John Chrysostom (c. 347–407), a graduate of a monastic school, was appointed in 398 the Archbishop of Constantinople. An eloquent, earnest, knowledgeable and practical orator, (Chrysostom means, “golden mouthed”), he became the greatest preacher of his time.
Below is a 11th-century conch mosaic of John Chrysostom from the south-east apse of the nave of the Hosios Loukas monastery
John Chrysostom’s preaching talents came about through sheer hard work, He spent four years in the desert, and two as a hermit in Bible study, during which he practiced austerities.
In a 403 AD sermon, Chrysostom compared the immoral Empress of the East, Eudoxia to Herodias, who had the head of John the Baptist served on a platter. Her husband Arcadius accordingly deposed him from his position of Archbishop of Constantinople. Innocent I, the Bishop of Rome, championed Chrysostom’s cause and relations between Rome and Constantinople were broken off.
In 407 The Eastern Emperor, irritated by the popular support for John Chrysostom, sent him into exile to the eastern edge of the Black Sea. During the onerous journey, the “golden mouthed” former Archbishop died on September 14, 407.
In the Eastern Orthodox Church there are several feast days dedicated to him. one of them, November, 13, is the date news of John Chrysostom's death reached Constantinople
Even outside the Christian world, Chrysostom influence has been great. After World War II, Charles Malik, a Lebanese Christian philosopher and board member of Harvard university, proposed that the social teachings of John Chrysostom be adopted as policy for the founding charter of the United Nations.
Source Christianity Today
No comments:
Post a Comment