John Chrysostom

Preacher · Archbishop of Constantinople · c. 347–407

John was born in Antioch about 347, trained in rhetoric, and spent two years as a monk in the wilderness committing Scripture to memory, until the harsh life damaged his health. Back in Antioch he preached through the New Testament verse by verse, interpreting the Bible literally rather than allegorically. His hearers named him Chrysostom, “golden mouth.”1

In 397 he was chosen bishop of Constantinople. His preaching against the flaunting of wealth brought him into conflict with the empress, and he died in exile in 407.2

It is foolishness and a public madness to fill the cupboards with clothing, and allow men who are created in God’s image and likeness to stand naked and trembling with the cold.3 John Chrysostomto his congregation

Because he stayed close to the text, his preaching often affirms that salvation is by grace through faith. On Romans 3:27 he said that God has justified sinners “without needing works, but looking for faith only.”4

His Legacy

Chrysostom’s plain, grammatical exposition anticipated the method the Reformers recovered against medieval allegory, and Busenitz notes his affirmation of the authority and sufficiency of Scripture. At the same time, the Catechism of the Catholic Church cites him, with Ambrose, for the change of the bread and wine at the Eucharist. Rome counts him among its eight great Doctors of the Church.5

Church Fathers

Notes

  1. Nathan Busenitz, Forerunners of the Faith Teacher’s Guide: 13 Lessons to Understand and Appreciate the Basics of Church History (Chicago: Moody, 2020), 65–66. Summarized. ↩
  2. Busenitz, Forerunners of the Faith Teacher’s Guide, 66. Galli dates his consecration to 398. ↩
  3. Mark Galli and Ted Olsen, eds., 131 Christians Everyone Should Know (Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 2000), “John Chrysostom.” ↩
  4. Busenitz, Forerunners of the Faith Teacher’s Guide, 66, quoting Chrysostom on Romans 3:27. ↩
  5. Busenitz, Forerunners of the Faith Teacher’s Guide, 67–68; Gregg R. Allison, Roman Catholic Theology and Practice: An Evangelical Assessment (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2014), citing Catechism of the Catholic Church 1375; James G. McCarthy, The Gospel According to Rome (Eugene, OR: Harvest House, 1995), on the Doctors of the Church. ↩