Customer Reviews

On Living Simply: The Golden Voice of John Chrysostom

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This outstanding little book contains extracts from the sermons of John Chrysostom, especially on political and social themes. One could hardly imagine how relevant these 1600 year old teachings could be. And at the same time profoundly full of the spirit and teachings of Jesus Christ.

Chrysostom (born 347) was raised in an aristocratic family, studied under the orator Libanus and forsook it all to follow Christ. He managed to offend the bishops of Constantinople by rooting out corruption, establishing new hospitals and criticizing immorality on all fronts. He stripped the patriarch's palace of its luxuries and gave the proceeds to the poor. This of course made him very unpopular with the elite and powerful, but the people rallied around him. Forced into exile by the church's bishops, he died while being forced to march in the rainy season to a fortress on the Black Sea.

John strongly denounced the luxurious lifestyle of the rich and not only preached, but modeled sharing of wealth with the poor. In fact, "If everyone lived according to the teachings of Christ, there would be no rich and poor; all would be equal." John's observations cut to the quick for citizens of a modern capitalist world, and are as relevant as if writtten yesterday.

Consider the following passage: "Commerce in itself is not bad; indeed it is and intrinsic part of God's order. What matters is how we conduct our commerce...each person specializes in the work for which God has ordained him; and by selling his skills or the goods he produces, he can obrain from others the goods which he needs. The problems arise because some people can obtain a far higher price for their work than others, or because some people employ others and do not pay a fair wage. The result is that some become rich and others poor. But in God's eyes one skill is not superior to another; every form of honest labor is equal. So inequalities in what people receive for their labor undermine the divine order". An elegant critique of the law of supply and demand from a Christian perspective, no?

The book also contains excerpts speaking to other issues including marriage, repentance, friendship, sin, the body of Christ, pastoral leadership, secular rulers, fasting, sickness and exile.

This book was used by a Christian Classics study group in which I participate and was clearly the most intently read of all the books we have studied so far. Highly recommended for study and meditation. Reviewed by Drane Reynolds

Saint John Chrysostom was an early "corrector" of the Christian faith, in the same manner of Saint Francis of Asissi, but much earlier. He saw the "faith" getting "off-track" and used his considerable speaking and writing talents to attempt to get the church "back on-track".

The author has skillfully and faithfully condensed St. Chrysostom's volumous work into a short and meditative book. This book is for Christians and non-Christians in that the thoughts expressed are universal.

St. Chrysostom's faith and phylosophy from the 5th century are amazingly applicable and edifying to today's world.

On Living Simply is a wonderful way to introduce yourself to the simple eloquence of St. John Chrysostom. His words illustrate his profound insight into life that is as applicable now as when it was origionally recorded in Late Antiquity. If you are interested in Patristic Christian thought or just in Ancient Wisdom, I highly recommend this book to you.

On Living Simply
St. John Chrysostom

Compiled by Robert Van de Weyer

This is a book of short excerpts from some of Chrysostom's sermons. They were selected to show St. John's teachings about wealth and poverty. He was raised in a wealthy family and trained in the art of legal rhetoric "under the great pagan orator called Libanius." (Introduction) In 368 he renounced his wealth and position of influence, giving himself to the study of Scripture. He was ordained as a priest in Antioch and then dedicated himself to preaching.


His preaching got him into trouble with the powers that be, since he boldly told the rich that their Christian duty was to care for widows, orphans, the infirm, and the poor in general. They were to use their wealth to build up others less fortunate than themselves, and not just for their own, selfish ends.

He was exiled to Armenia because of his preaching. Christianity had recently become the official religion of the Roman Empire and the church had seen an influx of powerful people into its membership. This corrupted the simplicity of the Gospel, according to Chrysostom.

This is a good little book, representative of what John taught about wealth, poverty, and family life.


Here are a couple of quotes:


#5

"In a family the husband needs the wife to prepare his food; to make, mend, and wash his clothes; to fetch water; and to keep the rooms and furniture in the house clean. The wife needs the husband to till the soil, to build and repair the house, and to earn money to buy the goods they need. God has put into a man's heart the capacity to love his wife, and into a woman's heart the capacity to lover her husband. But their mutual dependence makes them love each other out of necessity also. At times love within the heart may not be sufficient to maintain the bond of marriage. But love which comes from material necessity will give that Bond the strength it needs to endure times of difficulty. The same is true for society as a whole. God has put into every person's heart the capacity to love his neighbors. But that love is immeasurably strengthened by their dependence on one an other's skills."


#6

"He gives some people more than they need, not that they can enjoy great luxury, but to make them stewards of his bounty on behalf of orphans, the sick, and the crippled. If they are bad stewards, keeping this bounty to themselves, they will become poor in spirit, and their hearts will fill with misery. If they are good stewards, they will become rich in spirit, their hearts filling with joy."

This is an excellent book for those with little time or who love "snippits". Each page has a title and an outtake from one of St. John's many homilies. Due to its concise nature, this book has been edited and paraphrased by the author (whom isn't an Orthodox Christian if that matters to you)... It is unknown, but hopped, that he kept most, if not all, of the original words and intent... Anyway, this is worth reading and carries some very pertinent advice on "Living Simply".

Chrysostum was a true saint and a man of humble spiritual enlightenment. His words ring true even in for modern times. Truth may go out of fashion but it is the same in every generation, and this dear man lived loved the truth. This is not the ordinary spiritual book but a masterpiece on matters of the soul. A book well worth adding to your library!

This is a collection of the writings and sermons of one of the early fathers of the ancient Christian Church. It emphasizes basic Christian beliefs and practices in an often surprising and insightful way needed to navigate todays world.

His writings on marriage, family and social discourse are almost frighteningly applicable to the 21st century. I have passed this book on to priests, monks and others who simply cannot be without it. I have had lay people thank me for the priceless insights into one of the Church's great minds of the 3rd and 4th century.

"On Living Simply" gives the reader a brief but effective introduction to the sermons of John Chrysostom. John's powerful words are allowed to speak for themselves - and they really are powerful! To read many of these sermon extracts it feels as if John is speaking directly to our current society in the Western world. I'd recommend this to students of John, and also to anyone interested in the art of preaching, or to those who simply want to go deeper in their spiritual life.

The "timeless" and "insightful" words of St. John Chrysostom in this slim and easily accessible book are inspiring and instructive. Generosity of the rich and gratitude of the poor, war, marriage, hypocrisy of Christians, and even houses and furniture are among the many topics covered--each on less than a page.

St. John Chrysostom is "a man who knows and knows that he knows".

John Chrysostom's admonitions on living simply are just as applicable today as when they were written. Many American Christians will find it difficult to put into practice the kind of simplicity Chrysostom preaches, especially when it comes to the sections about wealth and poverty. His ideas have challenged me to live more simply and the short excerpts allow for a brief perspective check. Sometimes I wish that the sermons were a bit lengthier, more elaborated with practical suggestions or scriptural references.