Much of our knowledge of Olympias comes from an anonymous fifth-century document composed by someone who knew her well (The Life of Olympias) and from the Church father John Chrysostom, who poured out his heart to her in seventeen letters he wrote from his exile. Olympias’ grandfather, Ablabius, was a Christian and a senator in Constantine’s Roman government. He had a daughter who married Secundus, one of the emperor’s “companions,” a noble order created by Constantine. Olympias was born to this pair between 360 and 370 AD. She was orphaned early in life, after which Procopius, the prefect of Constantinople, served as her guardian.[i]
She married Nebridius in 384, but was widowed just days later around age 20. Pressured to remarry, she instead chose a single life, explaining her position to the emperor Theodosius. “If my King, the Lord Jesus Christ, wanted me to be joined with a man, he would not have taken away my first husband immediately”[ii]
The Loving Deaconess: Providing Spiritual Direction through Spiritual Example
By now a rich, pious widow, Olympias gave of her immense wealth to those in need and to many religious leaders. By age 30 she was named a deaconess, which usually did not occur until age 60. The Didascalia of the Apostles mentions deaconesses assisting at baptisms, discipling new believers in the faith, teaching women, visiting unbelievers and believers in their homes, and serving the sick.[iii]
During this time she took on the task of spiritual leadership for fifty young single women in Constantinople. Of them, Olympias’ biographer noted, “One was struck with amazement at seeing certain things in the holy chorus and angelic institution of these holy women: their incessant continence and sleeplessness, the constancy of their praise and thanksgiving to God, their ‘charity which is the bond of perfection,’ their stillness.”[iv] As spiritual directors of these female spiritual friends, Olympias led them in the consistent practice of life-changing spiritual disciplines.
Summarizing her life and ministry among them, Olympias’ biographer poetically recalled her Christlike character. “She had a life without vanity, an appearance without pretence, character without affection . . . a mind without vainglory, intelligence without conceit, an untroubled heart, an artless spirit, charity without limits, unbounded generosity . . . immeasurable self-control, rectitude of thought, undying hope in God, ineffable almsgiving; she was the ornament of all the humble.”[v]
She was so humble that she readily invited Chrysostom to take over the spiritual leadership of her small community when he arrived in Constantinople in 398 after having been appointed Bishop. He and Olympias became close spiritual friends and he became spiritual director for these women. He “visited them continuously and sustained them with his most wise teachings. Thus fortified each day by his divinely-inspired instruction, they kindled in themselves the divine love so that their great and holy love steamed forth to him.”[vi]
The Spiritual Warrior with Spiritual Courage: Standing Strong against Wrong
One could assume, falsely, that such a humble, servant-hearted woman might lack commensurate courage and conviction. History tells a markedly different story. Olympias’ loyalty to her spiritual leaders caused her great persecution and immense suffering. “And due to her sympathy for them, she endured many trails by the actions of a willfully evil and vulgar person; contending eagerly not in a few contests on behalf of the truth of God, she lived faultlessly in unmeasured tears night and day.”[vii] In fact, her biographer, in one breath, spoke both of what he called “her manly courage,” and of how “she cultivated in herself a gentleness so that she surpassed even the simplicity of children themselves.”[viii]
Throughout Sacred Friendships you will find this theme saturated everywhere. Godly women of old integrated into their Christlike character both humble care and bold courage. They saw no dichotomy between the two; they experienced no contradiction between tender soul care and tough spiritual direction.
