St John Chrysostom and the Jews Q&A

Real Questions, Real Answers!

St John Chrysostom and the Jews

Q. (from AK from FL)

A few days ago I came across a quote in a book entitled The History of the Holocaust by Yehuda Bauer that was very disturbing: "The Jews sacrifice their children to Satan. ... They are worse than wild beasts ... they know only one thing: to satisfy their stomachs, to get drunk, to kill and beat each other up like stage villains and coachmen. ... I hate the Jews, because they violate the Law. I hate the Synagogue because it has the Law and the Prophets. It is the duty of all Christians to hate the Jews." -- St John Chrysostom The source of this quote is Fred Gladstone Bratton's The Crime of Christendom (Boston 1969), pp. 84-85. I realize it could be a complete fallacy or simply taken out of context. I wonder if you can offer some sort of explanation. Thank you.

A.

AK, texts such as this can be very disconcerting. The text you mention does make the late-20th century reader squirm a bit. Some of us remember coming across it ourselves. Your question is characteristic of your inherently Christian belief that we are called to love everyone, even our enemies. We did a bit of research and found out a number of important things.

First, The Crime of Christendom book that Yehuda Bauer used as the source for his information identifies the original source of this text as St John Chrysostom's homilies "Against the Jews." In fact, this is incorrect. The actual name of this set of homilies is "Against the Judaizers" -- meaning those Christians who wanted to behave as the Jews. This is important since all the material in them would be addressing other Christians on the issue of Christian identity, rather than condemning people who are Jewish.

Second, the way oratorical language was used in the early 300s is much different than the speeches we hear today. This type of rhetoric was an art form and was used much in the same way that we create "straw men." The Merriam Webster Dictionary defines a straw man as "an imaginary argument or adversary set up only to be easily confuted." In a similar fashion, St John is emphatically urging people not to think that Christianity, and therefore salvation, is based upon following rules, but by loving God.

Third, the extracts that Mr. Bratton quotes are from over 100 pages of text. The footnote at the bottom of the page reads, "All the above quotations are from Chrysostom's eight 'Homilies Against the Jews,' in Patrologia Graeca (Paris: Garnier, 1857-1866) 48:843-942." It makes one wonder about the context in which these relatively few sentences were mentioned over many pages. The mistranslation of the word "Jews" (see first comment) plus this extremely broad citation would seem to indicate that Mr Bratton is much more concerned with making a specific point than with presenting the true meaning of St John's words.

Fourth, we would be remiss not to mention that St John, like many of the early fathers, spoke using the same language he found in the Bible, especially in the prophetical books. A quick reading of any of the books of the prophets shows that they were often very harsh in their attempt to exhort the people. They would use Israel as an example of disobedience and of sanctifying external religious practices. They did this speaking to other Israelites. Similarly, the early fathers, would use these same words referring to the Church, which they saw as the continuation and fulfillment of Israel.

Finally, your question brings up a point that needs to be addressed. As we study our Faith, sometimes we become aware of incidents in the history of our Church that can often seem scandalous. We should not be disheartened by these. As Christians and members of the Church, we need to remember that the Church is made up of sinners. The Scriptures attest to this. Even our understanding of saints acknowledges this. While all of us are called to be holy as God is holy, there is only One who is truly holy, and that is God. It is He that makes the Church holy, not us or any member of it -- whether we are alive or asleep in Christ. Our holiness comes to the extent that we attach ourselves to Him. Hope this answers your question.

For more information on the Orthodox Church and Jews see:

• Again magazine vol. 19, no. 4 available from Conciliar Press
• John Chrysostom and the Jews by R. Wilken (University of California, 1983)

Check out your parish and public libraries. Next issue:

On Hell and Judgement

If you have a question, or know a friend who does, send it to us at youth@oca.org. We'll give you a direct and concise answer!

source:

http://web.archive.org/web/20080724094915/http://yya.oca.org/pages/ChurchwidePrograms/Yo_Mail/back-issues/1998-09-15.html#rq


Chrysostom wrote of the Jews and of Judaizers in eight homilies Adversus Judaeos (against the Judaizers).^[1] At the time he delivered these sermons, Chrysostom was a tonsured reader and had not yet been ordained a priest or bishop.

