Fathers & Mothers of the Early Church

Fall Series 2019

St. John Chrysostom:

Golden-Tongued Preacher
V.K. McCarty

John Chrysostom is one of the most prominent and prolific of the Church Fathers; but, when
I began to study him, I confess to not being able to tell him apart from any of the other Fathers.
Yet his brilliance, and his drive to teach every Christian around him, is fascinating to encounter.
His sermons embody the Scriptures he preaches with vibrant energy, and they were meant to
evangelize the beggar and empress alike. This presentation will introduce his life story in Early
Byzantium and touch upon a few of his sermons.

Patriarch John Chrysostom comes to us from the close of the fourth century; he was brought to
Constantinople to serve as Bishop at a relatively young age on the basis of his reputation as a
preacher and his effective leadership in the face of challenging ministry. His career as a priest
was not an easy one, but from him we have an extraordinary treasury of wisdom in his writings,
and his theology, and his explanation of the Scriptures.
1
John Chrysostom is considered one of the Doctors of the Church, and along with the
Cappadocians Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzus, the Orthodox Church venerates him as
one of the Three Great Hierarchs. Because of the power of his preaching, he is universally
honored with the surname “Chrysostom” in both Greek and Latin, a term which comes from
“golden” (crusoun) and “mouth” (stoma).1 From his massive corpus of sermons, we will take a
look at a few examples of his message for Christians and his provocative preaching style.

The icon of St. John Chrysostom shown in a detail on the cover reflects his traditionally depicted
physical characteristics, so you can identify him when you see him among the Church Fathers:
Orthodox Office books describe him as having been slight of build, and bent over with gaunt
cheeks caused by the extreme severity of his monastic lifestyle, with a high protruding forehead,
half-balding, and with only a short beard, not yet white—and piercing eyes.2

Born around 349 C.E., John Chrysostom came from Antioch, “where disciples were first called
Christians” (Acts 11:26), and where Bishop Ignatius had preached. Like Augustine, with his
mother Monica, John was brought up by a strong Christian mother named Anthusa. To describe
him in contemporary birth-order terms, he was a younger brother with an elder sister and, for the
most part, raised by his mother in a single-parent household. His principle teacher was one of the
last great pagan rhetorical masters, Libanius, whose public speeches attracted rousing crowds.
This classical Greek education was the foundation for Chrysostom’s preaching excellence.

As a young man, John became fascinated by the Christian ascetics who were withdrawing into
the desert hills outside Antioch to follow Jesus in monastic practice. Many of the Church Fathers
and Mothers were drawn to leave the world and, like Jesus, enter the desert near their hometowns
to seek God in prayer. Much as he was drawn to explore the ascetical life, his mother begged him
not to abandon the house in her lifetime; so, John waited to become a monk until after she died.
Then, he apprenticed himself to a Christian ascetical teacher from among the well-known Syrian
desert-dwellers, and he even spent a few years alone as a hermit. The severity of his monastic
askesis, however, left him with damaged health which plagued him the rest of his life.

By 381, he was back in Antioch and Bishop Melitos ordained John a Deacon, and in 386,
ordained him a Priest. For twelve years, John preached extensively in Antioch; he was so prolific
that over 900 of his sermons survive, more works than for any other single author of the Greek
Fathers. Among them, we have an extensive collection of his teachings from Scripture; his
writing takes up eighteen volumes of the Patrologia Graeaca (Nos. 47-64).

1
Although John was not identified as “Chrysostom” in his lifetime, the honorific was in use by the end of the fifth
century. A Dictionary of Christian Biography and Literature to the End of the Sixth Century A.D., Henry Wace and
William C. Piercy, eds. (Boston: Little, Brown, 1911).
2
See J.N.D. Kelly, Golden Mouth: The Story of John Chrysostom—Ascetic, Preacher, Bishop (London: Gerald
Duckworth & Co., Ltd., 1995), pg. 106.

2
In contrast to the style of biblical teaching favored by the Early Church Fathers from Alexandria,
such as Clement and Origen, theologians trained in Antioch, including John Chrysostom, tended
to emphasize the literal meaning of the text over allegorical interpretations. This may be one of
the reasons why Chrysostom is particularly valuable for us today as a parish resource. His style
of teaching the Gospels, and Scripture in general, makes for a good start. The lessons you learn
from Jesus in the most direct reading of the Gospel stories often show you how to live—how to
live in the presence of God, how to live with your neighbor, and how to navigate the chances and
changes of life, ethically. Like Jesus, John uses simple but striking images and compelling
parables, but he does not nuance his writing into allegorical layers or mystical subtext.

