The Akathist to Apostle John the Theologian is a prayer that helps deepen the understanding of the life and mission of this great apostle. Reading this akathist helps believers draw closer to God and receive spiritual support in their lives.
Troparion, Tone 2
O Apostle, Christ God, beloved of God, hasten to deliver those who are unresponsive: accept those who draw near to you, the one who has fallen on your breast, the one who is received, whom you pray for, O Theologian, and drive away the darkness of languages, praying for us peace and great mercy.
Kondakion, Tone 2
Your greatness, O Virgin, who can tell it? You perform miracles, and you pour out healings, and you pray for our souls, as the Theologian and friend of Christ.
Kondakion 1
Chosen from the nets of the fishermen for the preaching of the Gospel, and from the catching of fish to the catching of men for the true knowledge of God, O great Apostle, disciple, friend, and companion of Christ, pray to the One True Lover of Mankind, whom you loved with seraphic love, to have mercy on us, seeking your intercession with Him and calling out to you:
Rejoice, Apostle John, companion of Christ and Theologian.
Ikos 1
Creator, Lord, and Ruler of the angelic powers and all creation, who took our flesh and appeared on earth for our salvation, seeing the one walking by the sea of Galilee and calling out to you with your brother, O blessed John, in the calling of apostleship, leaving the nets of the fishermen and your father in the boats, you followed the footsteps of the Savior unswervingly from there. For this reason, we cry out to you thus:
Rejoice, leaving the father for the love of Christ.
Rejoice, found by the Heavenly Father.
Rejoice, despising the peace of the world.
Rejoice, receiving the heavenly reward.
Rejoice, having completely subdued the flesh by the spirit.
Rejoice, having made your spirit submissive to your sweet Teacher Jesus.
Rejoice, Apostle John, companion of Christ and Theologian.
Kondakion 2
Seeing Christ the Lord the unblemished purity of your heart, not corrupted by earthly passions, judge you worthy to be a seer of the mysterious revelations, by which you penetrate the depth of theology, and you can preach it to the hearing of the whole world; for this reason, He called you “son of thunder,” crying out to Him:
Alleluia
Ibyos 2
Illuminated thy soul by the intellect of true knowledge of God, thou didst walk after thy Good Teacher, learning the wisdom proceeding from His mouth; and for the sake of thy perfect faultlessness and virginal chastehood, thou wast beloved by Christ thy Lord. Hear then us, we who sing to thee thus:
Rejoice, zealot of faultlessness!
Rejoice, guardian of virginity and purity!
Rejoice, teacher of theological love!
Rejoice, instructor of virtues!
Rejoice, mirror of humility!
Rejoice, lamp of divine grace!
Rejoice, John Apostle, finger of Christ and Theologian!
Kontak 3
The power of the Divinity of Christ, hidden under the cloud of weak human nature, thou didst manifest clearly, when raising the daughter of Jairus and later being Transfigured on Tabor, thou wast granted along with two other disciples to be a witness of such glorious wonders. Having known Christ to be the True God, from the depth of thy heart thou didst call unto Him:
Alleluia
Ibyos 3
Having great boldness toward Christ who lovoved thee, the Son of God, thou didst incline at His side at the performance of the Secret Supper; and when the Lord prophesied of His betrayer, then thou alone didst dare ask of his name. For this reason we cry out to thee:
Rejoice, beloved disciple of Christ!
Rejoice, His constant friend!
Rejoice, irresistibly reining at the Lord’s side!
Rejoice, boldly asking of the mystery of betrayal!
Rejoice, closer to Christ than all the other disciples!
Rejoice, for unto thee Christ revealed divine mysteries more than to the other Apostles!
Rejoice, John Apostle, finger of Christ and Theologian!
Oikos 4
Hanging on the Cross, nailed for our sins, the Savior of the world, seeing thee and His own Mother standing before Thee, gave thee to the Most Blessed Virgin Theotokos in adoption, saying unto Her: “Woman, behold thy son,” and unto thee after: “Behold thy mother.” We too, while worthily honoring such honor shown unto thee, sing thus:
Rejoice, who hast been made worthy of the adoption of God.
