Saint John Chrysostom

Saint John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople. In the brilliant galaxy of fathers and teachers of the Church of the 6th century, Chrysostom is a star of the first magnitude. If some church luminaries surpass him in the speculative depth and originality of theology, in scholarship and organizational talent, then as an interpreter of the Holy Scriptures, as a teacher of morality and as a high example of a pastor, Chrysostom is not inferior to the greatest church leaders, and for the wondrous power of his oratorical talent he indisputably enjoys exceptional fame in the Christian world: the Church honored him with the name Chrysostom, which has been used since the 7th century is a common decoration of his name. Chrysostom was born in Antioch, probably in 347, into a noble and wealthy Christian family. His father Secundus, who occupied a high military position, died shortly after the birth of his son, leaving him and his eldest daughter (who, however, did not live long) in the care of his twenty-year-old wife Anfusa. She was a most noble woman, who gave in her person a high example of true Christian fidelity to marital and maternal duty. Addressing her, the famous pagan rhetorician Livanius burst out with an exclamation full of delight: “Oh, what kind of women Christians have!” Despite her blooming youth and complete independence, despite, further, the temptations and hardships of her widowhood in a city like Antioch, where the unbridled passion for pleasure, especially among the upper class, did not disdain any means for its satisfaction, Anfusa resolutely refuses a second marriage and, in the quiet of her home, devotes herself entirely to raising her son. In the warmth of her maternal love and tireless care, in the atmosphere of her sublime religious mood and impeccable moral purity, those seeds of love, faith, goodness, which later bore such abundant and luxurious fruits, grew in the richly gifted and extremely receptive soul of Chrysostom. Probably already in childhood, under the beneficial influence of his mother, Chrysostom arose in Chrysostom that great love for the word of God, which he was so distinguished throughout the rest of his life. Enlightened Anfusa spared no expense to give her son an excellent education. Unfortunately, no information has been preserved about Chrysostom’s adolescence and early youth. However, one can hardly doubt that his education during this period, according to the custom of that time, was of a general educational nature, and according to his mother’s religious beliefs, it should have been strictly Christian. Later (at least not younger than sixteen years old) Chrysostom took a special course in eloquence with the first rhetorician of that time, the mentioned Livanius, whose refined, idealized paganism no longer posed any danger to him. Chrysostom delighted his teacher with his brilliant oratorical talents. The latter, long later, to the question asked him before his death - who he recognizes as the most worthy successor to himself - answered: “John, if the Christians had not kidnapped him from us.” In addition to Livanius, Chrysostom also listened to a certain Androgathius, under whose guidance he studied philosophy. After completing his education, John Chrysostom entered the public arena as a lawyer and immediately achieved tremendous success, and then the legal profession opened the way to the highest positions in the public service. This could not help but captivate the young man. He also could not remain indifferent to the still unknown pleasures of the then social life in the form of theaters and circuses. Noble Anfusa was also a Guardian Angel for her son. She probably meant this time when she said that every day she experienced a thousand fears and great worries for him. Education prevailed, although it (we note by the way) was not exclusively ascetic in nature. Chrysostom’s sublimely-minded soul, according to his favorite expression, drunk from the pure source of Holy Scripture, could not be satisfied with lawyering, which was associated with so much that was dubious and conventional and the legitimation of the unjust. Let's not even talk about the intrigue and greed of the judiciary surrounding him. Secular entertainments, which were completely pagan in nature, could not hold Chrysostom for long. And so Chrysostom decides to leave the bar and the world, which was greatly assisted by his most sincere school friend Vasily, who devoted himself to “true wisdom,” that is, he accepted monasticism immediately after leaving school. Disillusioned with secular life, Chrysostom thought to immediately follow the example of his friend, but his mother’s touching plea not to plunge her into a second widowhood and orphanhood forced him to temporarily abandon his intention. Only from now on, in his own home, Chrysostom began to lead a new life, completely abandoning himself to the radiation of the word of God, ascetic exercises and deeds of piety. At this time, together with Vasily and two other school friends - Maximus, later the bishop of Seleucia, and Theodore, later the famous bishop of Mopsuestia, Chrysostom visited a special “school” where the Holy Scripture was studied under the guidance of the most famous teachers, presbyters Flavian and Diodorus (of Tarsin). The latter was supposed to have a particularly profound influence on Chrysostom, since he was not only a thorough expert in the Holy Scriptures and a man of extensive learning, but also a great ascetic. Chrysostom’s acquaintance with the Antioch bishop Meletius dates back to the same period (and perhaps earlier); the latter brought the gifted young man closer to him and, having finished instructing him in the truths of the faith, baptized him (no later than 370). It was probably at that time that Chrysostom was made a reader, whose duty it was to read the Holy Scriptures from the pulpit during the service. Now Chrysostom began to treat himself with even greater severity: in order to develop concentration and self-control, he - a recent speaker-lawyer - imposes abstinence on himself in speech and often maintains almost inviolable silence for a long time. Soon, the pious Anfusa probably died, and Chrysostom could freely devote himself to “true wisdom.” At