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John Chrysostom and the Jews: Rhetoric and Reality in the Late Fourth Century (The Transformation of the Classical Heritage, 4)

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John the Golden-mouth was an orator without peer during his time. John was ordained a presbyter in Antioch in early 386, and was challenged by the Arian faction to answer their attacks on the orthodox position. John preached one sermon against the Arians, but then abruptly turned his attention to the those Christians of Antioch who participated in the Jewish Sabbaths and festivals. The violence of his invective in these eight sermons, or homilies, one scholar said, was without parallel in the literature of the first few centuries. John outstripped even the diatribes of that master polemicist, Jerome.

Wilken's book provides the historical and theological context for these notorious sermons. He argues that John's invective, although unfortunately read in a modern context of anti-Semitism, can be interpreted as a legitimate response, within the Greek rhetorical conventions of the time, to the problem posed by Judaizing tendencies of his congregation.

Basically, Judaizers were those Christians who were attracted to many facets of Judaism and who believed that it was not necessary to repudiate all Jewish ways because one was a Christian. And some Jews who acknowledged Christ as the messiah believed that this did not stop them from following Jewish law and customs. Jewish Christians and Judaizing Christians had existed from the very beginning of Christianity, and in spite of opposition from church leaders from Paul to Chrysostom, continued to be a visible presence in the church.

Why the sudden outburst from Chrysostom? We must recall the historical context. While Julian the Apostate was emperor (361-363) one of his agendas was to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem and return the city to the Jews. Clearly this was of great danger to the Christians, as the destruction of the temple by Titus in 70 was interpreted as the end of the theological legitimacy of Judaism and its supercession by Christianity. Even a generation after Julian's untimely death, there was fear that somehow, someone might complete Julian's agenda. And if the temple were ever rebuilt, then the pseudo-historical appeals the Christians had been making for centuries as to Christians becoming the true chosen people would be deflated. Christians who celebrated Jewish festivals and kept the laws of Moses gave the lie to Christianity. In John's take-no-prisoners rhetoric, "If the Jewish rites are holy and venerable, our way of life must be false."

Tightly written and to the point this book proceeds to capture the reality of late 4th Century Antioch in certain regards. This is done by describing the interface of John Chrysostom with the city of Antioch where he was born. Immense illumination is shed on matters of culture and conflict then current. A finely nuanced portrait of aspects of life in an ancient metropolis is created by the interaction of Chrysostom and his surroundings. There is a treasure trove of information here, and readers should be thankful that the Wipf and Stock Co. have republished this book. Please note, the footnotes are not up to standard, and there is but a "selected bibliography." Occasional random ink dots the text pages. In spite of this, the book is still a must read for any person deeply interested in early Church history.

The book emphatically makes the point that this was a Hellenistic Antioch securely under Roman rule. The various religions of the people seem to have been operating on an even footing five decades after Nicaea and beyond. The orthodox Christian Church had its Arian rival down the street and its "judaizing" membership within. John Chrystostom, the early Church's greatest preacher, is beset with problems on all sides. And, further adding to Christian anxiety, Julian the Apostate was Emperor during the period covered. What pops out at the reader is that orthodox Christianity is not near the dominant religion of the Empire at this time. Theodosius the Great may have made Nicene Christianity the religion of the law shortly after Julian, however, not everyone was listening. It took a long time for Christianity to snuff out continuing paganism and even longer to extinguish its own heretical deviations. If one has read "The Golden Bough," one is aware of the persistence of paganism far, far later than the Church would like us to believe.

In this book, the art of rhetoric as practiced by John Chrysostom in his sermons and writings meets with the reality of Late Antiquity. This provides the reader with a clear glimpse into history that is remarkably instructive about the Early Church at the local level in an eastern metropolis. It would be difficult to duplicate this vision elsewhere. Wilken has done a superb job here. This book is written so that it may be enjoyed by all.

On page 30, Chrysostom wrote: "If you ask [Christians] who is Amos or Obadiah, how many apostles there were or prophets, they stand mute; but if you ask them about the horses or drivers, they answer with more solemnity than sophists or rhetors."
This reminded me of "Jay Walking" on Jay Leno's Tonight Show. Times haven't changed much.

The life in 4th Century is portrayed vividly with numerous letters and writings from the historians of that period, which provide ample evidence that history is not so clear cut, especially the "victory" claimed when Constantine came to power. This book surprised me with compact information about Antioch in which Chrysostom preached. As the author brilliantly persuades, Chrysostom must be read in context of the times, not through the modern lens of hate.