John Chrysostom and the Transformation of the City

by Aideen Hartney

John Chrysostom was one of the most prolific and admired Christian preachers of the fourth century AD. Operating in both Antioch and Constantinople, he was constantly concerned for the spiritual welfare of his flock, especially when he saw them surrounded by the secular temptations of city life in the later Roman empire. His preaching was tailored to combat these temptations and to encourage his congregation to live more obviously orthodox lives. Previous studies of Chrysostom have been almost entirely biographical in nature. This book conducts a much needed thematic exploration of his preaching, shedding light both on gender relations in late antiquity and also on the practical processes by which Christianity established itself as a dominant social structure in the Roman Empire.

Hardcover

First published April 1, 2004

Reviews

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book focuses specifically on Chrysostom's sermons on men, women, and wealth, as based on Pauline passages (specific, I know). Hartney does a good job covering a lot of recent scholarship (recent for 2004) on Chrysostom's preaching on the aforementioned topics. Hartney frames the discussion around Chrysostom's goal of transforming the life within the city around Christianized social, behavioral, and relational paradigms. The one drawback from Hartney's work is its tendency to repeat itself at times, and an overall weak conclusion. This a great source to explore on Chrysostom, especially due to its strong research on secondary sources.