St John Chrysostom's life

c_hope

Hi all,

I had a question regarding St John Chrysostom. I recently heard that he desired/entered monasticism at an early age, only to leave it at some point, and then return to it later in his life.

Could someone please clarify:
1) his age when he initially desired/entered into monasticism
2) when (at what age), and why he left monasticisim
3) his age and why he returned to monasticism.

Thank you.

Timothym

I'll fill in the blanks when I can but as far as I know he ran away to a Syriac monastery in the hills south of Antioch. Then after his father pass away, his mom begged him to come and live with her at home again. So he did and he turned the house into a small monastery of sorts. Later when she also passed away, he returned to his monastery...and from there the rest of is history. He gets called to Constantinople and becomes a Patriarch and one of the greatest Church Fathers ever.

Ioannes

Chrysostom rules. He destroyed the temple of artemis, a wonder of the world. Hitler also referenced his writings on the jews.

c_hope

Thanks for the response - any chance of a reference for the part about his mother asking him to return from the monastery, and him actually doing so? ..it's not mentioned in our Synexarium readings, and I haven't found it in other biographies I've read of him.
Thank you :)

Ioannes

[quote author=c_hope link=topic=12688.msg149071#msg149071 date=1323906700]
Thanks for the response - any chance of a reference for the part about his mother asking him to return from the monastery, and him actually doing so? ..it's not mentioned in our Synexarium readings, and I haven't found it in other biographies I've read of him.
Thank you :)


I think that is in "On the priesthood"

Timothym

[quote author=Ioannes link=topic=12688.msg149074#msg149074 date=1323912801]
[quote author=c_hope link=topic=12688.msg149071#msg149071 date=1323906700]
Thanks for the response - any chance of a reference for the part about his mother asking him to return from the monastery, and him actually doing so? ..it's not mentioned in our Synexarium readings, and I haven't found it in other biographies I've read of him.
Thank you :)

Yes I think Ioannes is right about that. I remember reading it there. I don't have "On The Priesthood" with me now but I suggest you pick one up and read it. It's a great read.

A comical incident happens with Chrysostom where the people want to make him and his best friend St. Basil bishops of 2 smaller cities outside Antioch (because most of the bishops had defected to Arianism so more orthodox bishops were needed)... and Basil encourages John to accept the position. At this, John proposes that if he (Basil) accepts the position, then he (John) would also accept it. Basil then gets ordained a bishop and rushes to tell John that now its his turn to become a bishop, at which John simply laughs off the matter and says something to the effect of "haha, I tricked you!". While Basil was temporarily hurt from John's action, they remained life-long friends.