Saint Job of Pochayiv
Encyclopedia
Saint Job of Pochayiv was a Ukrainian
Orthodox monk
and Eastern Orthodox saint
.
, in the area known as Pokuttya
in Ivano-Frankivska oblast (Galicia) of western part of Ukraine
, when it was within the Polish kingdom
.
His pious parents Ioann and Agafia of the Zaliro (lit. "Iron") family, named him Ivan (John) after John the Baptist
. The lives
of St. Sava
, St. John of Damascus
and “The Ladder” by St John Climacus were the models of virtuous life for the young Ivan. According to his biographer and disciple Dosyfej, while he was young in years he was perfect in wisdom, and the boy differed from other children by his high spiritual aspirations, with never a contradiction in his words, knowledge and actions.
Ugornits Monastery
(Preobrazhens’kyi Uhornyts’kyi) in the village of Pidhora, on the outskirts of the town of Terebovlya (Ternopil Oblast
in western Ukraine
), and asked the hegumen
(abbot) to accept him “to serve the brothers”. When Ivan turned 12, he was tonsure
d as a monk and was given the name Job. Since then, he began to follow the example of the biblical Job as a model of living. Reaching the age of 31 (around 1581) he was offered priest
ly ordination
, which he accepted.
, the defender of Orthodoxy, he was transferred to the island monastery of the Exaltation of the Cross (Khrestovozdvyzhens’kyi) outside of Dubno
that belonged to duke’s estates in the Rivne region of western Ukraine
. The monastery was arranged after the canons of St. Theodore the Studite
. There, for 20 years, Job served as hegumen (abbot) and engaged himself in the writing of theological books. The collection of his works, The Book of the Venerable Job of Pochayiv, Written by His Own Hand, contained 80 teachings, conversations, and sermon
s of St. Job, as well as excerpts he himself complied from the writings of the Holy Fathers. It was translated into Russian
and republished in 1881 under the title Pchela Pochayevskaya (The Bee of Pochayiv), edited by the professor of the Kiev
Theological Academy, N. Petrov.
In his writings, St Job defended Orthodoxy against the Protestant heresies
(especially the Socinianists
) that were spreading in western Ukraine during his time, writing on the most important Orthodox dogma
s of the Trinity
, the divinity of Christ, about the Mother of God, Baptism
and everything that was rejected by Protestant missionaries.
Saint Job also critiqued Roman Catholic
teachings regarding the use of unleavened bread
in the Eucharist
, among other doctrinal differences in the face of Roman Catholic persecution
of Orthodoxy following the Union of Brest
(1596). Many Orthodox Christians living in Poland at the time were deprived of their rights, and attempts were made to force them to convert to Catholicism. A number of Orthodox bishops even became apostates to Uniatism. To counteract this problem, St. Job and others defended Orthodoxy by copying and disseminating Orthodox books. Prince Ostroz’kyi was also responsible for the Ostrog Bible
(1581), the first printed edition of the complete Orthodox Bible.
On account of his growing fame, he decided to withdraw as a hermit
into the mountain caves monastery
at Pochayiv (Pochaev) in Kremenets
district (in the northern part of Ternopil oblast
, western Ukraine
). Having joined the monastery in 1604, Job was eventually elected hegumen
.
Job was quiet, brief in words, and the only sound heard from his lips was the Jesus prayer
. For many days and weeks he would retreat into his locked cave, so narrow that entry is difficult, and so small that it was impossible to sit, stand or lie conveniently. From the long periods of kneeling, his knees were covered with wounds, and wearing knee-marks into the rock floor. His disciple Dosyfey recounts that he saw supernatural light coming from the depths of the cave, shining for two hours onto the opposite side of the church. Dosyfey records that at the sight was terrified and fell to the ground.
Job introduced strict discipline and other reforms of monastic life. During his time in office, the monastery had to fend off incessant attacks by Andrzej Firlej, Castellan
of Belz
, who sued the monks over his grandmother's bequest of extensive lands and a miracle-working icon of the Mother of God. In 1623, Firlej raided the monastery, taking the holy icon with him and keeping it until 1641, when a court decision finally restituted the icon to the monks.
