hrysostom's sermons were mostly written on moral themes but
there is no reason to overemphasize this or to call him a teacher of morality
and not of faith. On the contrary, he frequently dealt with doctrinal problems,
especially in his early years in Antioch, and even more importantly, it was from
his dogma that he drew his moral ideals. This is clearly evident in his
exegetical homilies, and especially in his commentary on the epistles of Paul.
Chrysostom had several favorite dogmatic themes which he continually returned
to. In the first place, his teaching about the Church is inseparably connected
with his doctrine of redemption as the sacrifice of Christ the High Priest, Who
ascended to heaven through the Cross. From this he developed the teaching of the
Church as a source of new being, not just as new life. Chrysostom also spoke
frequently of the Eucharist as both a sacrament and a sacrifice, and for this
reason he has been called the "teacher of the Eucharist."
Chrysostom never elaborated a system of theology, and there is
no point in looking for dogmatic or theological formulations in his writings.
His Christology and Mariology in particular are not entirely free from the
ambiguity and one-sidedness which characterize the language of Antiochene
theology. Chrysostom was a witness of the faith, and this explains why his works
were so significant in ancient times, especially in the West. His writings are
filled with the voice of Church tradition.
Chrysostom set himself a specific task. His activity was aimed
not at overcoming unorthodox opinions, but at making people who professed
themselves to be Christians understand that the truths of faith are the truths
and commandments of life, and that these must be put into actual practice by the
individual. At that time too many people had forgotten this. Chrysostom demanded
that men live according to their beliefs, and he assumed that the truths of
faith were known to his audience. There was no point in trying to go further if
men's hearts were indifferent and if the seeds of faith had not yet been
implanted in their souls. It is true that Chrysostom himself had no particular
interest in speculative theology, but by no means was he exclusively a moralist
without any interest in dogma. His own theological beliefs were primarily based
on the writings of the apostle Paul, whose teaching centered on Christ and
salvation, not morality. Even Chrysostom's "evangelism" had a doctrinal
significance because for him all life was connected with the image of Christ not
only as a prophet but more importantly as the High Priest and the Lamb. This is
related to his mystical attitude towards the sacraments.
It should be added that for Chrysostom it is only a pure life
which testifies to pure faith. Moreover, it is only through a pure life that
true faith is possible at all, for an impure life usually gives rise to false
teaching. Faith is realized and fulfilled only in love, and without love it is
impossible to attain faith, or contemplation, or knowledge of the mysteries.
Without love, rational theology is no more than an endless labyrinth.
Chrysostom saw before him men who were struggling but who had
not yet fully awakened, and he wanted to rouse them to spiritual live and love.
In this sense he was an individualist. He had little feeling for worldly
intercourse or society but always focused on individual persons, who for him
were united only in the Church. This individualism is the reason for
Chrysostom's sensitivity and perceptiveness. He never resorts to commonplaces or
abstractions but is always concrete and graphic, teaching through examples and
applying his material to specific instances. He uses few conventional rhetorical
devices, surpassing in this respect even Gregory the Theologian. He never
forgets that he is a spiritual pastor, not an orator, and that his goal is not
to expound or develop a particular objective theme, but to touch men's hearts
and to influence their wills and intellects. For this reason the logical and
formal structure of his homilies is of secondary importance but they are held
together by an internal integrity. Chrysostom's homilies are a unique dialogue
with a silent interlocutor about whom the preacher occasionally gives some
information. They are never monologues and they are always directed at an
audience.
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