Chrysostom: A Study in the History of Biblical Interpretation
Overview
Known for his eloquent preaching and public speaking, John Chrysostom (c. 347–407), given the posthumous Greek epithet chrysostomos or “golden mouthed,” was the archbishop of Constantinople and an influential early Church Father. He is recognized as a saint in the Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Church and is one of the Three Holy Hierarchs along with Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianus.
Given to extreme asceticism, he lived as a hermit for two years before poor health forced him to return to Antioch, where he was ordained as a deacon, and later a priest, of the Antiochene Church. His insightful expositions and discourses on the Bible made him a popular orator in the Church, and he was appointed archbishop of Constantinople in 397.
Understanding Chrysostom’s exegetical work is important to understanding the Antiochene church, and Frederic Henry Chase provides a comprehensive examination of the orator’s contributions to the school of Antioch and his interpretations of the Old Testament. In this broad treatise, Chase also takes on the influence of Chrysostom’s critical and scholarly work, as well as his observations on the New Testament Gospels and epistles. His work is a detailed analysis of Chrysostom’s homiletic and oratorical giftings and insights on the ancient church.
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Key Features
- Examines how the crises of Chrysostom’s time reflect our own
- Discusses the responsibility of accurately investigating the words of Scripture
- Highlights the work of Chrysostom in the early church
Contents
- The School of Antioch and Chrysostom’s Place in It
- Chrysostom as an Interpreter of the Old Testament
- Chrysostom as Critic and Scholar
- Chrysostom as an Interpreter of the Gospels and the Book of the Acts
- Chrysostom as an Interpreter of St. Paul’s Epistles
Top Highlights
“The aim of all Scripture is the reformation of mankind’ (vi. 314).” (Page 50)
“The Antiochenes’ love for the foulness of the theatre and the barbarities of the racecourse is a sufficient index of their character.” (Page 16)
“Scripture in this present case speaks of a vineyard, a hedge. It does not leave the hearer without responsibility to attach the words to what persons or events he will, but goes on to interpret itself. ‘For the vineyard of the Lord of Hosts &c.’ … And this is the universal law of Scripture when it speaks in allegories, viz. to supply the interpretation of the allegory, so that the uncontrolled passion of those who are bent on allegorising may not be left free to wander and penetrate everywhere without system or principle.’ The analogy of Scripture is the best guide in the interpretation of Scripture. So stated the rule is good and useful.” (Page 61)
“Chrysostom falls into two main divisions; the first of which comprises some thirty years, years of preparation: the second is a period of a little more than a quarter of a century—the period of active work; and this again is naturally subdivided when the scene changes from Antioch to Constantinople.” (Page 12)
“In dealing with Chrysostom we are dealing with a representative of a great exegetical school in ‘the Old Catholic Church.’ As a preacher he was naturally more prone to ‘make Scripture edifying’ than other members of the school of Antioch3.” (Page 38)
Product Details
- Title: Chrysostom: A Study in the History of Biblical Interpretation
- Author: Frederic Henry Chase
- Publisher: Deighton, Bell, and Co.
- Publication Date: 1887
- Pages: 230
About Frederic Henry Chase
Frederic Henry Chase was principal of the clergy training school in Cambridge.