St John Chrysostomus was born in 347 in Antiochea, Syria.
Church Father, biblical interpreter, and archbishop of Constantinople; the zeal and
clarity of his preaching, which appealed especially to the common people, earned him
the Greek surname meaning "golden-mouthed" (like ancient Demosthenes).
His tenure as archbishop was stormy, and
he died in exile. His relics were brought back to Constantinople in about 438, and he
was later declared doctor (teacher) of the church.
John or Ioannes, at the age of 23, entered a monastery
which served to educate him in preparation for his ordination as a priest
in 386 AD. From the pulpit there emerged John, a preacher whose oratorical
excellence gained him a reputation throughout the Christian world, a recognition
which spurred him to even greater expression that found favour with everyone
but the Empress Eudoxia, whom he saw fit to examine in some of his sermons.
Chrysostom soon gained by his eloquent sermons the admiration
of the people, of the weak Emperor Arcadius, and, at first, even of his
wife Eudoxia. He extended his
pastoral care to the Goths who were becoming numerous in Constantinople,
had a part of the Bible translated for them, often preached to them himself
through an interpreter, and sent missionaries to the Gothic and Scythian
tribes on the Danube. He continued to direct by correspondence those missionary
operations even during his exile. For a short time he enjoyed the height
of power and popularity.
When St. John was forty-nine years old, his immense popularity
earned him election to the Patriarchate of Constantinople, a prestigious
post from which he launched a crusade against excessiveness and extreme
wealth which the Empress construed as a personal affront to her and her
royal court. This also gave rise to sinister forces that envied his tremendous
influence. His enemies found an instrument for his indictment when they
discovered that he had harboured some pious monks who had been excommunicated
by his archrival Theophilos, Bishop of Alexandria, who falsely accused
John of treason and surreptitiously plotted his exile.
He died in the lonely reaches of Euxenus Pontus in 407.
The treasure of treatises and letters which St. John left
behind, included the moving sermon that is heard at Easter Sunday services.
The loss of his sermons which were not set down on paper is incalculable.
Nevertheless, the immense store of his excellent literature reveals his
insight, straightforwardness, and rhetorical splendour, and commands a
position of the greatest respect and influence in Christian thought, rivaling
that of other Fathers of the Church. His liturgy, which we respectfully
chant on Sundays, is a living testimony of his greatness.
Ioannes Chrysostomus was concerned, above all, for the spiritual and temporal welfare of
the needy and oppressed. He was not alone among the early Fathers in speaking out against
the abuse of wealth, teaching that personal property is not strictly private but a trust,
and declaring that what was superfluous to one's reasonable needs ought to be given
away.
