St. John Chrysostom, Biblical Expositor, Preacher, Confessor and Martyr (Sept. 13th, Nov. 13th, Jan. 27th and 30th)

St. John Chrysostom in the Hagia Sophia

By Bp. Joseph (Ancient Church of the West)

St. John was born of noble Greek parentage in Antioch, Roman Syria, in 347AD. His father died soon after his birth, and it is believed that his mother was a pagan. He was raised as a member of the educated patrician class, learning logic, philosophy, law and rhetoric. As a young man, he excelled in public speaking and studied under the famous rhetorician, Libanius. It was during these years that St. John learned secular literature, Greek mythology, the Poets, and learned how to compose verse spontaneously in the meter of the great classics. 

St. John had a personal conversion in 367AD, due to the influence of Christian philosophers, and was baptized in 368AD. The bishop of Antioch, Meletios, saw his eloquence and love for God and tonsured him a “Reader”, and made him a deacon in 381AD. During this time, St. John practiced hard asceticism and joined the School of Antioch, where he learned the literal/historical interpretation method that would later come to define Syriac Christianity. After Meletios’ death, his rival, Paulinus, became bishop for a time, and St. John retired from church service, in order that he not be involved with the schisms that were rife throughout the Church. After Paulinus died in 386AD, the new bishop, Flavius, ordained St. John to the priesthood. From 386AD to 387AD, St. John was the principle preacher at the “Golden Cathedral” of Antioch under Archbishop Flavian, expounding the Bible and preaching Christian morality, becoming the mouthpiece of the Archdiocese and a thunderous influence across the Empire. Many people travelled to Antioch just to hear him preach. 

In 397AD, St. John was nominated as Archbishop of Constantinople and was brought to the Imperial City in secret, due to fears of how the people of Antioch would respond to having “their preacher” taken away. Alexandria, representing a different school of thought and a strong desire to replace Rome and Constantinople as the ultimate seat of Christian influence, strongly resisted St. John’s appointment as Archbishop. This led to controversy and unrest. Upon his consecration, however, St. John became immediately unpopular in the capital, due to his refusal to throw parties, host secular events, stand in court, allow portraits of imperial authorities inside of worship spaces, and his strict discipline of the clergy. He was banished for a short time after his consecration, due to all this controversy, but St. John’s popularity with the common people led to his restoration after a few months. His clergy, however, continued to undermine him and plot against him. St. John did not respond politically, but rather, preached strongly and clearly against sin and corruption in the Church. It was during this time that he was given the popular title, “Chrysostom”, the “Golden Mouth!”

St. John Preaching Against Empress Eudoxia

Empress Eudoxia Banishing St. John to Exile

The final downfall of St. John was a convergence of two factors. Arianism was still present within the Church of Constantinople, and St. John was attempting to root this out by 404AD, leading to a secretive movement within the higher clergy to expel him at any cost. The second was St. John’s refusal to allow a statute of the Empress to stand outside of the original Hagia Sophia, where he preached on a daily basis. He denounced this statue as inappropriate and idolatrous, totally unfitting for a church. This set him at odds with the Empress, gave the secret Arians a reason to complain to the Emperor, and made him appear disloyal to the Empire. Based on this, he was condemned to “walk until he died”, and exiled from the Empire. St. John died in Pontus on September 14th, 407AD, of exhaustion. His last words were “Glory to God in all things!” 

The Translation of St. John Chrysostom's Body back to Constantinople

COLLECT

ALMIGHTY GOD, Thou gavest Thy servant John Chrysostom grace eloquently to proclaim Thy righteousness in the great congregation, and fearlessly to bear reproach for the honor of Thy Name: Mercifully grant to all bishops and pastors such excellence in preaching, and faithfulness in ministering Thy Word, that Thy people may be partakers with them of the glory that shall be revealed; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who livest and reignest with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

St. John Chrysostom, Pray for Us!