AN EVALUATION OF SAINT JOHN CHRYSOSTOM'S SERMONS AGAINST JUDAIZING
AZİZ JOHN CHRYSOSTOM’UN YAHUDİLEŞTİRMEYE KARŞI VAAZLARININ DEĞERLENDİRİLMESİ
Abstract
Saint John Chrysostom, one of the most important Church Fathers in Church history, lived in Antioch in the 4th century. Also known as John of the Golden Mouth, John Chrysostom contributed to Christian theology through his writings and especially through his sermons. He wrote on many different subjects, such as morality, marriage, biblical interpretations, social justice, and liturgy. He also served as the Archbishop of Constantinople for about six years. Antioch, where John Chrysostom spent much of his life, was not only one of the three largest cities of the Roman Empire but also one of the most important cities in the Christian world. Since its founding, the city of Antioch has been home to many different religious traditions. Jews, Pagans, Gnostics, and Christians have all formed the city's religious structure. Jews, in particular, have maintained their presence in the region since the city's establishment.
The city of Antioch was the first place where a Christian community of Gentile origin existed, alongside Jewish Christians. As a result of the activities of Paul, Peter, and Barnabas, Christianity was quickly organized and spread in Antioch. By the 4th century, Christianity had become a widespread religion in Antioch, but it was not the dominant belief. During this time, in addition to the disagreements within Christianity itself, the fact that Christians were influenced by Judaism and followed Jewish rituals was met with reaction by John Chrysostom, and he gave a series of sermons against Judaization between 386 and 387 in Antioch. The insults and hate speech he used in these sermons were later referenced in antisemitic movements.
This paper studies the eight homilies delivered by Saint John Chrysostom against Judaizing, providing historical, social, and theological analyses of these sermons. The first part of the study focuses on the life and works of Saint John Chrysostom. The second section discusses the Antiochian exegetical tradition and John Chrysostom's rhetorical approach. The third part outlines the presence of Jews in Antioch. In the final section, the theological analyses of the sermons against Judaizing are presented. The primary methods used in the study are literature review and content analysis. The study concludes that the purpose of John Chrysostom's homilies was not driven by pure anti-Judaism, but rather aimed at protecting Christians from the dangers of Judaizing and forming a pure Christian identity. Additionally, it is evident that the conditions of the time also played a significant role in these homilies.
Keywords
John Chrysostom, Antioch, Jews, Sermons, 4th Century
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