John Chrysostom
John of the Golden Mouth · Ioannes Chrysostomos
Presbyter in Antioch · Patriarch of Constantinople · Doctor of the Church
- Epithet „Chrysostomos" = „Golden Mouth", for his preaching
- Antiochene school of literal-historical biblical exegesis
- Homilies on the Statues (387) — pastoral sermons in the Antioch crisis
- Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom — the standard liturgy of the Byzantine rite
- Twice exiled after conflicts with Empress Eudoxia
John was born around 349 in Antioch, baptised there, and theologically formed there — by Diodore of Tarsus, the teacher of the Antiochene school that did not allegorise the words of Scripture into oblivion but read them historically and literally. This school distinguished him from the Origenian heritage of Alexandria: less speculative, closer to the text, closer to the human person.
387 was a dramatic year for Antioch. In a tax revolt, enraged citizens had pulled down the statues of Emperor Theodosius from their plinths — a capital crime. For weeks the city trembled, fearing the Emperor's retribution. Day after day the young presbyter John preached. These Homilies on the Statues are a masterpiece of pastoral rhetoric and belong to the finest of patristic literature.
In 397 the imperial court took him against his will from Antioch as Patriarch of Constantinople. There he quickly came into conflict with Empress Eudoxia by publicly denouncing the luxury of her court. Twice he was exiled. On the way into his second exile — on foot through Asia Minor — he died in Comana on the Black Sea. His last words are said to have been: Doxa to Theo panton heneken — „Glory to God for all things."
His epithet Chrysostomos (Greek chrysós + stóma = „gold + mouth") comes from the sixth century. But it captures the essence: no one in Greek Christianity preached as he did. His homilies on the Gospel of John, the Gospel of Matthew and the Pauline letters remain the foundation of every Eastern biblical study.
The Divine Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom named after him is to this day the ordinary eucharistic celebration of almost all Byzantine Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches — and so also in the Antiochian Orthodox communities you find in the directory.
John is a Doctor of the Church in all apostolic traditions. His date of death — 14 September — coincides with the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross; his actual commemoration was therefore moved to 13 November in the East. The West celebrates him on 27 January.