Who he was
- John bar Kursos was born in Callinicus.
- After a short period in the army, he became a monk and in 519 he became bishop of Tella (Constantia).
- St. Severus of Antioch appointed him as a general representative of the patriarchate. In 521, he was one of the 54 bishops expelled from their sees by Justin I.
- He spent the next several years propagating his faith, travelling widely, often in secret, and ordaining many deacons and priests, but he was arrested in a monastery near Antioch, treated badly, and died in imprisonment on 6 February 538. One of those ordained deacon ca. 529, was John of Amid who later became the famous bishop of Ephesus.
- He worked tirelessly to protect the little flock and defend the Orthodox faith. The Church considers him as one of her great confessors and celebrates his feast day.
What he wrote
- John of Tella wrote 48 canons for the monks of his monastery.
- He wrote 27 rules including exhortations for the clergy.
- These are titled in some manuscripts as, “Rules of John of Tella to be Observed by Priests, especially those in Country Areas.”
- He wrote 48 questions and answers.
- He wrote seven pages and one epistle which included the Creed.
- He sent them to deacons, priests, monasteries, abbots, and monks in his bishopric.
- He also wrote an explanation of the Trisagion and many other epistles.