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Archbishop. Scholar. Power Broker. Doctor of the Church. All of these words could be used to describe St. John Chrysostom (c. 349-407). But despite all his talents and influence, Chrysostom’s life story could more accurately be seen as a reflection of Paul’s statement that believers hold a vast treasure in an earthen vessel (2 Corinthians 4:7).
John was born to a Christian mother and pagan father in Antioch, where he studied law and theology. He was on track to become a successful lawyer when he felt a call to the monastic life. Embracing that call, he joined a community of monks outside the city, spending six years praying and studying Scripture. He was so dedicated to the monks’ life of self-denial, however, that he nearly ruined his body. His declining health forced him to move back to Antioch, where he became first a deacon, then a priest, and finally the city’s bishop.
As bishop, John delivered such powerful homilies that people dubbed him Chrysostom, or “golden tongued.” His reputation as a preacher spread, and when Arkadios became emperor in Constantinople, he summoned John to be the head of the church there. Clinging to…
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