St. John Chrysostom: The greatest preacher of the early church
he was one of the most articulate and influential preachers of the early Christian church. Originally from Antioch, Chrysostom was elected Patriarch of Constantinople in 398 AD, although he was appointed to office against his wishes. His eloquent and uncompromising preaching was so extraordinary that 150 years after his death, he was given the surname Chrysostom, which means "the golden mouth" or "the golden tongue".
Be quick
Also known as: Giovanni d'Antiochia
Known for: XNUMXth century archbishop of Constantinople, gilded language, famous above all for his numerous and eloquent sermons and letters
Parents: Secundus and Anthusa of Antioch
Born: 347 AD in Antioch, Syria
Died on September 14, 407 in Comana, in northeastern Turkey
Noteworthy quote: “Preaching improves me. When I start talking, tiredness disappears; when I start teaching, fatigue also disappears. "
Early life
John of Antioch (the name that was known among his contemporaries) was born around 347 AD in Antioch, the city where believers in Jesus Christ were called Christians (Acts 11:26). His father, Secundus, was a distinguished military officer in Syria's imperial army. He died when John was a child. Giovanni's mother, Anthusa, was a devoted Christian woman and was only 20 when she became a widow.
In Antioch, the capital of Syria and one of the main educational centers of the day, Chrysostom studied rhetoric, literature and law under the pagan teacher Libanio. For a short time after completing his studies, Chrysostom practiced the law, but soon began to feel called to serve God. He was baptized in the Christian faith at the age of 23 and suffered a radical renunciation of the world and a dedication to Christ.
Initially, Chrysostom pursued the monastic life. During his time as a monk (374-380 AD), he spent two years living in a cave, standing continuously, sleeping hardly and memorizing the entire Bible. As a result of this extreme self-mortification, his health was severely compromised and he had to abandon the life of asceticism.
After returning from the monastery, Chrysostom became active in the church of Antioch, serving under Meletius, the bishop of Antioch and Diodorus, the head of a catechetical school in the city. In 381 AD, Chrysostom was ordained deacon by Meletius, and then, five years later, he was ordained a priest by Flavian. Immediately, his eloquent preaching and serious character earned him the admiration and respect of the whole church of Antioch.
Chrysostom's clear, practical and powerful sermons drew huge crowds and had a significant impact on the religious and political communities of Antioch. His enthusiasm and clarity of communication appealed to ordinary people, who often went to the church to hear it better. But his conflicting teaching often put him in trouble with the ecclesiastical and political leaders of his time.
A recurring theme of Chrysostom's sermons was the Christian essential to take care of the needy. "It is folly and public folly to fill the closets with clothes," he said in a sermon, "and to allow men who are created in the image and likeness of God to stand naked and trembling with the cold so that they can hardly keep themselves in feet ".
Patriarch of Constantinople
On February 26, 398, against his own objections, Chrysostom became archbishop of Constantinople. At the command of Eutropio, a government official, he was brought by military force to Constantinople and consecrated archbishop. Eutropio believed that the capital church deserved to have the best speaker. Chrysostom had not sought the patriarchal position, but accepted it as the divine will of God.
Chrysostom, now minister of one of the largest churches in Christendom, became increasingly famous as a preacher while contesting his disapproving criticisms of the rich and their continued exploitation of the poor. His words hurt the ears of the rich and powerful as he denounced their evil abuses of authority. Piercing even more than his words was his lifestyle, which he continued to live in austerity, using his substantial family allowance to serve the poor and build hospitals.
Chrysostom soon fell out of favor with the court of Constantinople, especially the empress Eudoxia, who was personally offended by his moral reproaches. He wanted Chrysostom to be silenced and decided to ban him. Only six years after his appointment as Archbishop, on 20 June 404, Giovanni Crisostomo was escorted away from Constantinople, never to return. The rest of his days he lived in exile.
Saint John Chrysostom, archbishop of Constantinople, in front of the empress Eudoxia. It shows the patriarch who blames the empress of the West, Eudoxia (Aelia Eudoxia), for her life of luxury and splendor. Painting by Jean Paul Laurens, 1893. Augustins Museum, Toulouse, France.
The legacy of the golden tongue
John Chrysostom's most significant contribution to Christian history was to pass on more words than any other primitive Greek-speaking church father. He did so through his numerous biblical comments, homilies, letters and sermons. More than 800 of these are still available today.
Chrysostom was by far the most articulate and influential Christian preacher of his time. With an extraordinary gift of explanation and personal application, his works include some of the most beautiful exhibits on the books of the Bible, in particular Genesis, Psalms, Isaiah, Matthew, John, Acts and Paul's epistles. His exegetical works on the Book of Acts are the only surviving commentary on the book of the first thousand years of Christianity.
In addition to his sermons, other enduring works include a first speech, against those who oppose monastic life, written for parents whose children were considering a monastic vocation. He also wrote Instructions for the catechumens, On the incomprehensibility of the divine nature and On the priesthood, in which he dedicated two chapters to the art of preaching.
Giovanni d'Antiochia received the posthumous title of "Chrysostom", or "golden tongue", 15 decades after his death. For the Roman Catholic Church, Giovanni Crisostomo is considered a "Doctor of the Church". In 1908, Pope Pius X designated him the patron saint of Christian orators, preachers and orators. The Orthodox, Coptic and Eastern Anglican churches also esteem him as a saint.
In Prolegomena: The Life and Work of St. John Chrysostom, the historian Philip Schaff describes Chrysostom as "one of those rare men who combine greatness and goodness, genius and piety, and continue to exercise with their writings and examples a happy influence on the Christian Church. He was a man for his time and for all times. But we must look at the spirit rather than the form of his piety, which bore the mark of his era. "
Death in exile
John Chrysostom spent three brutal years in exile under armed escort in the remote city of Cucusus in the mountains of Armenia. Although his health quickly failed, he remained steadfast in his devotion to Christ, writing encouraging letters to friends and receiving visits from faithful followers. While moving to a remote village on the eastern shore of the Black Sea, Chrysostom collapsed and was taken to a small chapel near Comana in northeastern Turkey where he died.
Thirty-one years after his death, Giovanni's remains were transported to Constantinople and buried in the Church of SS. Apostles. During the Fourth Crusade, in 1204, Chrysostom's relics were sacked by Catholic marauders and brought to Rome, where they were placed in the medieval church of San Pietro in Vaticano. After 800 years, its remains were transferred to the new St. Peter's Basilica, where they remained for another 400 years.
In November 2004, as part of ongoing efforts to reconcile the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches, Pope John Paul II returned the bones of Chrysostom to the ecumenical patriarch Bartholomew I, the spiritual leader of Orthodox Christianity. The ceremony began in St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City on Saturday 27 November 2004 and continued later in the day as Chrysostom's remains were restored in a solemn ceremony at the St. George Church in Istanbul, Turkey.