Olympias faced the greatest test of her courage when Chrysostom’s enemies slandered him in respect to his relationship to her. Chrysostom sent into exile, one might expect an accused woman in this time period to meekly retreat. Not Olympias. Forced to appear before the city prefect for interrogation, she refused to recant her innocence and her defense of Chrysostom. Sent into exile herself, “she, strengthened by the divine grace, nobly and courageously, for the sake of the love of God, bore the storms of trials and diverse tribulations which came upon her.”[ix]
Chrysostom, using the language of spiritual warfare, extolled the virtues of her steadfastness. “You are like a tower, a haven, and a wall of defense, speaking in the eloquent voice of example, and through your sufferings instructing either sex to strip readily for these contests, and descend into the lists with all courage, and cheerfully bear the toils which such contests involve.”[x]
He then contrasts Olympias’ resilience with the weakness of others. He notes that she deserves “superlative admiration” because “so many men” when facing trails “have been turned to flight” but “you on the contrary after so many battles and such a large muster of the enemy are so far from being unstrung, or dismayed by the number of your adversities, that you are all the more vigorous, and the increase of the contest gives you an increase of strength.”[xi]
In exile, she maintained both her care for those under her direction and the courage of her convictions. “Victorious in the good fight, she crowned herself with the crown of patience, having turned over the flock to Marina, who was her relative and spiritual daughter. . . . Having done this, she escaped from the storm of human woes and crossed over to the calm haven of our souls, Christ the God.”[xii]
The Soul Physician’s Soul Physician: Vulnerably Receiving Spiritual Care
One might also falsely think that a woman of this era such as Olympias was so pious, or perhaps even so pretentious, that she never felt deeply the pangs of despair. Again, history paints a truer, more humane portrait. We learn of this human, vulnerable, real and raw side of Olympias from the letters of spiritual consolation Chrysostom penned to her. While we only have his side of the correspondence, his words give us a glimpse into her soul. In his first letter to her, he responds to her previous correspondence with him by saying, “Come now let me relieve the wound of thy despondency, and disperse the thoughts which gather this cloud of care around thee.”[xiii]
Chrysostom precedes to sketch a lengthy litany of “fierce black storm” clouds engulfing Olympias. Yet he realizes that words do not suffice. “But how much further shall I pursue the unattainable? For whatever image of our present evils I may seek, speech shrinks baffled from the attempt.”[xiv] He shifts instead to worthier imagery—the imagery of Christ—to offer his hurting spiritual friend hope. “Nevertheless even when I look at these calamities I do not abandon the hope of better things, considering as I do who the pilot is in all this—not one who gets the better of the storm by his art, but calms the raging waters by his rod.”[xv]
In his second letter, we learn again of her humanness. He refers to Olympias having received his letter of consolation and yet having “sunk so deeply under the tyranny of despondency as even to desire to depart out of this world.”[xvi] He responds with a prolonged second attempt to comfort her. Finally, in his third letter, he rejoices that her spirits are lifted. “And now I am exceedingly glad and delighted to hear, not only that you have been released from your infirmity, but above all that you bear the things which befell you so bravely . . .”[xvii]
Though in Chrysostom’s words we do not hear the soul physician ministry of Olympias, we do learn about Olympias the soul physician. Her lesson is a lesson that every soul physician must heed. While some quote the proverb, “Physician, heal thyself!” Olympias applied the proverbial wisdom that in much counsel there is great wisdom. She understood what all soul care-givers and spiritual directors must understand: soul physicians need soul physicians! Though a skilled, mature spiritual director herself, she humbled herself to receive soul care and spiritual direction from Chrysostom. She did not feel the modern/post-modern need to be a “super woman,” independent, self-sufficient. She understood that she could be strong and simultaneously admit her need. Women, and men, in leadership today, would be wise to follow her example.
[i]The Life of Olympias, in Elizabeth Clark, Jerome, Chrysostom, and Friends,127-128.
[ii]Ibid., 128-129.
[iii]Swan, 107.
[iv]The Life of Olympias, 132-133.
[v]Ibid., 137.
[vi]Ibid., 133.
[vii]Ibid., 139.
[viii]Ibid.
[ix]Ibid., 134.
[x]Saint Chrysostom, Letters, 9:297.
[xi]Ibid., 9:298.
[xii]The Life of Olympias, 134-135.
[xiii]Saint Chrysostom, Letters, 9:289.
[xiv]Ibid.
[xv]Ibid.
[xvi]Ibid., 9:293.
[xvii]Ibid., 9:297.
