Hymns Sung against the Arians

The Arians, who had lost their churches in Constantinople during the reign of Theodosius, held their churches outside the walls of the city. Before this, they used to gather by night in the public colonnades. They divided into bands so that they could sing back and forth, for they had composed certain refrains that expressed their own teaching, and at daybreak they marched in procession, singing these hymns, to the places where they held their churches. They did this on all the great festivals and on the first and last days of the week. The ideas set out in these songs were the kind likely to stir up quarrels, such as this one: “Where are those who say that the three Persons are one Power?” Other bitter remarks of the same kind were scattered all through their compositions. [a]

John was afraid that some of his own church people might be led astray by watching these displays, so he ordered them to sing hymns in the same manner. The orthodox soon became more prominent, and in a short time they outdid the heretics in numbers and in processions, for they had silver crosses and lighted wax candles carried before them. The empress’s eunuch was put in charge of these processions, to pay for whatever was needed and to prepare hymns. Then the Arians, driven either by jealousy or by revenge, attacked the members of the catholic church, and there was much bloodshed on both sides. Briso (for that was the name of the imperial eunuch) was wounded on the forehead by a stone thrown at him. The emperor’s anger was roused, and he put a stop to the Arian gatherings. Having begun the custom of singing hymns in this way and for the reason I have described, the members of the catholic church did not give it up, but have kept it to this day.

The founding of these processions and his services in the church endeared John to the people. But he was hated by the clergy and the powerful because of his outspoken boldness. For he never failed to rebuke the clergy when he caught them in acts of injustice, or to urge the powerful to return to the practice of virtue when they misused their wealth, committed impiety, or gave themselves up to pleasure.