Jean Chrysostome

Biography

Its family, Christian woman, belong to the middle-class of Antioche. His/her father, officer in the army Syria, does not find death whereas he is still child. He is then raised by his mother. Become adolescent, it receives the teaching of the famous speaker and professor of rhetoric Libanios. He testifies to have carried out a disordered youth and “to be connected by the appetites of the world” ( Of Priesthood , I, 3), to then show itself to have been gastronome, amateur of eloquence legal and theater.

18 years, he asks the Baptême, after having met the Mélétios bishop. He then starts to follow courses of Exégèse near Diodore de Tarse. After having finished its higher learning, it receives the minor orders, then settles as a hermit with the doors of Antioche, and is devoted to theology. It then composes its treaty Of Priesthood , influenced by the ideas of Gregoire de Nazianze. According to Jean, the monachism is not the only way leading to the perfection. If the monk, carrying out a cloistered life, far away from temptations, can more easily reach his goal, Jean judges more still deserving the way of the priest, who devotes himself in the middle of the dangers of the world to the hello of his next (VI, 5):

“the monk who would put his work and his sweats in comparison with priesthood such as it must be exerted, would see there as much difference than between the conditions of subject and emperor. ”

During the winter 380 - 381, it is ordered Diacre by Mélétios with Antioche. A few years later, it is ordered priest. He becomes preacher and spiritual director then. He continues his work of writing, and writes many treaties: to comfort a widow, on the remarriage, education, the practice of cohabitation of monks and moniales, etc It acquires a certain celebrity for her talent of speaker: the faithful ones take notes of its homélies.

In 397, Nectary, archbishop of Constantinople, finds death. At the end of a battle of baited succession, the emperor Arcadius chooses Jean. He protests then with a great force against the corruption of manners and the licentious life of large, which attracts many violent hatreds to him. He relieves the priests whom he considers unworthy, among which the bishop of Éphèse, and brings back of force to their convent the wandering monks. He also attacks with the heretics, the Juif S and the pagan ones: “The Jews and the pagan ones must learn that the Christians are the savers, the guards, the chiefs and the Masters of the city” ( Homélies on the statues , I, 12). It imposes its authority on the dioceses of minor Asia around. Feeling reluctant with its duties of representation, it only takes its meals and imposes a frugal and austere lifestyle on its entourage.

If it quickly attracts itself inimitable higher classes and of its bishops, it enjoys at the beginning the favor the imperial couple. When Jean orders the return of the Relique S of saint Phocas, the empress Eudoxie undertakes in person to carry the mounting through the city, that for which Jean then warmly thanks it in a homélie. In 399, its influence manages to save the Eunuque Eutrope, disgrâcié and taken refuge in the cathedral. However, the inimitable one of the imperial court is growing. Jean ends up wounding Eudoxie highly by reproaching him the monopolization of a sum pertaining to the Callitrope widow and goods of another widow: he would have compared the empress with the infamous queen Jézabel of the Old Testament.

In 402, Jean is taken in the business of Theophilus, patriarch of Alexandria, publicly shown tyranny and of injustice by a group of monks disciples of Origène. The latter call upon Jean, who tries to challenge himself, but must finally agree to chair a Synode, convened by the emperor, in front of whom Theophilus is supposed to present himself. Theophilus then engages the fight against his judge, by gathering all the dissatisfied ones. Arriving finally at Constantinople in June 403, Theophilus is accompanied by a armada Egyptian bishops. The business is turned over then against Jean: he is convened by these bishops to answer of the charges formulated against him. Jean then is deposited and condemned, judgment ratified by Arcadius.

He is recalled at once by the empress, who made a miscarriage and there sees a warning of the Sky. However, the charges begin again against him. Jean shows himself particularly not very diplomatic, beginning a sermon with an allusion to Hérodiade claiming the head of Jean the Baptist. Finally, it is second once condemned and exiled in Cucusus, in Petite Arménie. Little time afterwards, it must take refuge with the castle of Arabisse to flee an incursion of the Isauriens. In 407, it is sent to Pithyos, on the Black Sea, with the borders of the Empire. Weakened by the disease, Jean dies during the voyage close to Comana, in the Euxine Sea. According to the tradition, its last words are “glory with God in all things” ( doxa to theo pantôn eneken ).

In 438, Théodose II makes repatriate the remainders of Jean to Constantinople, which are buried in the church of the Saints Apostles. This translation is commemorated the January 27th.

Works

Saint Jean Chrysostome préché, written much much. If many works, formerly allotted to its patronage were returned to their legitimate owner, the number of authentic works do not remain less considerable about it. One divides his writings into several groups:

the treaties

Exhortations with Theodore; Treaty of priesthood; Apology for the monastic life; Comparison of the recluse and the king; Treaty of the componction; Treaty of the illicit cohabitations; Treaty of virginity; Treaties against the second weddings; Polemical treaties

homélies and speech

Homélies various Homélies on the texts of the Bible (Genesis, Psalms, Isaïe, Matthieu, Jean, Acts of the Apostles, Epistles to the Romans, the Corinthians, Ephésiens, Gallates, Philippiens, Colossiens, Thessaloniciens, Timothée, Tite, Philémon, the Hebrews)

the Letters (in particular the series of the " letters with Olympiade")

Lastly, even if it is not directly of him, the usual liturgy of the orthodoxe Eglise bears its name. In the same way, the homélie read at the time of the vigil of Easter, is allotted to Saint Jean Chrysostome.

Jean Chrysostome and the orthodoxe Church

Deposited, exiled of alive sound by the political authority, Jean Chrysostome is one of the most outstanding saints of the orthodoxe Church.

On the liturgical level:

The orthodoxe Church uses three eucharistic liturgies: That of St Basile (used ten time in the year, particularly during the Large Lent and for the Saint Basile), the Liturgy of Présanctifiés (in week, during the Large Lent), and the Liturgy of Saint Jean Chrysostome, used all the remainder of the year.

On the theological level:

If the orthodoxe Church is often defined as the Church of the Fathers, underlining continuity in the transmission of the faith, it designates under the term of the “Three saints hiérarques” (hiérarque = bishop) three Fathers who, each one under a particular aspect, particularly counted in IVe century: Gregoire de Nazianze, Basile Large the and Jean Chrysostome. The purpose of this “meeting” of saints so different from/to each other by certain aspects, is to show that the unit of the Church is done in the single faith, and not in the uniformity.

On the social plan:

Tireless preacher, untiring commentator of the Gospel, Chrysostome intersects two topics permanently: the glory of God and love of the next one. If it prèche on the “sacrament of the furnace bridge” (the eucharistie), it is to continue on the “sacrament of the brother” (the expression is of him), and on the responsibility for the rich person in favor of poorest. If he speaks about Christ ressucitant, it is to stress that it ressucite “naked”, and that with his example, it is not no need to be buried in luxurious fabrics: to sell to support the paupers being much more “intelligent”…

Relations

Its eloquence, its audacity vis-a-vis the sovereigns and the originality of his name are the reasons for which the poet Georges Brassens evoked it in the song “To die for ideas”.

Sergei Rachmaninov composed an orchestration to accompany the liturgy by Saint Jean Chrysostome

A district of the town of Lévis (Quebec) bears the name St-Jean-Chrysostome. This district counts more than 21.000 inhabitants.

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