In 1628 Job attended the Synod
of Kiev, called to defend the Orthodox Church against Uniatism.
Sometime after 1642, he was tonsured into the Great Schema, and received the new monastic name of John.
Saint Job died on 25 October 1651 and was glorified
as a saint shortly thereafter. After his death, Job appeared three times in a vision
to Dyonysij Balaban, the Metropolitan of Kiev, and instructed him that God wanted the Metropolitan to uncover the saint's relics. After the first two visions, Metropolitan Dyonysij did not follow the order. Only after the third, when Job threatened him with misfortune should he continue to disobey, did Dyonysij see in it God’s will. The same day, the Metropolitan departed for Pochayiv and gave orders to open the grave of Job immediately. This took place on 28 August 1659. His body was found to be incorrupt, emitting a wonderful and heavenly fragrance. The relics were taken to the Trinity Cathedral
of the Lavra for veneration.
A second "Uncovering of the Relics" of St. Job of Pochayiv took place on 28 August 1833, at which his relics were solemnly transferred to a church consecrated
to his honour which had been built at the Pochayiv Lavra. Every year, on 28 August a great number of Orthodox pilgrim
s come to Pochayiv Lavra to honour Saint Job, venerate
his relics, and ask for his intercession
.
Two weeks after the transfer of the relics in 1659, a noble woman Anna Domashevska who was visiting Pochayiv monastery
, heard singing coming out of one of the churches and saw light from its windows at midnight. Having entered the church (the door was opened by an invisible angelic hand), she saw supernatural light and heard celestial singing. There stood Saint Job along with two shining youths - angel
s. Saint Job told her not to be afraid and to call the hegumen of the monastery. Anna replied that the hegumen lay dying in bed. Saint Job gave her a silk handkerchief soaked with oil
. The hegumen was healed immediately when the handkerchief was touched to his body. When the hegumen hurriedly returned with Anna to the church, the vision was no more.
During the Zbarazh War
of 1675, the cloister was besieged by the Turks
, who reputedly fled upon seeing the apparition of the Theotokos
(Mother of God) accompanied by angels and St Job. Numerous Turkish Muslims who witnessed the event during the siege converted to Christianity afterward. One of the monastery chapels commemorates this event.
In 1759, a coach of Count Mikołaj Bazyli Potocki capsized near the monastery walls. In a fit of anger, Potocki fired at his driver three times, all without avail. Attributing this failure to divine intervention, Potocki settled in Pochayiv and started to lavish gifts upon the cloister.
In 1773, Potocki (who was a Roman Catholic) petitioned the Pope to recognize the Pochayiv icon as miraculous and St Job as a Catholic saint. Only the former petition was satisfied.
On 28 October 1908 when the Bishop
of Volhynia
and the faithful celebrated the feast day of Saint Job, the Saint repeatedly appeared in a vision in front of the bishop and blessed the Holy Mysteries (Body and Blood of Christ).
The cave church of St Job contains a famous gift from Countess Orlova - a silver reliquary with relics of the saint.
The Printshop of St. Job of Pochaev at Holy Trinity Monastery
in Jordanville, New York
, is dedicated to St. Job, and is the principle press of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, publishing liturgical and spiritual works in Church Slavonic, Russian
and English
.
, the day of his repose (for those churches which follow the Julian Calendar
October 28 falls on November 10 of the Gregorian Calendar
, a difference of 13 days).
On August 28
/September 10 the church celebrates the anniversary of the Uncovering of his Relics. In 1902, the Holy Synod decreed that on this day the holy relics of St Job be carried in procession
around the Dormition Cathedral of the Pochaev Lavra after the Divine Liturgy
.
and October 10
/23 (as one of the seven saints commemorated on the Synaxis of the Saints of Volhynia).
Ukrainians
Ukrainians are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Ukraine, which is the sixth-largest nation in Europe. The Constitution of Ukraine applies the term 'Ukrainians' to all its citizens...
Orthodox monk
Monk
A monk is a person who practices religious asceticism, living either alone or with any number of monks, while always maintaining some degree of physical separation from those not sharing the same purpose...
and Eastern Orthodox saint
Saint
A saint is a holy person. In various religions, saints are people who are believed to have exceptional holiness.In Christian usage, "saint" refers to any believer who is "in Christ", and in whom Christ dwells, whether in heaven or in earth...
