by Fr. Joseph Allen
from The Word, March 1986
He (Saint John Chrysostom) was born in the year 347 at Antioch, which was then the capital of Syria. His father was a distinguished military officer (magister militum) in the imperial army of Syria. His mother, Anthusa, was a pious Christian who was widowed at the age of twenty, and who thereafter devoted herself to raising her son John and his older sister. John's earliest inclination was to the monastic life, but it was upon the wish of his mother that he delayed entering that life. He, himself, records this incident. His mother took him into her chamber and begged him with tears not to forsake her, since he was her only comfort since his father’s death: "Do not plunge me into a second widowhood; nor revive the grief which is now laid to rest; wait for my death: it may be in a little while that I shall depart." He did wait, but it was soon thereafter that John entered the monastery in the mountains south of Antioch.
Because of ill-health, however, he had to return to the city and was immediately ordained to the diaconate and priesthood. Antioch provided the needed lesson for Chrysostom; it was both a vineyard of the Lord and the "school room" and "hospital" where he became acquainted with the care for the poor and the sick, with the avarice and vices of his own congregation, with the excesses of the circus and theater, and with a radically mixed population of Christians, Jews and heathens. Indeed, being one of the great capitals of the Empire, along with Alexandria, Rome and Constantinople, Antioch was a delightful residence to draw such a mixed population: it had an abundance of pure water from the Orontes, fertile land, commerce of the sea, and an imposing architecture of Middle Eastern, Greek and Roman styles. Its main street was four miles long, very broad, paved with red granite, and illuminated by innumerable lanterns placed upon spacious colonnades. Its population, we learn from Chrysostom himself, was about 200,000, only half of which were Christians. Here is where Chrysostom learned, and preached and ministered. He spent seventeen years as a presbyter (priest) in this city before he was led by military escort, against his will, to be consecrated (actually by Theophilus, Patriarch of Alexandria, and at the insistence of the Emperor Arcadius), the Archbishop of Constantinople in 398. Most of all that we have which the great saint wrote and taught, however, was from this 17-year period in Antioch.
Like any priest today, his problems at that time were those related to the pastoral ministry: he preached on the obligations and responsibilities of his flock, and felt the same frustrations as those in the contemporary priesthood. For example, he would preach against the theatres and chariot races, and yet as soon as he would finish his sermon, his parishioners would quickly run off to the circus to witness these same exciting spectacles. He complained that the people talked too much in church, that they were not praying as they should, that they were too often day-dreaming, with their eyes and attention roaming "all over the place." One particular time he complained that the people did not have patience with the length of the service; it was too long for them.
But when Chrysostom preached, the church was packed; indeed, he had to warn his listeners to beware of the pickpockets who found such a large gathering to be an inviting harvest. Some of these homilies were published by himself, but most of them were taken down by shorthand ("fast writing"). In such days the preacher was seated, the people were standing’ Also at such times, the people were so enthused and spell-bound by what he said that they would actually begin to applaud. Chrysostom would then rebuke them for this applause, but they, in turn, would only applaud his rebuke!
These, and much more, give us a glimpse into the life of St. John while he was active as a priest and pastor in Antioch. It can only be added that, in a sense, it is a paradox to say that we remember this great pastor as the Archbishop of Constantinople. I say this because, after all, Chrysostom remained active as a bishop in Constantinople for only about five or six years, while he was a pastor for seventeen years at Antioch, and since most of what we have of him is from that time of Antioch, it seems that he should be commemorated as the "presbyter of Antioch," rather than "Archbishop of Constantinople". Of course, one can suppose the only answer here is that every hierarch must also be a true pastor.
Chrysostom’s life ended during his second banishment in Pontos in his sixtieth year of life. He died in exile due to his various conflicts with the Empress Eudoxia on September 14, 407. After receiving the Holy Eucharist and commending his soul to God, he died with his own famous doxology: "Glory to God for all things."
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St. John Chrysostom, November 13th
Troparion of St. John Chrysostom, Tone 8
Grace like a flame shining forth from thy mouth has illumined the universe, and disclosed to the world treasures of poverty and shown us the height of humility. And as by thine own words thou teachest us, Father John Chrysostom, so intercede with the Word, Christ our God, to save our souls.
Kontakion of St. John Chrysostom, Tone 2
Thou hast received divine grace from heaven, and with thy lips thou dost teach all men to adore the one God in Three Persons. O John Chrysostom, most blessed Saint, we rightly praise thee; for thou art our teacher, revealing things divine.