Rejoice, by which more unto Christ, through some spiritual kinship, thou became His.
Rejoice, who hast worthily served the Mother of God.
Rejoice, who didst sustain John throughout her stay on earth.
Rejoice, who in her Dormition didst her honorable and holy body to the tomb.
Rejoice, who preceded her funeral bier, brought forth by the Archangel Gabriel with a radiant staff.
Rejoice, John the Apostle, arm- of Christ and the Theologian.
Conakion 5
Thou hast appeared as a grace-filled star in Asia, having gone there to preach the Word of God, which by lot had fallen upon thee; but beforefore the Lord allowed thee to be swallowed by the sea, yet the grace of God, ever abiding with thee, preserved thee alive in the depths of the waters; and after fourteen days He commanded the sea wave, being praised, to cast thee out upon the shore, that when thy disciple Prochorus, already mourning thy departure, saw, he with a great voice called the wonder-working God:
Alleluia
Oikos 5
The inhabitants of Ephesus, seeing the glorious miracle wrought by thee—the resurrection of the youth Domnus who was killed by a demon while in the bathhouse—sang vocally of the power of God preached by thee, and being delivered from loathsome idolatry, cried out to thee thus:
Rejoice, servant of the True God.
Rejoice, dispeller of demons.
Rejoice, giving life to the dead by the power of Christ.
Rejoice, returning life and health by thyself.
Rejoice, calling those darkened in mind to the Light of Truth.
Rejoice, instucting the righteous to virtue by the illumination of faith.
Rejoice, John the Apostle, arm- of Christ and the Theologian.
Conakion 6
Having been a preacher of the God-bearing Word of God in Ephesus, and being zealous for the spreading of the Evangelic grace, thou didst strengthen thy teaching with fearful and incomprehensible signs; by a single prayer thou didst refute the temple of Artemis, so that these idolaters, seeing this, might know the One God, unto whom we cry:
Alleluia
Ikos 6
When the light of Christ’s faith, preached by thee, already shone in full radiance in Ephesus, the wicked Domitian raised up persecution against the Christians; then thou also, as a diligent confessor of the name of Christ, wert sent bound to Rome by the prefect, where thou didst fearful sufferings, for the sake of which we greet thee with these words:
Rejoice, being beaten for the sake of Christ’s confession.
Rejoice, having drunk the cup of deadly poison without harm.
Rejoice, not being boiled in the cauldron of boiling oil.
Rejoice, having remained whole by the power of Christ in cruel tortures.
Rejoice, having terrified the Caesar who tormented thee by supernatural invulnerability.
Rejoice, having convinced the people—venerated as Christians—of the majesty of God.
Rejoice, O John Apostle, the sleeve of Christ and Theologian.
Kontak 7
When the tormentor saw that even the cruelest of sufferings devised by them could not kill thee, then, considering thee to be immortal, condemned thee to exile on the island of Patmos. But thou, obeying Divine Providence so pleased, didst sing to God thankfully, who arranges all things for good:
Alleluia
Ikos 7
Thou didst manifest new wonders to idolaters, seeking to turn them to the saving faith of Christ; when whilest wert floating to thy exile, by thy command the sea cast the drowned acolyte back onto the ship alive, the storm was stilled, the bitter water was turned into sweet, the army was healed from belly ailments, and upon thy arrival in Patmos, the inquisitive one from Apollonidias was cast out. Then all seeing such unfathomable events came to the knowledge of the Tri-hypostatic God. We beatify thee thus:
Rejoice, commanding the sea and the storm.
Rejoice, casting out satanic spirits from men.
Rejoice, healing diseases with a single word.
Rejoice, providing help to all in need.
Rejoice, having delivered the acolyte from sea drowning.
Rejoice, having established the unfaithful in true faith.
Rejoice, O John Apostle, the sleeve of Christ and Theologian.