this time, his two exhortations “to the fallen Theodore” fall. The contemplative-ascetic life of the monk in Chrysostom’s view was surrounded by such an exceptional aura of greatness and holiness that the intention of his friend (Theodore of Mopsuestia) to marry his beloved woman, etc. arr., abandoning the previously planned hermitage is mourned as the most serious crime. Around the same time, Chrysostom wrote two words “about contrition” to the monks Demetrius and Stelekhios. With their piety and education, Chrysostom and his friend Vasily naturally attracted the attention of the Orthodox during the difficult time of the Arian turmoil. The need for worthy candidates for episcopal sees was then especially urgent. And so a plan was made to ordain his friends to the rank of bishop, despite their youth (Chrysostom was probably no more than 27 years old) and even against their wishes. Having learned about this plan, the friends decided to act together. But Chrysostom, having declined out of humility from such a high rank, not only did not warn his friend about this, but also himself contributed to his consecration as a bishop (Basily was installed as a bishop, probably in Rafaneia, and took part in the second ecumenical council of 381). Vasily was extremely embarrassed by this act of his friend and sadly reproached him for treason. As if in response to these reproaches, Chrysostom wrote his famous treatise “Six Words on the Priesthood” - a truly classic work on pastoral theology. Here he justifies his course of action in view of the high merits of Basil and his own infirmities and reveals the height, difficulty and responsibility of pastoral ministry, while noting the qualities necessary for the worthy performance of this ministry, and pointing out how his contemporary reality was far from ideal. Having evaded the episcopate, John Chrysostom retired to one of the monasteries in the mountainous environs of Antioch. Here he lived under the guidance of one elder for four years (375–378), studying the word of God, prayer, manual labor and various ascetic deeds. At this time, he wrote in defense of monasticism, which was persecuted by the Arian emperor Valens, three books: “To those who are hostile against those who attract to monastic life,” and a short discussion: “Comparison of the power, wealth and advantages of the king with the true and Christian wisdom of monastic life.” These works are captured by the author’s special love for hermitage and have almost the same classical meaning for monasticism as “words about the priesthood” for shepherding. Not content with staying in a cenobitic monastery, Chrysostom retired to a cave, where, in complete solitude, he indulged in the strictest ascetic life for two years, until poor health forced him to return to Antioch. Here, at the beginning of 381 - therefore already thirty-four years old - he humbly accepted initiation into the deaconate from Saint Meletius. The duties of a deacon at that time, in addition to serving in the church and carrying out various assignments of the bishop, also included concerns about matters of church charity. Chrysostom begins by giving up his estate in favor of the poor. In his new activity, he reveals the most lively responsiveness to people's grief and selfless concern for alleviating the lot of the unfortunate. This is where his enormous popularity in Antioch actually begins. Being a deacon, Chrysostom did not preach sermons, but at the request of friends and for the purpose of consoling and edifying some acquaintances, he wrote several works, namely: “To Stagirius the Ascetic” (3 words), “The Book of Virginity”, “To the Young Widow” (2 words), “The Book of St. Babyiel and against Julian and the pagans." Probably at this time (and maybe even earlier) he compiled for home use a general overview of the contents of the canonical books of the Old and New Testaments (except for the 4 cathedral messages and the Apocalypse) and a private overview of the Pentateuch, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 4 books of Kings, Job, 4 major and 7 minor prophets. At the same time, the first half of the interpretation of the prophet Isaiah (up to the 11th article of the VIII chapter), preserved in Greek, was probably compiled, as well as the already noted “words on the priesthood”, which had hitherto circulated only among the author’s closest friends. Chrysostom served as a deacon for five years. In 386, i.e. thirty-nine years old, he was ordained to the rank of presbyter by the new Bishop of Antioch, Flavian. In view of Chrysostom's special oratorical talents, the preaching of the word of God was primarily entrusted to him. With tireless energy he devoted himself to this lofty task, and from the pulpit of the main Antioch church, his inspired word flowed like a rich river, imprinted with a truly apostolic spirit and power. The people flocked in huge crowds to listen to the golden-mouthed teacher, who either explained to him the meaning of Holy Scripture, then taught him the truths of Christian life and exposed his vices and superstitions; then on holidays he glorified the goodness of God, revealed in the remembered events of the divine economy of man; then he praised the memory of the deceased saints of God; then, finally, he defended the truths of faith against pagans, Jews and heretics, of whom there were so many among the two hundred thousand diverse population of Antioch. The sermon of John Chrysostom was of such captivating interest, it so deeply shook the hearts of the listeners that it very often evoked from them either groans of sobbing or stormy bursts of enthusiastic applause, although he repeatedly explained the inappropriateness of the latter in the church. One event in the life of Antioch especially clearly revealed Chrysostom’s great zeal for the good of his flock and his unparalleled preaching genius. In 388 Before Lent, an uprising broke out in Antioch over a new war tax, during which a raging crowd desecrated the statues of Emperor Theodosius, his late wife Flacilla and other members of the imperial house. For this, the inhabitants of Antioch were threatened with complete beating or sale into slavery, and the city itself was threatened with complete devastation and transformation into a plowed