.
Childhood and early years
Job was born around 1551 near the city of KolomyjaKolomyia
Kolomyia or Kolomyya, formerly known as Kolomea , is a city located on the Prut River in the Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast , in western Ukraine. Serving as the administrative centre of the Kolomyia Raion , the city is also designated as a separate raion within the oblast...
, in the area known as Pokuttya
Pokuttya
Pokuttya or Pokuttia is a historical area of East-Central Europe, between upper Prut and Cheremosh rivers, in modern Ukraine. Historically it was a culturally distinct area inhabitated by Ukrainians and Romanians on the previously unpopulated borderlands between the lands of Lviv and Halych...
in Ivano-Frankivska oblast (Galicia) of western part of Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
, when it was within the Polish kingdom
Kingdom of Poland (1385–1569)
The Kingdom of Poland of the Jagiellons was the Polish state created by the accession of Jogaila , Grand Duke of Lithuania, to the Polish throne in 1386. The Union of Krewo or Krėva Act, united Poland and Lithuania under the rule of a single monarch...
.
His pious parents Ioann and Agafia of the Zaliro (lit. "Iron") family, named him Ivan (John) after John the Baptist
John the Baptist
John the Baptist was an itinerant preacher and a major religious figure mentioned in the Canonical gospels. He is described in the Gospel of Luke as a relative of Jesus, who led a movement of baptism at the Jordan River...
. The lives
Hagiography
Hagiography is the study of saints.From the Greek and , it refers literally to writings on the subject of such holy people, and specifically to the biographies of saints and ecclesiastical leaders. The term hagiology, the study of hagiography, is also current in English, though less common...
of St. Sava
Saint Sava
Saint Sava was a Serbian Prince and Orthodox monk, the first Archbishop of the autocephalous Serbian Church, the founder of Serbian law and literature, and a diplomat. Sava was born Rastko Nemanjić , the youngest son of Serbian Grand Župan Stefan Nemanja , and ruled the appanage of Hum briefly in...
, St. John of Damascus
John of Damascus
Saint John of Damascus was a Syrian monk and priest...
and “The Ladder” by St John Climacus were the models of virtuous life for the young Ivan. According to his biographer and disciple Dosyfej, while he was young in years he was perfect in wisdom, and the boy differed from other children by his high spiritual aspirations, with never a contradiction in his words, knowledge and actions.
Joining Uhornytskyi monastery
At the age of 10 he secretly left home for the TransfigurationTransfiguration of Jesus
The Transfiguration of Jesus is an event reported in the New Testament in which Jesus is transfigured and becomes radiant upon a mountain. The Synoptic Gospels describe it, and 2 Peter 1:16-18 refers to it....
Ugornits Monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
(Preobrazhens’kyi Uhornyts’kyi) in the village of Pidhora, on the outskirts of the town of Terebovlya (Ternopil Oblast
Ternopil Oblast
Ternopil Oblast is an oblast' of Ukraine. Its administrative center is Ternopil, through which flows the Seret River, a tributary of the Dnister.-Geography:...
in western Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
), and asked the hegumen
Hegumen
Hegumen, hegumenos, igumen, or ihumen is the title for the head of a monastery of the Eastern Orthodox Church or Eastern Catholic Churches, similar to the one of abbot. The head of a convent of nuns is called hegumenia or ihumenia . The term means "the one who is in charge", "the leader" in...
(abbot) to accept him “to serve the brothers”. When Ivan turned 12, he was tonsure
Tonsure
Tonsure is the traditional practice of Christian churches of cutting or shaving the hair from the scalp of clerics, monastics, and, in the Eastern Orthodox Church, all baptized members...
d as a monk and was given the name Job. Since then, he began to follow the example of the biblical Job as a model of living. Reaching the age of 31 (around 1581) he was offered priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
ly ordination
Ordination
In general religious use, ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart as clergy to perform various religious rites and ceremonies. The process and ceremonies of ordination itself varies by religion and denomination. One who is in preparation for, or who is...
, which he accepted.
