WHAT'S WORSE? PERSECUTION BY UNBELIEVERS OR POLITICAL ATTACKS IN THE CHURCH? - A LOOK AT JOHN CHRYSOSTOM

 When I first started reading Getting to Know the Church Fathers: An Evangelical Introduction by Bryan Litfin, this was where I stood on the twelve people he dealt with in the second edition:

1. Ones I knew absolutely nothing about before reading - 3
2. Ones I recognized the name but knew nothing more about them - 2
3.  Those I could give a one sentence summary of - 4
4. Those I could give more than just a one sentence summary of - 1
5. Those that I considered a hero of the faith - 2.

After reading the book, only the final two categories remain. I can give a two or more sentence  description of all of them. The two heroes (Tertullian and Athanasius) are still heroes, but they are now joined by a third: John Chrysostom (i.e. Golden Mouth).

Chrysostom was an interesting character. He had an excellent education, studying under Libaneus, the greatest orator of that time. When Libaneus was asked on his deathbed which of his students should be his successor, he said, "It ought to have been John, had not the Christians stole him from us."

So how did John use his education and oratory skills? By committing himself to Christ. First, he got involved in his local church, but that wasn't enough. So he sojourned in a monastery for four years and lived in a cave for two more. 

After that, he returned to his hometown of Antioch and preached there. You may remember three days ago that Origen, practiced Alexandrian (allegorical) interpretation of Scripture? John was trained in the Antiochene method which recognized the Bible was a spiritual book, but it focused on understanding what the text meant and remained grounded in what the text said. 

Litfin included an excerpt of a sermon John preached. Riots had occurred in Antioch, including vandalizing statues of the Emperor and his family. Among other consequences, Antioch lost the designation as a "Metropolis". John pointed out that Antioch has a greater glory than having that worldly title - it was the city where Christians received their name. He also reminded that the church at Antioch sent Paul and Barnabas with relief for a famine in Jerusalem, and later sent the duo again to the Jerusalem council when the circumcision issue cropped up (Acts 15).

John received an imperial order where he was informed he was appointed Bishop of Constantinople, not only to his surprise, but also that of Theophilus, Bishop of Alexandria, who was trying to get his protege plugged into that spot to give him more political influence. To make matters worse for Theophilus, John was from Antioch. If you picture the greatest college rivalry, it pales between the competitiveness between Alexandria and Antioch, two communities that often took opposing sides in church controversies.

Constantinople was a city of affluence, with two newly built cathedrals in town. How well do you think a former monk fit in that area? As you'd expect, John spoke out against the extravagance and put more emphasis on ministering to the poor. He also didn't hesitate to speak out against the sins of the church. His criticisms were sometimes ill-advised. Standing against the Judaizers that were around in that day, John responded with some anti-Semitic remarks. He also referred to the Emperor's wife as "Jezebel."

Theophilus and his Alexandrian co-horts used that to their advantage. They managed to get John Chrysostom exiled. They even offered bribes to the guards if John did not survive his exile. Being weakened by his earlier aescetic wilderness years, John died in exile.

As everybody else, Chrysostom had his shortcomings. But there are things I admire about John. His zeal for the Lord that resulted in living in the wilderness. His faithfulness to preach the Word of God and not look for hidden meanings. His concern on serving the poor rather than having a luxurious church. His message to Antioch to rejoice in their place in the spread of the Gospel.