field. Everyone was confused and desperate. The elderly Bishop Flatian went to Constantinople to intercede with the emperor. The imperial commissioners who had already arrived in Antioch carried out a strict investigation of the case and inflicted severe punishment on the perpetrators of the rebellion. At this time of general terrible languor and despondency, after a week of silence (perhaps in order to deepen the religious significance of the moment being experienced in the consciousness of the people), Chrysostom pronounces a whole series of brilliant sermons, imbued with compassionate, consoling and edifying love. This is his famous “talk about statues.” With all its brightness, he shows here the necessity, height and inviolability of the Christian view of life, in which even such disasters as those that befell Antioch are not only not terrible, but are also useful, as awakening a Christian from carelessness to wakefulness, etc. contributing to his eternal salvation, in comparison with which all the blessings of the world and even life itself are nothing. It is this salvation that one must first of all take care of, cleansing oneself from sins and strengthening oneself in virtues; in the moment Antioch is experiencing, this is all the more urgent because everyone’s life is in danger, and everyone’s sins are great: salvation, both temporary and eternal, can only be a matter of God’s mercy alone, worthy of which one must show oneself through decisive correction of one’s life and complete devotion to the will of God. These are, in the most general terms, theses; the most thorough and deeply edifying disclosure of them in “conversations about statues” is carried out by Chrysostom in relation to the religious and moral state of the Antiochian people and under the immediate and fresh impression of the disaster that so deeply shook Antioch, which is reproduced here in all stages of development, with all the horrors and hopes. In the last (21st) conversation, delivered on Easter, the joy of Flavian’s return to Antioch with the news of pardon is depicted and his intercessory speech before the emperor is given verbatim, which, according to the generally accepted opinion, was composed by Chrysostom himself and belongs to his most perfect creations. The time of Chrysostom's presbytery in Antioch (486–498) was the most fruitful period of his preaching activity. His exegetical works on individual books of Holy Scripture date back to this time - the book of Genesis, the Psalter, and Heb. Matthew, on Ev. John and the Epistles of St. Paul - to the Romans, to the Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, to Philemon, Titus and Timothy, as well as many of his following conversations: conversations on individual texts and about various persons and events from the Old and New Testaments (about Job, about Anna and Samuel, about David and Saul, about the Maccabees, about Lazarus, about Apostle Paul, etc.); conversations on holidays (Christmas, Epiphany, Easter, Ascension, Pentecost, Exaltation of the Cross, etc.); Conversations in Praise of the Saints, ch. arr., from the history of the Antiochian church (Ignatius the God-Bearer, Philogony, Eustathius, Meletius and many others. etc.); conversations about individual points of Christian doctrine and life (about the devil, about repentance, etc.) and on various cases of current reality (except for conversations about statues - a conversation on ordination to the priesthood, a conversation after an earthquake, etc.), and, finally, conversations of a polemical nature (against Anomeans, Jews and pagans). In 397, Archbishop Nektarios of Constantinople died. Emperor Arcadius, under the influence of his chamberlain, the eunuch Eutropius, expressed a desire to see John Chrysostom, who had great fame far beyond the borders of Antioch, at the capital's see. To prevent refusal on his part and opposition from the inhabitants of Antioch, who, of course, would not have agreed to voluntarily part with their beloved shepherd, Chrysostom was cunningly summoned to the city and from there secretly taken to Constantinople; and on February 26, 398, he was ordained to the rank of Archbishop of Constantinople. Chrysostom's new position was high and honorable, but it was also difficult and responsible. The religious and moral life of the Church of Constantinople presented many anomalies, and it was not in the spirit of Chrysostom to turn a blind eye to them. The main weapon of his pastoral activity is still preaching. In order to raise the moral level of the clergy, he - in all likelihood, at the very beginning of his archpastoral service - utters two words against the custom of cohabitation between clergy and virgins. In this regard, he takes care of the improvement of women's monasteries, clearing them of unworthy members and attracting people of truly monastic disposition to them. He also could not help but pay attention to the seductive religious processions of the Arians with the loud singing of heretical hymns. In contrast to them, Chrysostom organized similar processions of Orthodox Christians and introduced antiphonal singing at the all-night vigil. Condescending to the infirmities of his flock, he shortened the rite of the liturgy for them, which in this edition is known under his name (see below). Concerns about caring for the sick and poor were now especially close to Chrysostom’s loving soul. Leading a very simple lifestyle, he donated all the savings from the income of his archbishop's see to the improvement of the previous ones and the establishment of new charitable institutions, the number of which increased significantly under his rule. He also used the remainder of church income for this charitable work, reducing as much as possible the costs of the very maintenance of churches. With particular persistence, he appeals in his sermons to private charity, with all sincerity praising alms as the greatest virtue, and with all mercilessness condemning luxury, greed and vanity, which so deeply infected the upper classes of the capital. And his call to acts of mercy was not unsuccessful: there were many rich people, especially widows, who donated all their wealth to the poor. Looking after the sick and poor, Chrysostom was at the same time a fearless