On Repentance & Defeating Despair: Letters to Theodore

by John Chrysostom, John Habib (Editor)

St. John Chrysostom wrote two letters to his friend Theodore, who along with St. John and his friend Basil, committed to a life of celibacy and spiritual living; however, Theodore was unable to keep his commitments and later fell into lustful passions and strayed quite afar off from godliness. These letters are St. John's heartfelt words written in anguish to his lost friend pleading for his return. The purpose of this book is to make St. John's letters to Theodore accessible to modern audiences. Several editorial supplements and revisions were implemented to help achieve that end, including using modern words in place of archaic language, and providing summary captions to make it easier to understand and follow along.

Genres: Spirituality, Religion, Christianity

154 pages, Paperback

Published July 13, 2018

About the author

John Chrysostom (c. 347–407, Greek: Ἰωάννης ὁ Χρυσόστομος), Archbishop of Constantinople, was an important Early Church Father. He is known for his eloquence in preaching and public speaking, his denunciation of abuse of authority by both ecclesiastical and political leaders, the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, and his ascetic sensibilities. After his death in 407 (or, according to some sources, during his life) he was given the Greek epithet chrysostomos, meaning "golden mouthed", in English and Anglicized to Chrysostom.

The Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches honor him as a saint and count him among the Three Holy Hierarchs, together with Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzus. He is recognized by the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church as a saint and as a Doctor of the Church. Churches of the Western tradition, including the Roman Catholic Church, some Anglican provinces, and parts of the Lutheran Church, commemorate him on 13 September. Some Lutheran and many Anglican provinces commemorate him on the traditional Eastern feast day of 27 January. The Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria also recognizes John Chrysostom as a saint (with feast days on 16 Thout and 17 Hathor).

John is known in Christianity chiefly as a preacher, theologian and liturgist. Among his homilies, eight directed against Judaizing Christians remain controversial for their impact on the development of Christian antisemitism.

Reviews

[Chris O’Rourke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Everyone should have a friend like St. John Chrysostom in their life.

[mRizk · Rating 4 out of 5]

St. John here is like the servant who continues to check up on you & just happens to wake you up every time you’re down. I recommend reading this if you’re feeling like you’re at a point of no return or like you have no one.

[Sophia · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was incredible helpful when you are suffering through despair, and even though he was talking to Theodore, it still at points felt like he was talking directly to you.

[Drake Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a wonderful book to encourage someone dealing with despair. While it is written by someone long ago in history, the fifth century eastern church father John Chrysostom, the ideas are very applicable to someone today. They are heartfelt words written to persuade Chrysostom's friend, Theodore to return to the faith.

The book is part of a series to make the great Eastern theologian John Chrysostom more accessible to modern audiences. The letters are short, the language is easy to read, and the thoughts are frequently not considered. Summaries throughout the letters help the reader easily grasp what the ancient church father was saying.

I heartily recommend this book to pastors and for those interested in gleaning more from church history.

[Ted · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Church Fathers as rhetoricians are often long winded and one has to read a lot to find the gems in their thought. This is a fairly easy read. It shows Chrysostom as a pastor who can also be a moralist. His descriptions of God as love, being forgiving and merciful, are some of the best you can find about God. On the other hand, his description of hell is so literally painful as to make you hope God is merciful rather than just. An eternity of unrelenting torment in hell seems beyond justice for stumbling through life and committing sins which have no eternal value and thus not worthy of the God of love.

[elisavet · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is exactly what I needed.

[Cameron Barham]

“…repentance is not about quantity of time, but by the disposition of the soul.”, p. 35