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The Three Holy Hierarchs (Greek: ?? ??e?? ?e????e?) of Eastern Christianity
Eastern Christianity

Eastern Christianity refers collectively to the Christianity traditions and churches which developed in the Balkans, Eastern Europe, Asia Minor, the Middle East, Christianity in Africa and southern India over several centuries of religious antiquity....
 refers to Basil the Great
Basil of Caesarea

Basil of Caesarea, also called Saint Basil the Great, was the bishop of Caesarea Mazaca in Cappadocia, Asia Minor . He was an influential 4th century Christian theologian and monastic....
 (known as Basil of Caesarea), Gregory the Theologian
Gregory of Nazianzus

Gregory of Nazianzus was a 4th-century Archbishop of Constantinople. He is widely considered the most accomplished rhetorical stylist of the Church Fathers....
 (known as Gregory of Nazianzus) and John Chrysostom
John Chrysostom

'Saint John Chrysostom' , archbishop of Constantinople, was an important Early Church Father. He is known for his eloquence in Sermon and public speaking, his denunciation of abuse of authority by both ecclesiastical and political leaders, the Divine Liturgy of St....
. They were highly influential bishop
Bishop

A bishop is an ordination or consecration member of the Clergy#Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight....
s of the early church who played pivotal roles in shaping Christian theology
Christian theology

Christian theology is discourse concerning Christianity faith. Christian theologians use biblical exegesis, rationality analysis and argument to understanding, explanation, test, critic#critique, defend or promote Christianity....
. In Eastern Christianity
Eastern Christianity

Eastern Christianity refers collectively to the Christianity traditions and churches which developed in the Balkans, Eastern Europe, Asia Minor, the Middle East, Christianity in Africa and southern India over several centuries of religious antiquity....
 they are also known as the Three Great Hierarchs and Ecumenical Teachers, while in Roman Catholicism
Roman Catholic Church

The Roman Catholic Church, officially known as the Catholic Church is the world's largest Christianity Ecclesia , representing over half of all Christians and one-sixth of the world population....
 the three are honored as Doctors of the Church. The three are venerated as saint
Saint

A saint in Christianity is a human being who has been called to holiness. The term is used differently by various denominations, with some, such as the Anglicans, Methodists, and Lutherans distinguishing between Saints and saints....
s in Eastern Orthodoxy, Catholicism
Catholicism

Catholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its Theology and doctrines, its Catholic liturgy, Ethics, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole....
, Anglicanism
Anglicanism

Anglicanism is a tradition of Christianity faith. Churches in this tradition either have historical connections to the Church of England or have similar beliefs, worship and church structures....
 and other Christian churches.

Origins of the term
Disputes raged in eleventh century Constantinople
Constantinople

Constantinople was the empire capital of the Roman Empire , the Byzantine Empire , the Latin Empire , and the Ottoman Empire . Strategically located between the Golden Horn and the Sea of Marmara at the point where Europe meets Asia, Byzantine Constantinople had been the capital of a Christendom empire, successor to ancient ancient Greece...
 about which of the three hierarchs was the greatest.






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The Three Holy Hierarchs (Greek: ?? ??e?? ?e????e?) of Eastern Christianity
Eastern Christianity

Eastern Christianity refers collectively to the Christianity traditions and churches which developed in the Balkans, Eastern Europe, Asia Minor, the Middle East, Christianity in Africa and southern India over several centuries of religious antiquity....
 refers to Basil the Great
Basil of Caesarea

Basil of Caesarea, also called Saint Basil the Great, was the bishop of Caesarea Mazaca in Cappadocia, Asia Minor . He was an influential 4th century Christian theologian and monastic....
 (known as Basil of Caesarea), Gregory the Theologian
Gregory of Nazianzus

Gregory of Nazianzus was a 4th-century Archbishop of Constantinople. He is widely considered the most accomplished rhetorical stylist of the Church Fathers....
 (known as Gregory of Nazianzus) and John Chrysostom
John Chrysostom

'Saint John Chrysostom' , archbishop of Constantinople, was an important Early Church Father. He is known for his eloquence in Sermon and public speaking, his denunciation of abuse of authority by both ecclesiastical and political leaders, the Divine Liturgy of St....
. They were highly influential bishop
Bishop