defender of the offended and oppressed, no matter how high the oppressors stood and no matter how formidable. With extraordinary energy he defended the privileges of the church. It was only thanks to him that the proud claim of the Gothic military leader Hanna to have an Arian church in Constantinople itself failed completely. With all determination, Chrysostom defended the right of church asylum from the eunuch Eutropius. The arrogant temporary worker finally obtained from the emperor the abolition of this right, which was a great obstacle for him in pursuing his enemies. But, due to the vicissitudes of fate, he himself was forced to seek protection from the angry crowd and troops at the church throne. Chrysostom provided him with patronage and in a brilliant sermon “on Eutropius the eunuch” he depicted in the brightest colors all the vanity of human desires and the fragility of earthly glory. From the very beginning of his archpastoral service, John Chrysostom also reveals missionary zeal. He cares about the spread of Orthodoxy among the Goths, many of whom served in the Greek army. Since they did not understand Greek, Chrysostom provides them with the opportunity to perform divine services in their native language, dedicating priests from among them for this purpose. He himself sometimes visited the Gothic church and, through an interpreter, preached sermons there. And to spread Christianity in their country, he sends a mission there led by their fellow tribesman Unila, whom he even ordained as a bishop. Chrysostom sent missionaries to the Scythians, who lived along the banks of the Danube and further to the northeast, into the borders of present-day Russia. He also cared about the enlightenment of Phenicia, which represented one of the main strongholds of paganism at that time. Chrysostom's pastoral zeal extended to other churches. Thus, he takes measures to suppress Marcion’s heresy on the island of Cyprus, and in 401 he undertakes a journey to Asia Minor to improve the church life there. Various kinds of abuses in many Asia Minor churches were so great that Chrysostom even had to resort to the deposition of several bishops. With such truly pastoral activity, Chrysostom made many enemies for himself. Accustomed to a licentious life, the clergy was dissatisfied with him for his strict denunciations and punishments. In addition, it was burdened by the nightly antiphonal services he established and was irritated by his advice to wealthy benefactors that they should be especially careful in choosing intermediaries from among the clergy for distributing alms, and that it would be best to do this work themselves personally. The upper classes of the capital's population were also not happy with the archbishop, who shunned their feasts and did not host ceremonial receptions and luxurious treats for them, but, on the contrary, did not spare paint to depict the entire emptiness of their lives and completely stood on the side of the poor and oppressed. The ladies of high society were especially embittered against Chrysostom, whom he mercilessly castigated in his sermons for their addiction to luxurious outfits and, in general, for vanity. And behind these ladies stood the empress herself - the capricious, vain and greedy Eudoxia, who, after the fall of Eutropius, had a decisive influence on the governance of the state. At first, she apparently favored Chrysostom, and he, too, enthusiastically praised the empress’s piety, bribed by her outwardly humble participation in the solemn procession of the transfer of the relics of the martyrs, which he organized after one terrible earthquake in Constantinople. But Eudoxia, of course, could not help but realize that Chrysostom’s denunciations directed against secular women also applied to her, and this alone terribly offended her vanity, accustomed to servile flattery; and then the ladies of the court tried in every possible way to arm her against the shepherd they hated. Some bishops were also dissatisfied with Chrysostom: some of them envied him and, perhaps, secretly dreamed of taking his place (Severian of Gaval), others - as persons who had suffered from his impartial justice; There were even among them those who saw for themselves a grave personal insult in the simple reception and unpretentious treat given to them by Chrysostom (Akaky Berean). Such were the elements hostile to Chrysostom. It was them that his sworn enemy, the Alexandrian Patriarch Theophilus, took advantage of. The whole guilt of Chrysostom in relation to this arrogant hierarch, apparently, lay in the fact that his decree as Archbishop of Constantinople, which Theophilus himself was forced to carry out, destroyed the latter’s ambitious plans - if not for himself personally, then at least through his humble protege, to dispose of the see of the capital. Theophilus was only waiting for an opportunity to pour out his hidden anger on Chrysostom. And such an opportunity soon presented itself. Persecuted by Theophilus for imaginary Origenism, the monks of the Nitrian desert (four so-called. "long brothers") arrived in Constantinople to ask Chrysostom for protection. He responded with sympathy to their situation and with all respect, interceded in writing for them before Theophilus. But the latter sent Chrysostom an insulting reply, sharply condemning him for interfering in the affairs of another diocese. At that time, the monks turned to the emperor himself. The charges they brought against Theophilus were so serious that an order was made to summon him to Constantinople for trial. This was the moment when Chrysostom could have dealt a decisive blow to his opponent, but he avoided attending his trial. Meanwhile, Theophilus acted against him with all the malice and dexterity of an experienced intriguer. He accused Chrysostom of Origenism and thus influenced Epiphanius of Cyprus so much that he considered it necessary to personally appear in Constantinople to defend Orthodoxy from the impending danger. True, Theophilus did not achieve the results that he expected from the simple-hearted zeal of the Cypriot saint, but the state of affairs in the capital was already extremely favorable for the further development of his intrigue. The Empress appeared as a powerful ally of Theophilus; At