Rather than preaching on Scripture from a liturgical lectionary, as we are accustomed to hearing,
John’s homiletical style involved working carefully through entire books of the Bible
chronologically in consecutive explanations. During his first year preaching in Antioch, for
example, he presented 67 sermons on Genesis, one after the other. The very next year, he
preached 88 sermons on the Gospel of John; the next year, 90 sermons on Matthew’s Gospel.
John was also deeply drawn to the Pauline Epistles, and he preached through nearly all of them.

John Chrysostom delved less into doctrinal questions and focused more on Moral Theology.
The Bishop’s homilies examined how the individual stories presented in the Bible teach us how
to live a just and holy Christian life. As he steadily worked through the Word of God in a
passage of Scripture, he was always striving to help his listeners become true imitators of
Christ in everyday life.

Even though the Orthodox faithful stood in the Byzantine Church throughout his often-lengthy
sermons analyzing verse after verse of Scripture, he was in fact wildly popular. In fact, he was so
beloved by the people that his sermons were often interrupted by applause. His fame spread so
quickly that as early as 392, St. Jerome had already included him among the Church luminaries
in his De Viris Illustribus.3

By the time the Bishop of Constantinople died suddenly in 397, John Chrysostom had become
so celebrated as a preacher that the Imperial Court had him basically kidnapped and brought to
town and consecrated the Byzantine Patriarch. His golden homiletical reputation, combined with
an urgent need for reform in Constantinople caused by corrupt practices and the weak leadership
of Emperor Arcadius,4 made his preaching and leadership gifts critically needed. Bishop John

3
De Viris Ill., 129, PL XXIII.754.
4
Flavius Arcadius Augustus was Emperor from 395 until his death in 408, ruling jointly with his father, Emperor
Theodosius I, from 383-395, then solely until 402, when in turn he associated his son Theodosius II with his own
rule. Frail and ineffectual, he was dominated by his eunuch courtier, Eutropius, and by his wife Eudoxia. His empire
was prey to Goth invasions, and condemning him for criticizing her, Empress Eudoxia abetted the persecution of
John Chrysostom which caused his exile and eventual death.

3
was, unfortunately, almost immediately caught up in the snare of theological and imperial
politics, which eventually caused him to be exiled and contributed to his death.5

This is only a brief survey of John Chrysostom’s life which does not do justice to his many
achievements or the tumultuous events through which he personally navigated; nor the influence
he had on generations of his disciples and students. It is hoped that, as we look at a few examples
of his preaching, you may be tempted to study him further. Let’s begin with an passionate outcry
of faith typical of Chrysostom which he used to illuminate Matthew 24 in his Homily 76. Many
icons depicting him carry this text. Running up to the much-beloved “I am Father” quote, he
assures the listener of Christ’s abiding presence functioning alive among us everywhere, saying:
For indeed, He does exceedingly love us. Therefore if you wish to lend, He stands ready; or to sow,
He receives it; or if you should wish to build, He draws you unto Himself, saying, Build in my regions.

After several more of these offers from Christ, he adds:

What can be equal to this munificence? I am father, I am brother, I am bridegroom, I am dwelling,
I am sustenance, I am garment, I am root, I am foundation, all that you desire, I am; you are needing
of nothing. I am servant, having come to minister, not to be served. I am friend and member, as well
as commander, and brother and sister and mother—I am all things; simply cling close to me.
I was poor for you, a mendicant for you, upon the Cross for you, in the tomb. On high, I intercede
to the Father for you, on earth I come as the ambassador of your Father. You are to me all things,
both sibling and co-heir, and part of me. What more could you desire? (Homily 76 on Matthew)

John Chrysostom’s sermon images are heartwarming and thrilling to behold, and some of them
are quite terrifying. One time he threatened in a homily that he wanted his beloved people to
literally feel the “flying sickle” of judgement soaring at them, whenever they stepped out of line.
(Homily on the Statues 9.5) He also appears to be one of the earliest Church Fathers to
incorporate the idea of angels in his explanation of Resurrection theology. Here, further on in
Homily 76, he gives us a little glimpse of them:
And why does he call them angels? So that when risen again, the angels shall gather them together,
then gathered together the clouds shall catch them up, and all these things are done in a moment, in
an instant. (Homily 76 on Matthew)

And in another sermon, here reflecting on the miracle of the Incarnation, he says:
He clothed Himself with our flesh, not again to leave it, but always to have it with Him. Had this not
been the case, He would not have deemed it worthy of the royal throne, nor would He, while wearing
our flesh, have been worshipped by all the host of heaven: the angels, archangels, the thrones,
and principalities, the dominions, and powers. (Homily 11 on the Gospel of John)

Ultimately, Patriarch John was committed to theological literacy for his people; he truly believed
that religious knowledge was a condition for salvation.6 Indeed, his teaching style was founded

5
See Adrian Fortesque, The Greek Fathers: Their Lives and Writings (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2007), pg. 129.
6
See Jaclyn Maxwell, “Pedagogical Methods in John Chrysostom’s Preaching,” in Studia Patristica 41 (Leuven:
Peeters, 2006), pg. 450.

