered him to commemorate them among the brethren and accompanied him five miles. Paphnutius then told all this to some monks in a skete, who wrote down the account and sent it to the fathers and brethren.

The Church commemorates them on 25 June and on 15 December, in the new style.