that time she was especially embittered with Chrysostom for his fearless defense of the interests of one widow, whose vineyard she was trying to take possession of. Chrysostom’s conversation about Elijah and Jezebel at the same time sent this Byzantine Jezebel into a frenzy. Eudoxia sent a letter to Theophilus, urging him to come to Constantinople to depose Chrysostom and promising him all possible support. Theophilus immediately goes to the capital and, together with 23 Egyptian bishops and several Little Aryans he captured with him, opens a cathedral for the trial of Chrysostom (in 403) on the outskirts of Chalcedon, known as “At the Oak”. When challenged by this council to appear in person to defend himself against accusations, Chrysostom, of course, responded with a decisive refusal, and the council of forty bishops devoted to him expressed protest against the illegality of the course of action of Theophilus and his like-minded people. Nevertheless, this host of notorious enemies of Chrysostom, on the basis of fictitious accusations and slander of various kinds of crooks, sentenced him to deposition, and the weak-willed Arkady, at the insistence of Eudoxia, approved this blatantly unfair sentence. In order to avoid popular confusion and bloodshed, Chrysostom voluntarily surrendered into the hands of officials and was taken to Prenet, near Nicomedia. The people, having learned about what had happened, fell into terrible excitement: Theophilus would probably have been stoned if he had not managed to leave the capital secretly in advance. At the same time, an earthquake occurred, shaking the empress’s chambers with particular force. Distraught with horror, Eudoxia rushed to the emperor with a request to immediately cancel the order to exile Chrysostom and herself wrote a letter to him, tearfully begging him to immediately return to Constantinople and in every possible way apologizing for the sorrows caused to him. Chrysostom returned to the capital in triumph and, at the urgent demand of the people, immediately began his archpastoral service. Soon, a new council of 65 bishops solemnly recognized his innocence of the accusations raised and the complete lawlessness of the Pridub cathedral. But the peace did not last long. The discovery that followed soon near the church of St. Sophia's columns in honor of the Empress, - in addition to the fact that it was furnished with various kinds of pagan ceremonies - were accompanied by too much unbridled joy of the crowd. The noise and screams interfered with the divine service for several days, and Chrysostom in vain drew the attention of the prefect to this. Then, in justified indignation, he made a sharp accusatory speech, which began with the famous words: “Herodias is again raging, again he is agitated, again he applauds and dances, again he seeks the head of John.” Eudoxia, who had now reached her greatest power and highest honors, could not tolerate such reproof and decided to depose Chrysostom a second time. Theophilus, notified of this, fearing to appear in person in Constantinople, sent his representatives there. Under the leadership of Severian and Acacius, a miserable gang of Chrysostom’s enemies gathered again and, of course, pronounced a second condemnation on him, which was approved by the emperor. Before Easter 404, Chrysostom received orders to leave the church; and on the day of the holiday itself, a detachment of soldiers burst into the church, where he was already preparing to perform baptism over 3,000 catechumens, and created a wild riot here. The saint was imprisoned in the patriarchal house, where he was under house arrest for about two months. Meanwhile, the mood of the people threatened a terrible rebellion. To avoid bloodshed, Chrysostom, as the first time, after a touching farewell to his friends, secretly surrendered into the hands of secular authorities and was sent to Bithynia. At this time, a terrible fire broke out in the great cathedral church, destroying many of the capital's best buildings. Supporters of Chrysostom, suspected of arson, were subjected to cruel persecution, which continued under the newly installed Archbishop Arsakios, since they, faithful to their true archpastor, did not want to have any communication with him. Chrysostom informed Pope Innocent I about his situation, but he, with all his desire, could do nothing to alleviate his fate. And the attempt of the Western Emperor Honorius to get his brethren to convene an ecumenical council in Thessalonica for a new investigation into the case of Chrysostom was also unsuccessful. Chrysostom's place of exile was assigned to a poor abandoned village in Lesser Armenia, Kukuz, where he arrived, having experienced illnesses along the way, all kinds of hardships and bullying from his enemies, ch. arr., bishops In this village and then in the fortress of Arabis, where the inhabitants of Kukuz took refuge from the attacks of Isaurian robbers, Chrysostom lived for about three years, engaged in written works, taking care of the spread of Christianity (in Phenicia, among the Goths and in Persia), corresponding with many bishops and monasteries of the West and East, consoling friends in the disasters that befell him and himself being consoled by the expression of the liveliest sympathy from all over the Christian world. The Antiochians showed a special love for Chrysostom: “all Antioch is in Kukuza,” Chrysostom’s enemies said with envy. He was still scary to them. For their complete triumph, it was necessary to stop his lively relations with the world, expelling him to the most remote and deserted point of the empire, and most importantly, doom him, exhausted by illness, to such a journey that he could not endure. And they really achieved this. During a journey to the newly appointed place of imprisonment Pithiunt, on the eastern shore of the Black Sea, traveling under the escort of two brutally cruel Praetorians, who carried out the instructions given to them with inexorable ferocity, Chrysostom died not far from Comana, in Pontus at the crypt of St. Basilisk, consoled by the appearance of the martyr and receiving Holy Communion. Tain (Sept. 14, 407). His last words were: “Glory to God for everything.” In 438, the relics of Chrysostom were solemnly transferred