NEW MARTYR JOHN THE NEW OF EPIRUS

Saint John the New (1496-1526) lived shortly after the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople. He was a tailor by trade, became an orphan early, and invested all the money that he inherited into business and opened a shop in the capital.

At that time, many Greeks converted to Islam so that their trade could proceed without hindrance. The Ottoman social system was not initially equal, Christians were discriminated against. In modern parlance, they were constantly subjected to sanctions. John not only did not convert to Islam, but he went around to his fellow tribesmen and persuaded them to return to their father’s faith.

His trade was going well. Then one of his fellow tribesmen accused him of allegedly promising to convert to Islam, but did not do so. A trial began. But something went wrong, and they decided to simply burn John. Then the local bishop, as if out of mercy, gave money to ransom John. At least, that’s what those around him thought. In the end, it turned out that he simply asked for a delay so that John would not be burned at Easter, since this would be a bad omen.

After Easter, John was prepared for burning. He sang the troparion of the Resurrection: “Christ is risen from the dead.” The residents of the surrounding houses, who were Orthodox, saw this as a bad omen and forced the executioners to stop the massacre, demanding that it be moved to another place far from the village.

Then John, all covered in burns, was brought to a new, final place of execution and burned there. The martyr sang the troparion of Easter again and again. Only a few remains of his body remained. According to legend, his head is kept in the famous monastery of St. Varlam in Greek Meteora. The city of Ioannina in Epirus, where John was from, is relatively close to this monastery.

This is the testimony of a new martyr who was betrayed by his Orthodox Christians and killed by the Ottomans for refusing to renounce Christ. But there remains one incomprehensible circumstance in his life. Why did they want to burn him? After all, Muslim law did not provide for such a type of execution. There is no such punishment in the Koran either.

The answer is shocking in its cruel suddenness. Apparently, seeing how well his business was going in trade, his fellow Orthodox Christians and the Ottomans united in their hatred against him and considered John a sorcerer.

How often do we hear in our time from the Orthodox: “This or that person’s business is going well because demons help him.” What a terrible warning to all those who, in one form or another, repeat such words as if for the sake of piety, but, in fact, out of envy.

In the Churches that adhere to the Julian calendar, the memory of John the New is celebrated on May 1. This is a very providential coincidence, allowing one to easily remember the date of the saint’s commemoration, and, most importantly, reminding us that John was a believing man of labor.

In modern Orthodoxy, John is revered as the patron and helper of businessmen, all those who are engaged in trade and business. The life of the holy martyr warns that help without faith in Christ is wrong, for it makes meaningless the very essence of his martyrdom.