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on his personal experience of the very nature of God as a “benevolent pedagogue.”7 As a
preacher, John deployed a vast array of persuasive images to keep the attention of the listener
alert and to teach the faithful how to see the life lessons which are there, embedded in the
Scripture passage. Once, when he was trying to get his people to understand that enemies were
attacking the Church, in the form of heresy, he said: “I tell you, pirates are surrounding your
vessel, wolves beset your flock; robbers menace your bridal chamber with adulterous hissing
sounds about your bride, the serpent again breaks into paradise.” (Pan. Rom. 2.1)

Bishop John taught that fasting could be helpful in sharpening our awareness of the needs of our
neighbors around us and in setting us on a right path; and yet, we should learn to fast properly, in
moderation: “in order that we may not run heedlessly, lest we punch the air, and boxing we fight
shadows.” (Stat. 3.3) He explained his own preaching style by observing that: “Since we are
weak, the sermon must be varied and embellished, it must contain vivid examples and the like,
so that we may select what will profit your soul.” (Phoph. Obscur. 1)

Some of John Chrysostom’s most memorable moments preaching appear in his “Homily on
Lazarus and the Rich Man.” (Lk. 16:19-31) This whole sermon—in fact, this entire powerful
series of sermons—will repay deeply further study; for this is the heart of John Chrysostom’s
message about the justice of good works and hospitality freely offered and almsgiving, and how
God’s judgement reveals who is truly rich and truly poor. Here, he praises Lazarus:
You saw him then at the gate of the rich man; see him today in the bosom of Abraham. You saw him
licked by dogs; see him carried in triumph by the angels. You saw him in poverty then; see him in
luxury now. You saw him in hunger; see him in great abundance. You saw his sufferings; see his
recompense, both you are rich and you who are poor: the rich, to keep you from thinking that wealth is
worth anything without virtue; the poor, to keep you from thinking that poverty is any evil. This man is
presented as a teacher to you both. (Second Homily on Lazarus and the Rich Man)

Bishop John said that it was the Bible itself that taught him to “rivet the sacred truths into the
mind of his beloved by the repetition of his teaching.” (Homily on Genesis 6.5) He decried
pridefulness, and sought out lessons to help his people acknowledge it and amend it:
That is why we are chanting this spiritual maxim and saying it over and over again: Vanity of vanities,
and all is vanity. This maxim should be inscribed permanently on walls, and on clothing, and in the
marketplace and in the home; and in streets, and on doors, and in foyers, in each man’s conscience, and
it should be constantly studied. (Homily on Eutropius)

It was helpful to find John Chrysostom being questioned about why he did not obey the liturgical
Lectionary for Sunday readings in his preaching, as would be expected if he came to one of our
parishes as a guest preacher:
The reason, O children greatly beloved, why we entertain you portion by portion with the thought taken
from the Scriptures, and not at once pour it all forth to you, is so that the retaining what is successfully

7
Hagit Amirav, Rhetoric and Tradition: John Chrysostom on Noah and the Flood (Traditio Exegetica Graeaca 12)
(Leuven: Peeters, 2003), pg. 221.

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 set before you may be easy. For even in building, one who before the first stones are settled lays on
others, can construct a rotten wall, and easily thrown down; while one who waits for the mortar to
harden, and then little by little, finishes the house firmly, makes it strong. These builders we imitate,
and in like manner, we build up your souls. (Homily 7 on the Gospel John)

John Chrysostom’s name is traditionally connected with the most frequently celebrated Orthodox
Liturgy, less because he might have written it and more because he may have brought it with him
from Antioch to Constantinople when he became Patriarch.8 A Collect adapted from it is
prominently included in our Book of Common Prayer9 for the close of Daily Offices, with its
assurance that “when two or three are gathered in his Name, you will be in the midst of them.”10
It is a jewel among our prayers and certainly demonstrates the confidence in the presence of
Christ among us which shines through in Chrysostom’s theology. All these sermon examples we
looked at were embroidered into John’s preaching: to effectively comfort the bereaved, alert
sinners to repent, vilify the corrupt, or to praise a saintly bishop.11

Finally, let us not depart without mentioning one more well-beloved sermon, the so-called
“Paschal Homily of St. John Chrysostom.” This sermon is a traditional element of many
Anglican Easter Vigil services. Although it is listed among his disputed texts (spuria) in the
Patrologia Graeaca, this sermon has been a popular component of Easter services for over
1500 years. Whether or not it can be proved to have been written by John himself, it is clearly
validated by having proclaimed the Gospel truth of Christ so compellingly for generation after
generation. Even today, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew says that this sermon “continually
inspires and empowers the whole Church like a divine gift.”12