to Constantinople and buried near the altar in the Church of the Apostles. The memory of Chrysostom is celebrated on January 27 and 30 and November 13. Holy Ecumenical Fathers of the Church: Athanasius the Great, Gregory the Theologian and John Chrysostom (from a painting by Vasnetsov in the Vladimir Cathedral in Kyiv The time of Chrysostom's archbishopric was already much less favorable for his literary activity: other concerns distracted the archpastor's attention. Chrysostom's works dating back to this period are significantly inferior to his earlier works in terms of the thoroughness of their subject matter and the thoroughness of their finishing. Some of the sermons of this period probably appeared in the form in which they were written down by cursive writers, without translations or final editing by the author. This may also include some dubious works of Chrysostom, the time of writing of which cannot be determined, and the style presents significant features (and, of course, of a negative nature) in comparison with his literary techniques. The largest works of John Chrysostom of this period are his interpretive conversations on the book of Acts and on the Epistles of St. Paul - to the Colossians, to the Philippians, to the Thessalonians and to the Hebrews. The time of exile dates back to many (245) letters of Chrysostom to various persons, extremely important in a biographical sense and, in particular, shedding especially bright light on the mental state and concerns of the great saint in this most difficult era of his glorious life. His 17 letters to Deaconess Olympias are especially remarkable. At this time, Chrysostom compiled, as a consolation to his suffering followers, “A Word to those who are tempted by the misfortunes that have occurred”... At the same time, he probably compiled the second part of the interpretation of the book of St. Isaiah (from the 11th art. VIII chapter), which has come down to us only in the Armenian translation. Chrysostom is undoubtedly one of the greatest interpreters of Holy Scripture. As an exegete, he belongs to the Antiochian school, being its most brilliant representative. It is known that the Antiochian school, in contrast to the allegorical and mystical interpretation of the Alexandrian school, brought to the fore the literal, historical and grammatical meaning of Holy Scripture. This is also the method of Chrysostom. He understands Holy Scripture in historical light: before proceeding to interpret the text of any sacred book, he usually prefaces it with an introduction, which provides information about the author of the book, as well as about the time, place, reason and purpose of its writing; and the disclosure of the sacred text is accompanied by various kinds of historical, geographical, archaeological and other indications and explanations, more or less reproducing the historical situation in which the book in question appeared and, depending on which it differs in certain features. When explaining the sacred text, Chrysostom also pays great attention to its lexical, grammatical and logical side: he diligently notes the various shades of concepts denoted by well-known words, forms, turns of the text, and reveals its meaning, observing the logical connection of thoughts in the context and with the help of parallel places. But, having mastered the main principle of the Antiochian school - a thorough study of the literal meaning of Holy Scripture, Chrysostom was completely alien to its extreme, rationalistic direction, the closest exponent of which was his comrade Theodore of Mopsuestia. The latter, as is known, did not attach importance to church authority, determining the very canonicity of the sacred books only from their internal features, at his own discretion. Chrysostom always strictly adheres to the soil of church tradition. If in his review of the books of the New Testament, as already noted, four conciliar messages and the Apocalypse are missing, then this is only because these books in his time were not yet included in the canon of Holy Scripture. Further, while Theodore of Mopsuestia with particular tenacity tries to retain one literal, historical meaning behind all places of Holy Scripture, everywhere pushing forward the human element to the detriment of the divine, Chrysostom is alien to this extreme, recognizing the full legality of allegorical interpretation. He only rebels against the inappropriate and completely arbitrary imposition of his sacred. text (as observed in Origen). According to Chrysostom, in the Holy Scripture itself there are clear indications that it must be understood allegorically, and on this basis the scope of allegorical interpretation should be limited only to certain (non-historical) places of prophecy and parables. The exegetical works of John Chrysostom are predominantly of a moral and practical nature. Especially in this regard, his interpretations of the book of Genesis, Psalms, Ev. Matthew, epistle of St. Paul to the Romans, as well as his numerous conversations (homilies) on individual texts of Holy Scripture. Chrysostom has very few interpretations that approach the pure type of commentary (in this regard, his interpretation of the Epistle of Apostle Paul to the Galatians especially stands out). Chrysostom does not like to dwell long on the dogmatic side of the text being explained. Having established the thought of a well-known place, he immediately draws moral and practical conclusions from it, applies it to life, and teaches lessons of piety. That is why the exegetical works of Chrysostom represent the richest treasury of ch. arr. moral edification. Chrysostom's interpretations of the New Testament, in general, are distinguished by greater perfection compared to his interpretations of the Old Testament. And this is primarily because when interpreting the New Testament, he dealt with the original Greek text, which for him, as a deep connoisseur of the Greek language, was available in all the subtlest shades. When explaining the Old Testament, he had to almost exclusively be content with translations, the degree of accuracy of which, due to insufficient knowledge of the Hebrew language, he could not determine. Let’s not even talk about Chrysostom’s especially deep comprehension of the