Kontak 8
It was strange to see the priests of the temple of Apollo, as the house of him whom they, being fools, worshipped as a god, thou didst overturn to the earth with a single word; marveling and raging at such thy boldness, they went to the sorcerer Cynopus, a fervent advocate of demons, that he might avenge the dishonor of their god. He he, being blind in soul and not knowing the power dwelling in thee, attempted to frighten thee with dreams and various visions and to incite the people against thee; but later he himself, cursed, hoping in his own sorcery, plunged into the sea and there sank, the demons being powerless to save him, forbidden by thee the name of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, whom the people glorified, the witness of this miracle, singing:
Alleluia
Oikos 8
Having filled all and everything thyself with divine love, thou did become a vessel for the gifts of the Holy Spirit; foretelling things yet to come, standing as if present while speaking, healing the infirm; and to the wife of Anphipatus, suffering in the pains of childbirth, as soon as thou stepped upon the threshold of her house, thou did grant relief. Receive therefore from us, sinners, these praises:
Rejoice, vessel of the grace of God.
Rejoice, dwelling place of the Holy Spirit.
Rejoice, O wondrous fountain of healing for powers of disease.
Rejoice, thunder, striking the ancient serpent and his angels.
Rejoice, exposing the wiles of the crafty Satan.
Rejoice, protecting the faithful from his snares.
Rejoice, John the Apostle, Priest of Christ and the Theologian.
Kontak 9
Zealously destroying every iniquity from the midst of people to whom thou wert sent, thou didst overthrow with a single word the temple of Bacchus; surpassing the wonders of the sorcerer Nukian, thou didst make the wolf a gentle lamb and lead him to the faith of Christ; and the mother, exposing in the fiery burning of carnal sin toward her son, thou didst turn to repentance; while they, having turned from sin unto salvation, cried out to God ceasing:
Alleluia
Oikos 9
The eloquence of human wisdom cannot utter forth, nor can the earthly mind of man perceive, that which thou hast revealed to us concerning the boundless existence of the Triune God: for like Moses, in thunders and splendances upon the mountain, thou didst receive from God the mystery of theology and proclaimed to the world that in the beginning was the Word, eternally inseparable from the Father, and the cause of all things that exist, possessing the Life-giving Light which darkness cannot embrace. Illuminated by such a radiance of the light of Divine Truth, we venerate thee as the initiate of the Boundless Trinity and sing to thee as the most perfect Theologian:
Rejoice, eagle, soaring unto the very fire-resemblant Throne of God.
Rejoice, trumpet, having proclaimed to the world the Eternal and Boundless God.
Rejoice, revealing to us the hidden mysteries of God.
Rejoice, explaining to us the humanity and divinity of Christ.
Rejoice, teaching us love for God and for our neighbor.
Rejoice, promising to us the indwelling of God through this love.
Rejoice, John the Apostle, Priest of Christ and the Theologian.
Condak 10
Save, O Lord, the human soul, by teaching all people to believe in Christ, the Son of God, to have an unblemished conscience, and to love one another, so that not only here, but also in the heavenly kingdom, we may glorify the Almighty God with beautiful hymns:
Alleluia
Icos 10
Beholding the walls of the Upper Jerusalem in a vision, you revealed to us the prophecy that already exists and will exist until the end of the world, saying to us in enigmatic words, and leaving it to those with a divine mind to understand. Astonished by such wisdom, which is greater than that of man, we hymn you thus:
Rejoice, O one who has surpassed human nature by the knowledge of Alpha and Omega.
Rejoice, O vessel of mysteries that cannot be grasped by the human mind.
Rejoice, O one who has seen the unutterable revelations of God.
Rejoice, O one who teaches the faithful.
Rejoice, O one who has known the joys of the saints even in this life.
Rejoice, O one who now enjoys these blessings in abundance without hindrance.
Rejoice, O John the Apostle, the bosom friend of Christ and Theologian.