Transfer to Dubno monastery and literary work
After the repeated offers of a local Ukrainian Duke, Constantine Ostroz’kyiKonstanty Wasyl Ostrogski
Konstanty Wasyl Ostrogski was a Lithuanian prince, starost of Volodymyr-Volynskyi, marshal of Volhynia and voivode of the Kiev Voivodeship, Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. He got married on January 1553 in Tarnów...
, the defender of Orthodoxy, he was transferred to the island monastery of the Exaltation of the Cross (Khrestovozdvyzhens’kyi) outside of Dubno
Dubno
Dubno is a city located on the Ikva River in the Rivne Oblast of western Ukraine. Serving as the administrative center of Dubno Raion , the city itself is also designated as a separate raion within the oblast...
that belonged to duke’s estates in the Rivne region of western Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
. The monastery was arranged after the canons of St. Theodore the Studite
Theodore the Studite
Theodore the Studite was a Byzantine Greek monk and abbot of the Stoudios monastery in Constantinople. He played a major role in the revivals both of Byzantine monasticism and of classical literary genres in Byzantium...
. There, for 20 years, Job served as hegumen (abbot) and engaged himself in the writing of theological books. The collection of his works, The Book of the Venerable Job of Pochayiv, Written by His Own Hand, contained 80 teachings, conversations, and sermon
Sermon
A sermon is an oration by a prophet or member of the clergy. Sermons address a Biblical, theological, religious, or moral topic, usually expounding on a type of belief, law or behavior within both past and present contexts...
s of St. Job, as well as excerpts he himself complied from the writings of the Holy Fathers. It was translated into Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
and republished in 1881 under the title Pchela Pochayevskaya (The Bee of Pochayiv), edited by the professor of the Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
Theological Academy, N. Petrov.
In his writings, St Job defended Orthodoxy against the Protestant heresies
Heresy
Heresy is a controversial or novel change to a system of beliefs, especially a religion, that conflicts with established dogma. It is distinct from apostasy, which is the formal denunciation of one's religion, principles or cause, and blasphemy, which is irreverence toward religion...
(especially the Socinianists
Socinianism
Socinianism is a system of Christian doctrine named for Fausto Sozzini , which was developed among the Polish Brethren in the Minor Reformed Church of Poland during the 15th and 16th centuries and embraced also by the Unitarian Church of Transylvania during the same period...
) that were spreading in western Ukraine during his time, writing on the most important Orthodox dogma
Dogma
Dogma is the established belief or doctrine held by a religion, or a particular group or organization. It is authoritative and not to be disputed, doubted, or diverged from, by the practitioners or believers...
s of the Trinity
Trinity
The Christian doctrine of the Trinity defines God as three divine persons : the Father, the Son , and the Holy Spirit. The three persons are distinct yet coexist in unity, and are co-equal, co-eternal and consubstantial . Put another way, the three persons of the Trinity are of one being...
, the divinity of Christ, about the Mother of God, Baptism
Baptism
In Christianity, baptism is for the majority the rite of admission , almost invariably with the use of water, into the Christian Church generally and also membership of a particular church tradition...
and everything that was rejected by Protestant missionaries.
Saint Job also critiqued Roman Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
teachings regarding the use of unleavened bread
Azymes
Azymes is an archaic English word for the Jewish matzah, derived from the Greek word "ἄζυμος" for unfermented bread in Biblical times; the more accepted term in modern English is simply unleavened bread or matzah, but cognates of the Greek term are still used in many Romance languages Azymes is an...
in the Eucharist
Eucharist
The Eucharist , also called Holy Communion, the Sacrament of the Altar, the Blessed Sacrament, the Lord's Supper, and other names, is a Christian sacrament or ordinance...
, among other doctrinal differences in the face of Roman Catholic persecution
Persecution
Persecution is the systematic mistreatment of an individual or group by another group. The most common forms are religious persecution, ethnic persecution, and political persecution, though there is naturally some overlap between these terms. The inflicting of suffering, harassment, isolation,...
of Orthodoxy following the Union of Brest
Union of Brest
Union of Brest or Union of Brześć refers to the 1595-1596 decision of the Church of Rus', the "Metropolia of Kiev-Halych and all Rus'", to break relations with the Patriarch of Constantinople and place themselves under the Pope of Rome. At the time, this church included most Ukrainians and...
