Hierarch 6th century

Saint John the Chozebite Bishop of Caesarea

c. 440/450 – c. 520/530 (episcopate variously dated)

Also known as John the Chozebite

An Egyptian monk who became Bishop of Caesarea in Palestine, known for opposing heresy, spiritual discernment, and wonderworking.

Feast Day

October 3

Also Oct 28

Draft

Draft — pending review. Not yet verified for publication.

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Commemorated as

Our Father among the Saints John the Chozebite, Bishop of Caesarea in Palestine

Life

Saint John the Chozebite was an Egyptian monk, born in the region of Thebes around 440–450, who became Bishop of Caesarea in Palestine. He is remembered for his struggle against the Eutychian (Monophysite) heresy and for grace-filled gifts of spiritual discernment and wonderworking.

According to his life, he left Egypt and, by tradition, spent his early monastic years under the guidance of his uncle. He settled at Wadi Qelt in the Judaean Desert, where he reorganized an existing lavra into a formal monastery — the monastery of Choziba — dedicated to the Mother of God.

Raised to the episcopal see of Caesarea, he soon resigned the office and returned to the monastic life he had chosen, dying at the monastery between roughly 520 and 530. He is commemorated on October 3 and again on October 28.

Timeline 4 moments Read Hide

c. 440–450 Birth in Egypt Born in the Egyptian region of Thebes; originally known as John of Thebes.
c. 480 Move to the Judaean Desert By tradition he abandoned Monophysitism and relocated to Wadi Qelt, reorganizing an existing lavra into the monastery of Choziba, dedicated to the Mother of God.
6th century Bishop of Caesarea Raised to the see of Caesarea in Palestine; sources differ on the dates of his episcopate (Wikipedia gives 516; the OCA synaxarion gives 587–596). He soon resigned and returned to the monastery.
c. 520–530 Repose Died at the monastery of Choziba in Wadi Qelt.

Contributions & Legacy

2 contributions Read Hide

Episcopate and Struggle Against Heresy

The synaxarion remembers John for his struggle against the Eutychian (Monophysite) heresy, alongside his recognized gifts of discernment and wonderworking. By his own life's account he was raised from monk to Bishop of Caesarea in Palestine, but resigned the office to return to the monastic community.

Scholarly sources disagree on the dating of his episcopate: one tradition places it around 516, while the OCA synaxarion gives 587–596. The discrepancy may reflect differing scholarly traditions or a possible conflation of two persons, and is noted here for clergy review; the saint is consistently assigned to the Byzantine period and the broad span of the 6th century.

Relics & Shrines

The Monastery of Saint George of Choziba, in Wadi Qelt in the West Bank, preserves the relics of Saint John of Choziba in its main church. Monastic activity at the site began around 420 as a lavra, gathered around a cave associated by tradition with the prophet Elijah being fed by ravens. John of Thebes reorganized it into a formal monastery dedicated to the Mother of God between roughly 480 and 530.

The monastery was later renamed for Saint George of Choziba (died c. 620), its most significant figure in the sixth and seventh centuries. It was destroyed by the Persians in 614, rebuilt in the Crusader period, restored under Manuel I Komnenos (1179) and Frederick II (1234), and re-established in 1878 by the Greek monk Kalinikos, with work completed by 1901. The monastery also houses the relics of Saint George of Choziba and Saint John the Romanian (1913–1960).

Notes

Also commemorated Oct 28.

Sources: OCA Synaxarion (oca.org), Lives of the Saints