John Chrysostom Biography

John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople, was a Greek Early Church Father. His eloquent style of preaching to common people earned him the title ‘golden-mouthed’. He was also one of the most proficient authors in the early church and wrote a series of homilies. He is venerated in several churches, including Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Catholic. Born in Antioch to a high-ranking military officer, Chrysostom was raised by his mother after his father died soon after his birth. As a student, he studied rhetoric under the notable pagan teacher Libanius. He then went on to study theology under bishop Diodore of Tarsus. Chrysostom grew up as an ascetic and became an eremite in 375, scarcely sleeping and memorizing the Bible. His tenure as archbishop was marked by opposition from anti-Johannite camps in Constantinople. The saint was eventually exiled. He died in 407, at the age of 58. Today, he is counted amongst the ‘Three Holy Hierarchs’ alongside Gregory of Nazianzus and Basil the Great in the Eastern Orthodox Church.