Golden Mouth: The Life of John Chrysostom

This is a study of John Chrysostom, the ascetic and preacher who became a controversial Bishop of Constantinople in 398. The book traces Chrysostom's development from his youthful experiments in asceticism at Antioch in Syria, his six years as a monk and then recluse in the nearby mountains, and his influential role as the city's leading preacher, to fearlessly outspoken populist bishop of the Capital. It considers his interventions in political crises and his clashes with the Empress Eudoxia, emphasizing his efforts to promote the see of Constantinople in the East. The closing chapters reconstruct the plots that led to his downfall, the drama of his trial, and his exile, culminating in his politically motivated death. The author provides analyses of Chrysostom's principal treatises and public address, and discussion of his views on monasticism, sexuality and marriage, education and suffering. Making full use of recent research, this work challenges accepted positions and in several fields advances original interpretations. Chrysostom's relations with his clergy, the emperor and empress, and his spiritual friend Olympias are sensitively examined, as he emerges as a more complex character than has been generally recognized.