(1596). Many Orthodox Christians living in Poland at the time were deprived of their rights, and attempts were made to force them to convert to Catholicism. A number of Orthodox bishops even became apostates to Uniatism. To counteract this problem, St. Job and others defended Orthodoxy by copying and disseminating Orthodox books. Prince Ostroz’kyi was also responsible for the Ostrog Bible
Ostrog Bible
The Ostrog Bible was one of the earliest East Slavic translations of the Bible and the first complete printed edition of the Bible in Old Church Slavonic, published in Ostroh, in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth , by the printer Ivan Fyodorov in 1581 with the assistance of the Ruthenian Prince...
(1581), the first printed edition of the complete Orthodox Bible.
Hermit withdrawal to Pochayiv
Hermit
A hermit is a person who lives, to some degree, in seclusion from society.In Christianity, the term was originally applied to a Christian who lives the eremitic life out of a religious conviction, namely the Desert Theology of the Old Testament .In the...
into the mountain caves monastery
Pochayiv Lavra
Holy Dormition Pochayiv Lavra has for centuries been the foremost spiritual and ideological centre of various Orthodox denominations in Western Ukraine. The monastery tops a 60-metre hill in the town of Pochayiv, Ternopil Oblast, 18 km southwest of Kremenets and 50 km north of Ternopil...
at Pochayiv (Pochaev) in Kremenets
Kremenets
Kremenets is a city in the Ternopil Oblast of western Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Kremenets Raion , and rests 18 km north-east of the great Pochayiv Monastery...
district (in the northern part of Ternopil oblast
Ternopil Oblast
Ternopil Oblast is an oblast' of Ukraine. Its administrative center is Ternopil, through which flows the Seret River, a tributary of the Dnister.-Geography:...
, western Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
). Having joined the monastery in 1604, Job was eventually elected hegumen
Hegumen
Hegumen, hegumenos, igumen, or ihumen is the title for the head of a monastery of the Eastern Orthodox Church or Eastern Catholic Churches, similar to the one of abbot. The head of a convent of nuns is called hegumenia or ihumenia . The term means "the one who is in charge", "the leader" in...
.
Job was quiet, brief in words, and the only sound heard from his lips was the Jesus prayer
Jesus Prayer
The Jesus Prayer or "The Prayer" is a short, formulaic prayer esteemed and advocated within the Eastern Orthodox church:The prayer has been widely taught and discussed throughout the history of the Eastern Churches. It is often repeated continually as a part of personal ascetic practice, its use...
. For many days and weeks he would retreat into his locked cave, so narrow that entry is difficult, and so small that it was impossible to sit, stand or lie conveniently. From the long periods of kneeling, his knees were covered with wounds, and wearing knee-marks into the rock floor. His disciple Dosyfey recounts that he saw supernatural light coming from the depths of the cave, shining for two hours onto the opposite side of the church. Dosyfey records that at the sight was terrified and fell to the ground.
Job introduced strict discipline and other reforms of monastic life. During his time in office, the monastery had to fend off incessant attacks by Andrzej Firlej, Castellan
Castellan
A castellan was the governor or captain of a castle. The word stems from the Latin Castellanus, derived from castellum "castle". Also known as a constable.-Duties:...
of Belz
Belz
Belz , a small city in the Lviv Oblast of Western Ukraine, near the border with Poland, is located between the Solokiya river and the Rzeczyca stream....
, who sued the monks over his grandmother's bequest of extensive lands and a miracle-working icon of the Mother of God. In 1623, Firlej raided the monastery, taking the holy icon with him and keeping it until 1641, when a court decision finally restituted the icon to the monks.
In 1628 Job attended the Synod
Synod
A synod historically is a council of a church, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. In modern usage, the word often refers to the governing body of a particular church, whether its members are meeting or not...
of Kiev, called to defend the Orthodox Church against Uniatism.
Sometime after 1642, he was tonsured into the Great Schema, and received the new monastic name of John.