source:
http://orthodoxwiki.org/John_Chrysostom

Quote by C.S. Lewis ~ happiness based on material attachment

Don't let your happiness depend on something you may lose

C.S. Lewis


source of quote:

http://www.johnsanidopoulos.com/2013/03/cs-lewis-long-terrible-story-of-man.html

The Witness of Orthodoxy Today by By George I. Mantzaridis

...Many people characterize our age as a post-Christian age. This must mean two things: First, that the former ages were Christian. Moreover, that our age is no longer Christian and that Christianity has nothing more to offer. This premise is twice mistaken. Because neither the former period was Christian, nor is the potential of Christianity ever exhausted, with nothing more to offer for the present and future. This does not mean that Christianity has not affected the past and the present. It means that Christianity has not been lived in its authentic dimensions by the masses.(14)

Christianity is person-centred. The individual is not seen as being subject to the impersonal whole, nor juxtaposed to the community. Christianity perceives the person as being in communion in the Church, and sees in every man the ability to reflect in his person all humanity. Consequently, Christianity does not seek to amend society by altering social structures. It seeks the amendment of society in the amendment of each person. In this perspective Christianity prioritizes the internal unification of man, which is achievable through the reunion of the intellect to the heart. In this reunion lies the essence of godly hesychia (i.e. quietude, quiet contemplation or solitude; the practice of the prayer of the heart), a basic element of Orthodox Tradition...


14. Archim. Sophrony, On Prayer, Essex 1994(2), p.97 (Greek).



thanks to source:

http://www.johnsanidopoulos.com/2014/01/the-witness-of-orthodoxy-today.html

 "The great ideals of the past failed not by being outlived (which must mean over-lived), but by not being lived enough. Mankind has not passed through the Middle Ages. Rather mankind has retreated from the Middle Ages in reaction and rout. The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult and left untried." What's Wrong With The World (1910)

G.K. Chesterton

Heresy, Factions and Schisms By Protopresbyter Fr. George Papavarnavas

...Heresy creates factions and schisms, it splits and divides....
....This creates many problems, because when the faith is altered the correct way of life is lost. This way of life is the method of treating the passions, the method of the purification of the heart, by which man is led to the knowledge of God ("Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God"), since the vision of God is identical with true knowledge.

thanks to source:
http://www.johnsanidopoulos.com/2014/01/saint-athanasius-great-as-model-for-our.html

Abbot Tryphon - Death is Inevitable

Death is inevitable and the clock is ticking. At 65 I am no spring chicken, as the saying goes. But as I grow older and have aches and pains and various health issues come along, I have for the first time been hearing that ticking clock, the one that all of us eventually hear.
A doctor friend of mine made the observation that the greatest hazard to your life is conception, because it is a death sentence. From the moment we are born, we begin to die. The best way to approach the inevitability of your own death is to face it head on. Our culture fears death, avoids the thought of death, masking it when it does happen.
My best friend in college died a number of years ago. Although he was Orthodox Christian, his family had him cremated, so there was no final kiss, no burial, no closure. Following the funeral in the parish church, his priest and I joined his family and friends at an art gallery where his work was often featured. While mingling with his wife, son, and their friends, I happened upon a small box sitting on a pillar meant for a sculpture. Looking closely, I saw decoupaged photos of my friend’s life. Among them was a photo of the two of us taken back in the ‘60s, during our college days. Looking around to make sure no one was looking, I lifted the box in order to take a closer look at the photo. Instantly I knew it was my friend’s ashes, given the weight of the box. Laughing to myself, I knew he’d have been amused at the site of me discovering I was holding his remains in this small box.
Since my friend was not responsible for the cremation, an Orthodox service was allowed. His priest and I had a long discussion about the American way of death, how we send our dying family members off to hospitals or hospices, keeping the unpleasantness of death out of sight. We fear death; we avoid looking at it. Cremation is a convenient way of denying the reality of death because there is no body. Yet we Orthodox know that a burial service with an open coffin and graveside service are of benefit to friends and family because the whole process helps with closure.
Lowering the casket into the ground while everyone is there and allowing each person to drop a handful of earth into the grave, is a wonderful way of walking ourselves through the grief process. Denying the reality of death by hiding it from our consciousness only promotes a longer period of grief.
I have chosen the site of my own burial on the grounds of the monastery and I hope to have simple pine box built while I can still look at it. Sitting it up in a corner of my cabin would allow me to use it as a storage space before my death. I once heard of a man who used his pre-need coffin as a wine rack.
Facing my own mortality better prepares me for that moment when will be standing before God, accounting for my life. I’m not in a hurry, mind you. I’m praying God will give me many years more for repentance. However, it is good that I think about my own death, for avoidance will not prolong my life, but it can make me put off repentance.

Abbot Tryphon

http://www.ancientfaith.com/podcasts/morningoffering/death_is_inevitable#transcript