Venerable
Venerable Joseph the Hymnographer
ок. 816 — †886
Venerable Joseph the Hymnographer — one of the most prolific Byzantine hymn-writers, author of up to 200-400 canons included in liturgical books; presbyter and skeuophylax of the Cathedral of Hagia Sophia; he suffered for icon veneration — captured by pirates, he spent years imprisoned on Crete and later in exile at Cherson.
Venerable Joseph was born in Sicily around 816 to the Christian family of Plotinus and Agathia; due to Arab raids on Sicily (from 827) the family fled to the Peloponnese. At 15 he entered a monastery in Thessaloniki, later became a disciple of St. Gregory of Decapolis and followed him to Constantinople (c. 837-839), where he was ordained presbyter; together with his teacher he openly preached against iconoclasm during the persecution under Emperor Theophilos.
He was sent as an envoy to the Pope of Rome to report on the persecution; his ship was seized by Arab pirates (according to tradition, bribed by iconoclasts), and he spent about six years imprisoned on Crete — according to tradition, St. Nicholas the Wonderworker appeared to him there, announcing his release. Later, during a new wave of iconoclast persecution, he endured about 11 years of exile at Cherson.
He was associated with the Studion Monastery in Constantinople; after returning from exile under Empress Theodora he was appointed skeuophylax (keeper of the sacred vessels) of the patriarchal Cathedral of Hagia Sophia under Patriarch Photius, and spiritual director of the capital's clergy.
He composed an extensive collection of canons distinguished by their imagery and elegant style — variously estimated at 200 to 460 — included in the Menaia and other liturgical books; he also wrote a Life and encomium of St. Gregory of Decapolis and works on the Apostle Bartholomew.
He reposed around 886 (the traditional date of 883 has been revised by scholarship, since Pascha in 886 fell on March 27, consistent with the tradition of his peaceful death near Easter).
His feast is kept on April 4/17.
IMPORTANT CORRECTIONS: the BC era contamination has been corrected to AD. The category has been refined from righteous to venerable — the stub's original text already called him "venerable," contradicting its stated category.