Death and canonization
Canonization
Canonization is the act by which a Christian church declares a deceased person to be a saint, upon which declaration the person is included in the canon, or list, of recognized saints. Originally, individuals were recognized as saints without any formal process...
as a saint shortly thereafter. After his death, Job appeared three times in a vision
Vision (religion)
In spirituality, a vision is something seen in a dream, trance, or ecstasy, especially a supernatural appearance that conveys a revelation.Visions generally have more clarity than dreams, but traditionally fewer psychological connotations...
to Dyonysij Balaban, the Metropolitan of Kiev, and instructed him that God wanted the Metropolitan to uncover the saint's relics. After the first two visions, Metropolitan Dyonysij did not follow the order. Only after the third, when Job threatened him with misfortune should he continue to disobey, did Dyonysij see in it God’s will. The same day, the Metropolitan departed for Pochayiv and gave orders to open the grave of Job immediately. This took place on 28 August 1659. His body was found to be incorrupt, emitting a wonderful and heavenly fragrance. The relics were taken to the Trinity Cathedral
Troitse-Sergiyeva Lavra
The Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius is the most important Russian monastery and the spiritual centre of the Russian Orthodox Church. The monastery is situated in the town of Sergiyev Posad, about 70 km to the north-east from Moscow by the road leading to Yaroslavl, and currently is home to...
of the Lavra for veneration.
A second "Uncovering of the Relics" of St. Job of Pochayiv took place on 28 August 1833, at which his relics were solemnly transferred to a church consecrated
Consecration
Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service, usually religious. The word "consecration" literally means "to associate with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different groups...
to his honour which had been built at the Pochayiv Lavra. Every year, on 28 August a great number of Orthodox pilgrim
Pilgrim
A pilgrim is a traveler who is on a journey to a holy place. Typically, this is a physical journeying to some place of special significance to the adherent of a particular religious belief system...
s come to Pochayiv Lavra to honour Saint Job, venerate
Veneration
Veneration , or veneration of saints, is a special act of honoring a saint: an angel, or a dead person who has been identified by a church committee as singular in the traditions of the religion. It is practiced by the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Roman Catholic, and Eastern Catholic Churches...
his relics, and ask for his intercession
Intercession
Intercession is the act of interceding between two parties. In both Christian and Islamic religious usage, it is a prayer to God on behalf of others....
.
Healings and miracles
Pochayiv Lavra
Holy Dormition Pochayiv Lavra has for centuries been the foremost spiritual and ideological centre of various Orthodox denominations in Western Ukraine. The monastery tops a 60-metre hill in the town of Pochayiv, Ternopil Oblast, 18 km southwest of Kremenets and 50 km north of Ternopil...
, heard singing coming out of one of the churches and saw light from its windows at midnight. Having entered the church (the door was opened by an invisible angelic hand), she saw supernatural light and heard celestial singing. There stood Saint Job along with two shining youths - angel
Angel
Angels are mythical beings often depicted as messengers of God in the Hebrew and Christian Bibles along with the Quran. The English word angel is derived from the Greek ἄγγελος, a translation of in the Hebrew Bible ; a similar term, ملائكة , is used in the Qur'an...
s. Saint Job told her not to be afraid and to call the hegumen of the monastery. Anna replied that the hegumen lay dying in bed. Saint Job gave her a silk handkerchief soaked with oil
Anointing
To anoint is to pour or smear with perfumed oil, milk, water, melted butter or other substances, a process employed ritually by many religions. People and things are anointed to symbolize the introduction of a sacramental or divine influence, a holy emanation, spirit, power or God...
. The hegumen was healed immediately when the handkerchief was touched to his body. When the hegumen hurriedly returned with Anna to the church, the vision was no more.
During the Zbarazh War
Zbarazh
Zbarazh is a city in the Ternopil Oblast of western Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Zbarazh Raion , and is located in the historic region of Galicia....
of 1675, the cloister was besieged by the Turks
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
, who reputedly fled upon seeing the apparition of the Theotokos
Theotokos
Theotokos is the Greek title of Mary, the mother of Jesus used especially in the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Eastern Catholic Churches. Its literal English translations include God-bearer and the one who gives birth to God. Less literal translations include Mother of God...
(Mother of God) accompanied by angels and St Job. Numerous Turkish Muslims who witnessed the event during the siege converted to Christianity afterward. One of the monastery chapels commemorates this event.