spirit of the New Testament, his especially deep penetration into the secrets of the New Testament economy, into the world of New Testament ideas. With special love he was engaged in the interpretation of the messages of St. Paul, whom he treated with the deepest reverence, as an inimitable example of all Christian virtues. Chrysostom interprets the Old Testament according to the LXX translation. But to confirm and establish the correct reading of the biblical text, he often provides variants of other Greek translations and even makes references to the original Hebrew text. And in his interpretations of the New Testament, he often refers to variants of the readings of St. text according to its various lists. True, Chrysostom’s quotation of the Hebrew original is usually not accompanied by any explanation, just as his Greek versions are not always used critically enough, but what is important is that he is aware of the unconditional correctness of both the translation of the LXX and that edition of St. text, which he uses as the basis for his interpretation of the New Testament, and not only recognizes this, but even outlines the true path for establishing the correct text of Holy Scripture. In this regard, the works of Chrysostom are important, also because the holy word used in them. the text is undoubtedly of high quality. We must not forget that Chrysostom received his theological education under the direct influence of the Antiochian school, which has long been known for its work on correcting the sacred text. Having a special love for the word of God and carefully studying it throughout his life, Chrysostom, of course, could have had the best copies of Holy Scripture both due to his material resources (at first), and, even more so, due to his position in the Antioch and Constantinople churches (later). It is also worth noting that in the works of Chrysostom there is a lot of sacred text and that its antiquity is quite respectable: from the 4th century. we have only two codes, and even those with very significant gaps. In conclusion, we note that Chrysostom’s text of St. The Scriptures are especially important for the long-overdue correction of the Church Slavonic translation of the Bible, since the latter in its oldest form was made from copies of the edition of the Holy Scriptures that was used in Antioch and Constantinople (i.e., the Lucian edition), i.e., precisely in the places of Chrysostom’s ministry. Chrysostom has few works with a predominant, dogmatic character. He turns to speculative and dogmatic reasoning, ch. arr., in his polemics with various kinds of heretics (Apollinaris, Anomeans, Manichaeans, Montanists, Gnostics, etc.). He was forced to this by the very nature of the heresies with which he had to fight. And even here he often emphasizes the limitations of the human mind, condemns its excessive inquisitiveness and takes every opportunity to move on to explaining the moral and practical significance of this or that dogma. In dogmatics, as in exegesis, Chrysostom stands on the basis of strict Orthodoxy and is alien to one-sided hobbies: the accusation of Chrysostom in Origenism is caused only by the malice of his enemies, and the reference to him by the Pelagians is explained by their misunderstanding of some of Chrysostom’s expressions, as a result of considering them outside of any connection with his holistic worldview. As has already been shown, Chrysostom pays primary attention to the moral side of Christian teaching. He is undoubtedly one of the greatest moral teachers. Here we note only the main, central point of Chrysostom’s moral worldview - his teaching about love as the most perfect and comprehensive principle of religious life, more precisely: about God’s love for us and about our love for God and our neighbors. Chrysostom with special animation, persistence and detail depicts the ineffable love, the immeasurable goodness of God for people, as it was expressed in the works of divine creation and providence and in all of God’s economy for the salvation of man, especially in the atoning death of the Only Begotten Son of God and the great grace-filled gifts and promises connected with it (Demons on 41 and 144 Psalm: 7, 8 and 34 demons on Gen.). All of God’s relationships with people, according to Chrysostom, are sealed by boundless love for them: he also sees it in God’s judgment over Adam (9 demons. on Gen.), and in the adaptation of the Old Testament revelation and law to the infantile-sensual concept of people and to their crude moral state (3 demons on Titus, 3 demons on John, 18 demons on Matt.), and in the disasters of the righteous, and in the punishments of trespassers (26 demons on Gen., 3 demons on Philemon), and even in the doctrine of eternal torment (Demons. at 144 ps., art. 3). But most of all, Chrysostom is inexhaustible in depicting God’s long-suffering towards those who sin and God’s boundless mercy towards those who repent (especially the 8 demons about repentance, as well as the famous Word for Easter). From the living consciousness of God’s immeasurable love for us, naturally, the strongest love for God should also ignite on our part (Demons on 41 ps., 34 demons on Gen., 2 demons to Philemon). But no matter how strong our love for God is, its discovery will only be an expression of our gratitude, gratitude to God, “already constitute a kind of payment and debt,” while the manifestation of divine love for us, as primary, unconditional and unlimited, “is a gift and a good deed, and great mercy” (34 demons on Gen.). People who passionately love God live exclusively for God and in communion with Him experience the highest bliss. They are alien to attachment to worldly goods and are not only free from the fear of any kind of disaster, but will even “consider themselves happier than the kings themselves, finding some wondrous delight among all their sufferings in the fact that they endure them for their Beloved” (Demon on Psalm 41). True love for God must be humble, undivided and selfless. The degree of this love should determine the meaning of every moment of a person’s religious life. That is why for Chrysostom prayer is of extreme importance, as a “conversation with God” (30 demons on Gen.), as direct communication with Him, filled