John (correspondent of Nilus of Ancyra)

This record gathers under the single name "John" several distinct correspondents whom Nilus of Ancyra addresses in his letters, the milieu being early-5th-century Ancyra (modern Ankara) in Galatia; the letters themselves distinguish them by quite different titles and stations. They include John the Monk, to whom Nilus writes repeated direction on resisting demonic temptation, despondency, and despair (e.g. recalling God's providence before one took the habit, and the doctrine that a single demon can work many vices); John the Bishop, sternly rebuked for negligence under the biblical figure of Egypt's king plundering the Temple; John the Illustris, a holder of high senatorial court rank praised for showing compassion to the children of his enemies; and John the Notable, the Younger, a youth urged to honor his parents and shun corrupt pleasure-loving company. None of these men is independently or famously attested; each is known only as a recipient of Nilus's spiritual and pastoral letters, and the common name has evidently been collapsed into one database entry rather than reflecting a single historical individual.