In 1773, Potocki (who was a Roman Catholic) petitioned the Pope to recognize the Pochayiv icon as miraculous and St Job as a Catholic saint. Only the former petition was satisfied.
On 28 October 1908 when the Bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
of Volhynia
Volhynia
Volhynia, Volynia, or Volyn is a historic region in western Ukraine located between the rivers Prypiat and Southern Bug River, to the north of Galicia and Podolia; the region is named for the former city of Volyn or Velyn, said to have been located on the Southern Bug River, whose name may come...
and the faithful celebrated the feast day of Saint Job, the Saint repeatedly appeared in a vision in front of the bishop and blessed the Holy Mysteries (Body and Blood of Christ).
The cave church of St Job contains a famous gift from Countess Orlova - a silver reliquary with relics of the saint.
The Printshop of St. Job of Pochaev at Holy Trinity Monastery
Holy Trinity Monastery (Jordanville, New York)
Holy Trinity Monastery is a male monastic community in Jordanville, New York. It is under the auspices of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia. The monastery is dedicated to the Holy Trinity, and its patronal feast day is Pentecost.-History:...
in Jordanville, New York
Jordanville, New York
Jordanville is a hamlet in the town of Warren, Herkimer County, New York. Jordanville is in the northwest part of Warren, at the intersection of Routes 18 and 155. The community was settled before 1791.-Gelston Castle:...
, is dedicated to St. Job, and is the principle press of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, publishing liturgical and spiritual works in Church Slavonic, Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
and English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
.
Feast Days
The Orthodox Church celebrates his memory on October 28October 28 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
Oct. 27 - Eastern Orthodox Church calendar - Oct. 29-Fixed commemorations:All fixed commemorations below are observed on November 10 by Old Calendarists.-Saints:* Arsenius of Srem, Archbishop of Serbia* Athanasius I, Patriarch of Constantinople...
, the day of his repose (for those churches which follow the Julian Calendar
Julian calendar
The Julian calendar began in 45 BC as a reform of the Roman calendar by Julius Caesar. It was chosen after consultation with the astronomer Sosigenes of Alexandria and was probably designed to approximate the tropical year .The Julian calendar has a regular year of 365 days divided into 12 months...
October 28 falls on November 10 of the Gregorian Calendar
Gregorian calendar
The Gregorian calendar, also known as the Western calendar, or Christian calendar, is the internationally accepted civil calendar. It was introduced by Pope Gregory XIII, after whom the calendar was named, by a decree signed on 24 February 1582, a papal bull known by its opening words Inter...
, a difference of 13 days).
On August 28
August 28 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
August 27 - Eastern Orthodox Church calendar - August 29All fixed commemorations below celebrated on September 10 by Old Calendarists-Saints:*St. Moses the Black of Skete, monk...
/September 10 the church celebrates the anniversary of the Uncovering of his Relics. In 1902, the Holy Synod decreed that on this day the holy relics of St Job be carried in procession
Crucession
A Crucession, or Cross Procession , is a procession that takes place in the Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic liturgical traditions. The name derives from the fact that the procession is headed by a cross....
around the Dormition Cathedral of the Pochaev Lavra after the Divine Liturgy
Divine Liturgy
Divine Liturgy is the common term for the Eucharistic service of the Byzantine tradition of Christian liturgy. As such, it is used in the Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches. Armenian Christians, both of the Armenian Apostolic Church and of the Armenian Catholic Church, use the same term...
.
and October 10
October 10 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
Oct. 9 - Eastern Orthodox Church calendar - Oct. 11All fixed commemorations below celebrated on Oct. 23 by Old Calendarists-Saints:*Martyrs Eulampius and Eulampia at Nicomedia, and 200 martyrs with them...
/23 (as one of the seven saints commemorated on the Synaxis of the Saints of Volhynia).
External links
- Saints of Orthodox Volyn
- An Excerpt From the Life of St. Job of Pochayiv
- Wonders of the Pochayiv Mount Blessed Job of Pochayiv
- Repose of the Venerable Job, Abbot and Wonderworker of Pochaev Orthodox iconIconAn icon is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, from Eastern Christianity and in certain Eastern Catholic churches...
and synaxarion