with hope in the love of God and self-devoted love for God, as a “union of love with God” (Demon on Psalm 4). All the duties of a Christian and, above all, love for one’s neighbors should flow from love for God. If we love God, then naturally we must love those whom He loves. “Let us therefore love one another, that in this way we may show love to God who loves us” (23 demons. to Romans). And the basis and example of our love for our neighbors should be Christ (60 demons on Matthew, 15 demons on John). In the person of our neighbors, we love Christ himself (15 demons to Romans). In imitation of Him, we must first of all take care of the salvation of our neighbors (4 demons about the alternation, im.), as well as about alleviating their lot through charity, alms, about which, as the greatest virtue - the “queen of virtues,” Chrysostom speaks in deliberate words and in almost every one of his creations. Following the example of Christ, we must love our enemies (Demon about the cross and the thief). The teaching of Chrysostom outlined by us about God’s love for us and about our love for God and our neighbors - this “mother of all good things and the perfecter of all virtue” (Rom. 23), constituting the soul of his moral worldview, gives the latter a particularly sublime and sincerely warm character. Between St. Fathers and teachers of the church John Chrysostom is primarily a teacher of love. Sermon of St. John Chrysostom in the rank of presbyter Chrysostom, by universal verdict, is the most famous church speaker. Let us briefly note those outstanding properties of his personal character and oratorical talent, in which Ch. arr. lies the secret of the extraordinary effectiveness of his words. Chrysostom's sermons are imbued with the spirit of the preacher's lively love for his flock. Not infrequently, this love pours out in him in the form of unusually touching, sincere tenderness. Here, for example, are examples: “When a small child is torn from his mother’s breast or carried away, he turns around and looks around, looking for her; so when I too was torn from among you, as from my mother’s breast, all my thoughts directed me towards this sacred meeting” (Demons on Galatians 2:11). “For me there is nothing more expensive than you, not even the light itself. I would lose my sight a thousand times, if only through this it was possible to convert your souls; so your salvation is dearer to me than the light itself” (Demon 3 on Acts. Ap.). “At least in plain sight. Hence the extraordinary sincerity and authority of his words. Careful study of St. The Scriptures and the great work of personal moral improvement revealed to Chrysostom the human soul in all its bends and showed him the best methods for combating vices and strengthening in virtue. Hence the extraordinary penetration and persuasiveness of his words. But, in addition to the powerful charm of the holy personality of Chrysostom, the success of his preaching activity depended to no small extent on the characteristics of his enormous talent. Chrysostom's sermon usually has the character of a lively conversation, creatively freely developing at the moment of utterance. True, Chrysostom almost always thought out the subject of the sermon in advance, but his gift for improvisation was so great, his living inspiration so powerful, that he was involuntarily carried away by the flow of new impressions, memories, thoughts, images. “Perhaps we have become very widespread in speech,” he says in one of his conversations, “but this is not of our own free will, but, so to speak, carried away by the very flow of speech, as if by some powerful stream” (4 demons on Gen.). And he has quite a few confessions of this kind. Thanks to such living spontaneity of his sermon, Chrysostom could at every moment adapt it to the present state of his listeners and use for the purposes of edification any discovery of their moods. This explains his frequent deviations from the intended topic and the extreme variety of subjects in the same sermon; but let’s talk about the reflection here of the preacher’s personal mood in all the variety of its transitions and shades. But these deviations, this diversity of content and tone of the sermon reveal only the inspired courage and inexhaustible productivity of the gifted preacher, who allows himself such techniques to the honor of his talent, although contrary to the requirements of the artificial method of logical constructions. Chrysostom does not reason so much as he feels, he does not so much prove as he touches, captivates, captivates. He possessed to a high degree the gift of poetic representation, marvelously combining in his work the extreme brightness and richness of Eastern fantasy with the natural simplicity and certainty of Hellenic taste. Like a true poet, he thinks in images, pictures. His favorite method of persuasion is a living example. That is why he has so many conversations about the virtues of the biblical righteous and so many words of praise in honor of the saints and martyrs. And his most common way of understanding abstract truths is a visual comparison of them with phenomena from the life of nature and, in particular, from modern life, which, thanks to this technique, as well as numerous characteristics, descriptions, pictures snatched directly from life, was reflected in Chrysostom’s sermons with particular completeness and, so to speak, tactile relief. The poetic decoration of Chrysostom's speech, its simplicity, clarity, accuracy and certainty give his sermons an extremely popular character and, moreover, without any damage to the nobility and grace of their style, or to the sublimity of their style, the depth of their content. In terms of clarity, Chrysostom has no rivals. In conclusion, we note that not only among his contemporaries, but throughout subsequent times among all Christian peoples - among us Russians, especially - sermons, like other creations of Chrysostom, have always enjoyed and continue to enjoy special love, being an inexhaustible source of moral edification and consolation. They will never lose this meaning, since they possess to a high degree that grace-filled “anointing,” which is nothing more than the life-giving breath of the Spirit of God, revealed through its chosen ones.