OSSAE OKR SUNDAY SCHOOL

1. Life of St John Chrysostom
CLASS IX PROJECT
BY: CARALYN VIJU JOHN
ST. THOMAS ORTHODOX SYRIAN SUNDAY SCHOOL, VASHI

2. CONTENTS
• INTRODUCTION
• EARLY LIFE
• SIGNIFICANCE & WORKS
• ARCHBISHOP OF CONSTANTINOPLE
• RELICS
• FEAST DAYS
• FAMOUS QUOTES
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3. INTRODUCTION
• John Chrysostom (347 – 14 September 407) was an important Early Church Father who
served as archbishop of Constantinople.
• He is known for his preaching and public speaking, his denunciation of abuse of authority by
both ecclesiastical and political leaders, Divine Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom, and his
ascetic sensibilities.
• Chrysostom means "golden-mouthed" in Greek and was among the most prolific authors in
the early Christian Church.
• He is honored as a saint in the Oriental Orthodox, Eastern Orthodox, Catholic, Anglican,
and Lutheran churches, as well as in some others. The Eastern Orthodox, together with the
Byzantine Catholics, hold him in special regard as one of the Three Holy Hierarchs
(alongside Basil the Great and Gregory of Nazianzus).
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4. EARLY LIFE
• John was born in Antioch in 347, he was the son of a high-ranking military officer and was
raised as a Christian by his widowed mother.
• Although he studied law under a distinguished pagan rhetorician named Libanius, he gave up
his profession to study theology as he became more deeply committed to Christianity and
wanted to become an ascetic hermit-monk.
• When his health gave way, he returned back to Antioch and became an ordained deacon in
381 and a priest in 386.
• Over the next 12 years he established himself as a great preacher, and his homilies (sermons)
were well regarded till date.
• The zeal and clarity of his preaching, which appealed especially to the common people,
earned him the Greek surname “Chrysostom” meaning “golden-mouthed.”
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5. SIGNIFICANCE & WORKS
• The most valuable of his works from this period are his Homilies (sermon) on various books
of the Bible. He emphasized charitable giving and was concerned with the spiritual and
temporal needs of the poor. He spoke against abuse of wealth and personal property:
“Do you wish to honor the body of Christ? Do not ignore him when he is naked. Do not pay
him homage in the temple clad in silk, only then to neglect him outside where he is cold and
ill-clad. He who said: "This is my body" is the same who said: "You saw me hungry and you
gave me no food", and "Whatever you did to the least of my brothers you did also to me"...
What good is it if the Eucharistic table is overloaded with golden chalices when your brother
is dying of hunger? Start by satisfying his hunger and then with what is left you may adorn
the altar as well”
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6. ARCHBISHOP OF
CONSTANTINOPLE
• In 398, St. John was called to Constantinople to be its archbishop, much against his
will. There he gained a large following among the people, but his teachings on the
misuse of riches angered the wealthy and influential.
• During his time as archbishop he adamantly refused to host lavish social gatherings,
which made him popular with the common people, but unpopular with wealthy
citizens and the clergy.
• His reforms of the clergy were also unpopular. He told visiting regional preachers to
return to the churches they were meant to be serving—without any pay-out. Also he
found a number of hospitals in Constantinople.
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7. RELICS
• John Chrysostom died in the city of Comana on 14th September 407 on his way to his
place of exile. There his relics remained until 438 when, thirty years after his death,
they were transferred to Constantinople during the reign of emperor Theodosius II
(408–450), under the guidance of St. John's disciple, Proclus, who by that time had
become archbishop of Constantinople (434–447).
• Most of John's relics were looted from Constantinople by Crusaders and taken to
Rome, but some of his bones were returned to the Orthodox Church on 27
November 2004 by Pope John Paul II. Since 2004 the relics have been enshrined in
the Church of St. George, Istanbul.
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8. FEAST DAYS
• The feast days of John Chrysostom in the Eastern Orthodox Church are 14
September, 13 November and 27 January.
• In the Roman Catholic Church he is recognized as a Doctor of the Church. Because
the date of his death is occupied by the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross (14
September), the General Roman Calendar celebrates him since 1970 on the previous
day, 13 September.
• Of other Western churches, including Anglican provinces and Lutheran churches,
some commemorate him on 13 September, others on 27 January.
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9. FAMOUS QUOTES
• Chrysostom's many writings, especially homilies and commentaries on the Gospels,
have exerted great influence over the centuries.
• “When you are before the altar where Christ reposes, you ought no longer to think
that you are amongst men; but believe that there are troops of angels and archangels
standing by you, and trembling with respect before the sovereign Master of Heaven
and earth. Therefore, when you are in church, be there in silence, fear, and
veneration.”
- St. John Chrysostom
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10. FAMOUS QUOTES
• A friend is more to be longed for than the light; I speak of a genuine one. And wonder not:
for it were better for us that the sun should be extinguished, than that we should be deprived
of friends; better to live in darkness, than to be without friends”
• “Let the mouth also fast from disgraceful speeches and railings. For what does it profit if we
abstain from fish and fowl and yet bite and devour our brothers and sisters? The evil speaker
eats the flesh of his brother and bites the body of his neighbor. ”
• “The Holy Scriptures were not given to us that we should enclose them in books, but that we
should engrave them upon our hearts.”
• “Everywhere, wherever you may find yourself, you can set up an altar to God in your mind by
means of prayer.”
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