An analysis of John Chrysostom’s exegetical homilies reveals an understanding of the church as a holy people set apart unto God and distinct from the world, including other religious communities. Deeply concerned that his congregation reflect the Church’s holiness practically, Chrysostom drew sharp distinctions between what a Christian is and is not. To be a Christian is to be both holy and wholly Christian. For Chrysostom, a holy and wholly Christian life is marked positively (by piety and virtue) and negatively. In the religiously diverse and influential contexts where he ministered, to be a holy Christian meant that one must also be wholly Christian and not live as a heretic, pagan, or Jew. Although his Discourses Against Judaizing Christians unfortunately, reprehensibly, and inexcusably expresses his anti-Judaism in a misanthropic and inflammatory way, Chrysostom sought to address through these sermons the pastoral problem of a confused ecclesiology–members of his congregation identifying as Christians but adopting Jewish beliefs and observing Jewish practices. Beyond the pastoral crisis of AD 386-387, Chrysostom used his expository sermons to continue making the exegetical argument for a holy and wholly Christian church.
This paper seeks to examine the ecclesiological conclusions that John Chrysostom drew from his exegesis of representative scriptural passages in the regular course of his preaching ministry. Using his commentary on Galatians 4:21-31 as the base text and supplemented by supporting passages in other exegetical homilies, this paper will argue that Chrysostom’s ecclesiology of a “holy and wholly Christian church” is rooted in his belief that the church, not the synagogue, is the true son of Abraham and thus the rightful heir to God’s promises. Because the church corresponds to Isaac in Paul’s allegory, Judaism, like Ishmael, is to be rejected by the church, a repeated refrain in Chrysostom’s Discourses Against Judaizing Christians that discourages Jewish syncretism with Christianity in the pursuit of a holy and wholly Christian faith. The paper will begin by briefly outlining Chrysostom’s vision of a holy church, demonstrating from representative passages in his exegetical homilies that Chrysostom recognized “holiness” as a defining mark of the church. With evidence from Discourses Against Judaizing Christians, the paper will then juxtapose Chrysostom’s understanding of the church’s identity as a holy church with the practical pastoral problem he faced in Antioch. Finally, the paper will examine Chrysostom’s exegesis of Galatians 4:21-31 to demonstrate that Chrysostom’s vision of a holy church necessarily required that it be wholly Christian, complete with a rejection of Judaism and thus abstinence from Jewish practices. His conclusions will be confirmed by quick comparisons with much briefer exegetical comments on Matthew 1:3, Philippians 3:2, and 2 Corinthians 5:17.