With its invitation to all the faithful to reaffirm their Baptism, whether they have come to
repentance and belief early, or late, or even at the eleventh hour, it is certainly an effective Easter
sermon; and as a time-honored and mercifully short text, it makes a wise choice after all the
liturgical labor of Holy Week services. Here John Chrysostom speaks to everyone marking the
end of Lent and the beginning of our Easter joy:

8
See Robert F. Taft, “St. John Chrysostom and the Byzantine Anaphora that Bears his Name,” in Essays in Early
Eastern Eucharistic Prayers, Paul E. Bradshaw, ed. (Collegeville, MN: The Liturgical Press, 1997), pg. 206.
9
Book of Common Prayer, pp. 59, 72, 102, 126.
10
Even though this Collect was not in the earliest manuscripts of the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, it has found a
popular place in Anglican liturgy since Cranmer crafted it into the end of the 1544 English Litany. The 1662 Prayer
Book placed it in the Daily Offices and, except for the 1928 Prayer Book, it has remained there. With its reminder of
the promise from Matthew (18:19-20) that “where two or three are gathered in His name, you will be in the midst of
them,” it has maintained an enduring efficacy in our Anglican prayer. Marion Hatchett, Commentary on the
American Prayer Book (San Francisco, 1995), pp. 130-131.
11
Robert L. Wilken, John Chrysostom and the Jews: Rhetoric and Reality in the Late Fourth Century (Berkeley,
CA: University of California Press, 1983), pg. 111.
12
John Chrysostom “beholds the vision of a paradise of joy and the salvation of his brethren, for whom Christ died
and rose again.” See Bartholomew I, Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Speaking the Truth in Love:
Theological and Spiritual Exhortations of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew (New York: Fordham University
Press, 2011), pp. 31-32.

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 Are there any who are devout lovers of God? Let them enjoy this bright festival! Are there any who
have toiled from the first hour, let them receive their due reward. And if any delayed until ninth hour,
let her not hesitate; but her come, too. And if any arrived only at the eleventh hour, let him not be afraid
by reason of his delay. For the Lord is gracious and receives the last even as the first. You that have
kept the fast, and you that have not, rejoice today for the Table is richly laden. Christ is risen, and you,
O death, are annihilated! Christ is risen, and all evil is cast down! Christ is risen, and the angels
rejoice! To Him be Glory and Power forever and ever. Amen.

Even though the Paschal Homily is among the disputed or doubted works of John Chrysostom, it
is a fitting conclusion to our study of this great Church Father, who was said to have died with
the words on his lips, “Everything to the glory of God.”

Suggested Reading for Further Study

John Chrysostom, Sermons on Lazarus and the Rich Man, in On Wealth and Poverty, Catherine
P. Roth, trans. (Crestwood, NY: St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 1981).

John Chrysostom, Homily on Eutropius, in W. Meyer, P. Allen, John Chrysostom (The Early
Christian Fathers) (London: Routledge, 2000).

John Chrysostom, Homilies on the Gospel of St. John (Oxford: J.H. Parker, 1852); reprint.

J.N.D. Kelly, Golden Mouth: The Story of John Chrysostom—Ascetic, Preacher, Bishop
(London: Gerard Duckworth & Co. Ltd.).

Jaclyn Maxwell, “Pedagogical Methods in John Chrysostom’s Preaching,” in Studia Patristica

41 (Leuven: Peeters, 2006), pp. 445-450.

V.K. McCarty teaches and writes on Ascetical Theology with special focus on Early Christian
Women; she has served as guest lecturer at General Theological Seminary, from which she
graduated and worked on staff; and as Adult Education lecturer for St. Luke in the Fields and
St. Ignatius of Antioch, both in New York City. Published work includes: “Wisdom from the
Desert for Spiritual Directors,” Presence: The Int’l Journal of Spiritual Direction v.18, no.3
(2012); “Recipe for Reconciliation: Paul’s Charge to Syntyche and Euodia” in Healing,
Reconciliation & Forgiveness in Orthodox Perspectives (New York: Theotokos Press, 2015).
Her book, Prominently Receptive to the Spirit: Lydia, Prisca, and Phoebe in the Ministry of
Paul, was serialized in The Int’l Congregational Journal 11:2 (2012), 13:1 (2014), 14:2 (2015).
Book-editing projects include: Clark Berge’s Running to Resurrection (Canterbury Press, 2019),
and Timothy Boggs’ Through the Gates into the City: A Metropolis, a Chapel and a Seminary.
[email protected] gts.academia.edu/VKMcCarty