John Chrysostom was an important early Church Father who served as Archbishop of Constantinople. He is known for his preaching and public speaking, his denunciation of abuse of authority by both ecclesiastical and political leaders, his Divine Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom and his ascetic sensibilities. His name means “golden-mouthed,” in Greek and denotes his celebrated eloquence. Chrysostom was among the most prolific authors in the early Christian Church.
John was born in Antioch in 347. Some scholars describe his mother Anthusa as a pagan, others as a Christian. He was raised by his mother because his father, a high-ranking military officer, died soon after his birth. It is sometimes said that he was bitten by a snake when he was ten years old which resulted in an infection.
As a result of his mother’s influence within the city, John began his education under the pagan teacher Libanius from whom he acquired the skills for a career in rhetoric, as well as a love for the Greek language and literature. He eventually became an attorney.
As he matured he became more deeply committed to Christianity and went on to study theology under Diodre of Tarsus. Libanius was quoted as having said on his deathbed that John Chrysostom would have been his successor “if the Christians had not taken him from us.”
John Chrysostom lived in extreme asceticism and became a hermit in c .375. He spent the next two years continually standing, hardly ever sleeping, and committing the Bible to memory. As a result of these physically strenuous practices his stomach and kidneys were permanently damaged and poor health forced him to return from Tarsus to Antioch.
John was ordained a deacon in 381 and became a priest in 386. He used his reconciliatory skills to end a 70-year-old three-way Schism which had existed in Antioch between Bishop Meletius (who had ordained him deacon), the Church in Alexandria, and the Church in Rome.
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In contrast to the Alexandrian inclination toward allegorical interpretation, his straightforward perception of scripture caused the themes of his talks to be practical as his sermons applied the Bible to daily living.
During Lent of 387 some citizens had gone on a rampage mutilating a statue of Emperor Theodosius I and his family. At that time John preached more than twenty homilies urging them to stop this desecration As a result, his favor among pagans grew and many were converted to Christianity.
Chrysostom is honored as a saint in the Catholic, Oriental Orthodox, Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, and Lutheran churches. In the Roman Catholic Church, he is recognized as a Doctor of the Church.