Commemoration Days: March 30 (April 12), April 1 (14)
Biography
Preliminary Information
He is venerated by the Holy Church as one of the most outstanding architects of monasticism.
The presumed period of his life is estimated to be within the 6th–7th centuries. Despite the widespread veneration of this ascetic among the faithful, particularly among monastics, the biographical details of his life have not been preserved.
To the wider Christian community, he is primarily known as the compiler of an authoritative and highly esteemed work of ascetic literature: The Ladder of Divine Ascent... It would be no exaggeration to say that this work served as a handbook for many renowned ascetics.
According to certain historical sources, John Climacus was the son of Saint Xenophon. His presumed birthplace is believed to be Constantinople.
Based on surviving testimonies, which indicate that before embarking on the monastic path, John had been educated in secular wisdom and thus had received a proper worldly education, it is reasonable to assume that he was born and raised in a well-to-do family.
From a young age, John chose the austere, ascetic life over worldly pleasures. At the age of sixteen, he took monastic vows on Mount Sinai.
This biblical site had attracted ascetics since the 3rd century. It is believed that during Climacus' lifetime, at least several dozen hermits lived in that area.
Renouncing prideful ambitions, vanity, and self-indulgence, John entrusted his spiritual formation to one of the most skilled and experienced teachers of Sinai, the spirit-bearing Abba Martyrius.
Despite his impressive education, while mastering the basics of monastic wisdom, John did not boast of his learning. He was humble and simple in his interactions with others, obedient to his spiritual father in all things.
Following the advice of his mentor, Abba Martyrius, and carrying out his instructions, he did so with such diligence and self-denial, as if obeying not a man but the Heavenly King Himself, who commanded through him.
Long before John was deemed worthy to lead the monks, God revealed his future glory through His saints. On one occasion, Anastasius the Great, known for his virtue, called John the abbot of Sinai (though at that time, he was far from becoming one). Another time, John the Sabbaite, an ascetic from the Guda wilderness, washed the feet of John Climacus as if he were already an abbot.
The Solitary Life
Nineteen years after taking monastic vows (or, by other accounts, at the age of nineteen), following the death of his spiritual father, John chose the valley of Thola at the foot of Mount Sinai as the place for his ascetic labors.
Here, he devoted himself to silence, unceasing prayer, strict fasting, vigil (sleeping only enough to avoid losing soundness of mind from excessive wakefulness), literary work, and other labors. He spent part of his time cultivating the land and tending a garden that provided food for his table.
According to the chronicler, John remained in silent seclusion for about forty years, burning with zeal and the grace-filled fire of the Spirit, without wandering from place to place (except for one occasion when he visited the lands of Egypt). He overcame idleness and sloth with God’s help and constant remembrance of the coming Judgment.
To this period of his life belongs the miracle of the deliverance from death of the ascetic Moses, accomplished through the prayers of Saint John.
At one time, Moses, having received the blessing of the elders, persuaded John to take him as an obedient disciple. One day, while fertilizing the soil for the garden at his teacher’s request, Moses, exhausted by the scorching heat, fell into a deep sleep. At that time, John also dozed off. Then he saw a vision: a Noble Man reproached him, pointing out that while he slept, Moses was in danger. Awakened by the vision, John immediately rose and began to pray. In the evening, upon returning from work, Moses told him that while he slept, a huge stone nearly crushed him, but he managed to leap aside the moment he suddenly thought he heard John calling him.
Abbotship
After forty years of ascetic seclusion, John, contrary to his own plans, became the head of the Sinai monastery and was made abbot of Mount Sinai (the monastery located there in earlier times was called the Monastery of the Burning Bush; later, the monastery built there came to be known as the Monastery of Saint Catherine). In this, he saw God’s divine providence.
The spiritual greatness of Abbot John, despite all his meekness and humility, was so recognized by the brethren of the monastery that they (and not only they) compared him to the lawgiver Moses, the leader of Old Testament Israel. Yet it was noted that the first Moses, who did not enter the Promised Land, was deprived of the earthly Jerusalem, while the second Moses (Saint John Climacus) attained the Heavenly City, the Jerusalem above.
Shortly before his death, Abbot John appointed a God-pleasing successor—Bishop George (believed to be his brother in the flesh). After this, the saint withdrew to his former dwelling and once again devoted himself to silence. There, he reposed. Tradition holds that his death occurred on March 30.
Hymnography
Troparion to Saint John Climacus, Abbot of Sinai, Tone 8
By the streams of your tears, you cultivated the barren desert, / and by your deep sighing, you brought forth fruit a hundredfold in labors. / You became a beacon for the whole world, / shining with miracles, O John, our father. // Entreat Christ God to save our souls.
Another Troparion to Saint John Climacus, Abbot of Sinai, Tone 4
As a divine ladder, we have found you, O venerable John, / your divine virtues leading us to Heaven. / For you were the image of virtues. // Therefore, entreat Christ God to save our souls.
Kontakion to Saint John Climacus, Abbot of Sinai, Tone 1
Bringing ever-blooming fruits from your teachings in your book, O wise one, / you delight the hearts of those who heed them with vigilance, O blessed one. / For your Ladder is a guide leading souls from earth to Heavenly // and eternal glory for those who honor you with faith.
Another Kontakion to Saint John Climacus, Abbot of Sinai, Tone 4
The Lord set you on the heights of true abstinence, / as an unerring star guiding the ends of the earth, // O instructor John, our father.