The Living Tradition An Orthodox Archive of the Church Fathers and Early Church

Canonised Father of the Church

John Chrysostom

Also known as John the Golden-mouthed; John of Antioch

Preacher at Antioch and archbishop of Constantinople, exiled for preaching against the powerful, whose homilies on Scripture and on the care of the poor are the largest body of pastoral writing from the ancient Church.

  • Received Orthodox teachingTaught consistently and received throughout the Orthodox Church, though not necessarily formulated in a conciliar definition. This is not a claim that no Father ever wrote differently.
  • Liturgical witnessAttested in the Church's worship — in a hymn, a prayer, a rite or a commemoration. Liturgical language is theological rather than casual, but a hymn is not a canon.
  • Pastoral applicationHow a teaching is ordinarily applied in practice, under the guidance of a priest and bishop. Never a substitute for that guidance.
  • Historical consensusBroadly agreed among historians working from the surviving evidence. Consensus can shift when the evidence or the method changes.

Primary evidence verified Content last reviewed 2026-08-29

What still needs checking (3)
  • Archive a selection of the homilies, which are the bulk of his work and are not represented here.
  • Confirm the commemoration dates against an official Orthodox source.
  • Add a page addressing his homilies against the Judaizers directly and honestly rather than leaving the question implicit.

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Dates
around 349 - 407 — Died on 14 September 407 in exile at Comana in Pontus.
Region
Antioch, then Constantinople
See
Constantinople
Language of composition
Greek
Commemoration
13 November, and 30 January with the Three Hierarchs (Orthodox Church in America and other Orthodox jurisdictions) — 27 January commemorates the translation of his relics. Julian-calendar jurisdictions observe these dates thirteen days later on the civil calendar.

Life

John was trained in rhetoric at Antioch, spent years as an ascetic in the mountains until his health broke, and returned to be ordained. For twelve years he preached in Antioch, working consecutively through books of the Bible to congregations that sometimes applauded and sometimes did not want to hear it.

In 397 he was taken to Constantinople, effectively against his will, and made archbishop. He reduced the household expenses of the see, spent the savings on hospitals, disciplined clergy, and preached against wealth and luxury in a capital that contained a great deal of both. He was deposed, recalled, deposed again, and died on a forced march into exile.

The Divine Liturgy celebrated on most days of the Orthodox year bears his name. The relationship between the received text and John's own work is a scholarly question; the attribution is traditional rather than documentary.

Works

Generally accepted as authentic

  • On the Priesthood, Book III
  • Homilies on Matthew, John, Acts, Romans and the Pauline epistles — Not archived here.
  • The Homilies on the Statues — Preached at Antioch during the crisis of 387. Not archived here.

Disputed, spurious or lost

  • A large Pseudo-Chrysostomic corpus — Many works circulated under his name are not his; his popularity attracted attributions.

Theological and spiritual contribution

Chrysostom is the great preacher of the Church's social conscience. His treatment of wealth is relentless: what is superfluous to you belongs to the poor, and almsgiving is not charity but restitution. This is not a modern reading imposed on him; it is what the homilies say, at length.

On the Priesthood is a sustained meditation on why the pastoral office is terrifying — not because it is burdensome but because of what is being handled. It has been read by Orthodox clergy ever since.

His exegesis is Antiochene: attentive to the plain sense, to the situation of the writer and the hearers, and impatient with allegory that floats free of the text.

Controversy and reception

  • Basil the Great

    Bishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia, organiser of monastic life and of the Church's care for the poor, and the theologian whose work on the Holy Spirit made the Council of Constantinople possible.

    Father or writer

  • Gregory the Theologian

    One of only three figures the Orthodox Church calls the Theologian, whose five orations on the Trinity settled how the Church would speak of God, and who resigned the see of Constantinople rather than prolong a quarrel.

    Father or writer

  • Orthodox worship

    Vespers, Matins, the Divine Liturgy, and the year that shapes them.

    Theme

  • Christian conduct

    Almsgiving, wealth, forgiveness and the shape of Christian conduct.

    Theme

  • Prayer, fasting, almsgiving and repentance

    The three disciplines Christ names together, understood as therapy rather than achievement.

    Lesson

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Sources for this page

  1. Tier C St. Chrysostom: On the Priesthood; Ascetic Treatises; Homilies Philip Schaff (ed.) On the Priesthood, Book III translated edition of primary texts Archived in full. Source record
  2. Tier C Socrates and Sozomenus: Ecclesiastical Histories Philip Schaff and Henry Wace (eds.) Socrates, Ecclesiastical History, Book VI translated edition of primary texts On his episcopate, deposition and exile. Source record

Tiers are explained in the methodology. No page on this site has been reviewed or approved by any bishop, priest, synod or seminary.