Condak 11
Present to you, O holy Apostle John, a grateful offering of hymns, that Christian who, having fallen into poverty, and not having anything to repay his debts to his creditor, fell into despair, and sought to kill himself by his own hand; but you, being full of compassion, wishing to deliver him from both temporal and eternal death, by the sign of the cross, you transformed the straw into gold, and gave it to him, so that he might pay off his debts to his creditor, and provide for his household, and that, having been benefited by God through you, he might sing:
Alleluia
Icos 11
Your soul, shining with light, having reached the measure of full age and having become a perfect man, knew the approach of the time necessary for human change, so that the mortal might inherit the promised immortality and the mortal the promised eternal life. Then you commanded your disciples to bury you alive; but when they came to your tomb, and dug it up, they found nothing in it. Recognizing, therefore, that your transformation had taken place in an extraordinary and not ordinary human manner, we hymn you thus:
Rejoice, O eagle, who has renewed your youth without hindrance, and has ascended to the Sun of the Glory of God.
Rejoice, O one who has surpassed all the laws of human nature by such a transformation.
Rejoice, O one who, according to the promise of your good Teacher, sits on one of the twelve thrones.
Rejoice, O one who renders judgment and justice among the people of God, Israel.
Rejoice, O one who delights in the sight of that most sweet Jesus, to whom you leaned on His breast before His passion and resurrection.
Rejoice, O one who intercedes for us with His benevolence, and grants us all good things.
Rejoice, O John the Apostle, bosom friend of Christ and Theologian.
Condak 12
Grace is given from God to that place, where your body was committed to the earth, that it may exhale on the day of your burial the fine dust for the healing of the afflicted, thus demonstrating the wonder of how God glorifies those who love Him, so that all, beholding this, may incessantly cry out to Him with heart and soul, both day and night: Alleluia.
Icos 12
Singing your deeds in apostleship, and miracles, and healings, which you have wrought and continue to work through the grace of the Holy Spirit, who dwells in you, we extol God, who has given us such a guide, instructing us on the path of salvation, and having mercy on our poverty. Accept, therefore, from us, O holy Apostle, these fervent praises:
Rejoice, O Christ’s most excellent disciple.
Rejoice, O most excellent teacher of Christ’s Church.
Rejoice, O beginning and foundation of theologians.
Rejoice, O revelation of the Divine Mysteries.
Rejoice, O example and encouragement to chastity for the virgins.
Rejoice, O speedy help and protection for all who come to your intercession.
Rejoice, O Apostle John, Christ’s beloved disciple and theologian.
Condak 13
O glorious and all-honorable Apostle and Evangelist, Christ’s beloved disciple and theologian, Ioanne! Through your all-powerful intercession with your benevolent Teacher and our Lord and God, obtain for us all good things, both temporal and eternal, and a Christian end to our life, that with you in the dwellings of the righteous and with the angelic choirs, we may sing to the Trihypostatic God: Alleluia.
(This condak is read three times, then Icos 1 and Condak 1).
Prayer
O great Apostle, Evangelist, and theologian, Ioanne, who has been granted the gift of beholding the ineffable revelations! Accept us, wretched sinners, who come to your strong intercession and protection, with the mercy characteristic of you. Obtain from the All-merciful Christ and our God, who has poured out His precious Blood before your eyes for us, His unprofitable servants, that He may not remember our transgressions, but may have mercy on us and grant us spiritual and bodily health, every kind of prosperity, and abundance, teaching us to use these for the glory of Him, our Creator, Savior, and God. At the end of our temporal life, may we, O holy Apostle, avoid the merciless torments awaiting us on the air, but may we attain, through your guidance and protection, the heavenly Jerusalem, whose glory you beheld in revelation, and now enjoy the promised joys. O great Ioanne! Preserve all Christian cities and countries, (this church, dedicated to your holy name), those serving and praying in it, from famine, destruction, fear, and flood, fire, sword, invasion by foreigners, and civil strife. Deliver us from all evils and calamities, and through your prayers, turn away from us the righteous wrath of God, and obtain for us His mercy.
O Great and Incomprehensible God! Behold, we offer to You the holy Ioanne, whom You have granted the gift of beholding the ineffable revelations. Accept his intercession on our behalf, grant us the fulfillment of our petitions for Your glory, and above all, perfect us in spiritual perfection, that we may enjoy the life without end in Your heavenly dwellings. O Heavenly Father, Creator of all, Almighty King! Touch our hearts with Your grace, that, melted like wax, they may flow before You, and that the mortal creature may be transformed into spiritual being, for the honor and glory of You, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.