Chrysostom’s Paschal Homily: A Rhetorical-Literary Analysis by Chris Shawcross*

Introduction

This Paschal Homily has been attributed to St. John Chrysostom (d.407), though his authorship of it is uncertain.[1] It was evidently delivered at Pascha (Easter Morning) and, if in fact from his pen, probably during his tenure as Archbishop of Constantinople.[2] It has been a tradition for it to be delivered within the Eastern Orthodox church at Pascha ever since.[3] I propose to conduct a mainly literary analysis.

Context

Chrysostom was the son of a high-ranking official within the administration of the Roman Empire and hence a member of the social elite.[4] He had been well educated in the classical pattern, in rhetoric, literature, grammar and philosophy but also in Christian Scriptures.[5] Had he not taken holy orders, this might have fitted him for a role in the higher levels of state administration or the law.[6] This was modified however, by his Christian faith and by his life as a Christian ascetic.[7] While Chrysostom’s background was elite,[8] his faith gave him a viewpoint that was far from elitist.[9]

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FOOTNOTES

[1] Fr. Panayiotis Papageorgiou, “The Paschal Catechetical Homily of St. John Chrysostom: A Rhetorical and Contextual Study,” GOTR 43 (1998): 93-100, p. 93.

[2] Papageorgiou, “The Paschal Catechetical Homily of St. John Chrysostom,” 96.

[3] Papageorgiou, “The Paschal Catechetical Homily of St. John Chrysostom,” 93.

[4] A.H.M. Jones, “St. John Chrysostom's Parentage and Education,” HTR 46 (1953): 171-173, p. 171.

[5] D.J. Constantelos, “John Chrysostom's Greek Classical Education and its Importance to Us Today,” GOTR 36.2 (1991): 109-128, PP.111-113.

[6] Jones, “St. John Chrysostom's Parentage and Education,” 171.

[7] Fr. Lazar Puhalo, Great Fathers of the Church (Dewdney, British Columbia: Synaxis Press, 2014), 71.

[8] W. Mayer, “Who Came to Hear John Chrysostom Preach?,” ETL 76 (2000):73-87, p. 73.

[9] Constantelos, “John Chrysostom's Greek Classical Education,” 125.

* This is to certify that this journal article was peer reviewed.