A bishop is an ordination or consecration member of the Clergy#Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight....
s of the early church who played pivotal roles in shaping Christian theology
Christian theology

Christian theology is discourse concerning Christianity faith. Christian theologians use biblical exegesis, rationality analysis and argument to understanding, explanation, test, critic#critique, defend or promote Christianity....
. In Eastern Christianity
Eastern Christianity

Eastern Christianity refers collectively to the Christianity traditions and churches which developed in the Balkans, Eastern Europe, Asia Minor, the Middle East, Christianity in Africa and southern India over several centuries of religious antiquity....
 they are also known as the Three Great Hierarchs and Ecumenical Teachers, while in Roman Catholicism
Roman Catholic Church

The Roman Catholic Church, officially known as the Catholic Church is the world's largest Christianity Ecclesia , representing over half of all Christians and one-sixth of the world population....
 the three are honored as Doctors of the Church. The three are venerated as saint
Saint

A saint in Christianity is a human being who has been called to holiness. The term is used differently by various denominations, with some, such as the Anglicans, Methodists, and Lutherans distinguishing between Saints and saints....
s in Eastern Orthodoxy, Catholicism
Catholicism

Catholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its Theology and doctrines, its Catholic liturgy, Ethics, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole....
, Anglicanism
Anglicanism

Anglicanism is a tradition of Christianity faith. Churches in this tradition either have historical connections to the Church of England or have similar beliefs, worship and church structures....
 and other Christian churches.

Origins of the term


Disputes raged in eleventh century Constantinople
Constantinople

Constantinople was the empire capital of the Roman Empire , the Byzantine Empire , the Latin Empire , and the Ottoman Empire . Strategically located between the Golden Horn and the Sea of Marmara at the point where Europe meets Asia, Byzantine Constantinople had been the capital of a Christendom empire, successor to ancient ancient Greece...
 about which of the three hierarchs was the greatest. Some argued that Basil was superior to the other two because of his explanations of Christian faith and monastic example. Supporters of John Chrysostom countered that the "Golden Mouthed" archbishop of Constantinople was unmatched in both eloquence and in bringing sinners to repentance. A third group insisted that Basil's close friend, Gregory the Theologian, was preferred to the others due to the majesty, purity and profundity of his homilies
Homily

A homily is a commentary that follows a reading of scripture. In the Catholic Churches, the Anglican Communion, and in the Eastern Orthodox Church, a homily is usually given during Mass at the end of the Liturgy of the Word....
 and his defense of the faith from the Arian
Arianism

Arianism is the theological teaching of Arius , a Christian priest, who was first ruled a heresy at the First Council of Nicea, later exonerated and then pronounced a heretic again after his death....
 heresy. All three have separate feast days in January: Basil on January 1, Gregory on January 25, and Chrysostom on January 27. The Eastern Churches teach that the three hierarchs appeared together in a vision to St. John Mauropous
John Mauropous

John Mauropous was a romioi poet, hymnographer and author of letters and orations, living in the 11th century AD....
, bishop of Euchaita
Euchaita

Euchaita was a town in the northern Asia minor. Specifically it was in the province of Pontus. Nikephoros Uranos held power there for a time....
, in the year 1084, and said that they were equal before God: "There are no divisions among us, and no opposition to one another." As a result, a January 30 feast day commemorating all three in common was instituted around 1100 under the Byzantine Emperor Alexios I Komnenos
Alexios I Komnenos

Alexios I Komnenos, or Comnenus , Byzantine Empire List of Byzantine Emperors , was the son of Ioannis Komnenos and Anna Dalassena, and the nephew of Isaac I Komnenos ....
.

See also

  • Cappadocian Fathers
    Cappadocian Fathers

    The Cappadocian Fathers are Basil the Great, bishop of Caesarea, Gregory of Nyssa, bishop of Nyssa, and a close friend, Gregory Nazianzus, Patriarch of Constantinople....
  • Patristics
    Patristics

    Patristics or Patrology is the study of early Christian writers, known as the Church Fathers. The names derive from the Latin pater . The period is generally considered to run from the end of New Testament times until around the 8th century....


External links

  • (Greek Orthodox Archdiocese)
  • Orthodox synaxarion