CHRYSOSTOM, SAINT JOHN

born AD 347, , Antioch, Syria died Sept. 14, 407, Comana, Helenopontus; Western feast day September 13; Eastern feast day November 13 early Church Father, biblical interpreter, and archbishop of Constantinople; the zeal and clarity of his preaching, which appealed especially to the common people, earned him the Greek surname meaning "golden-mouthed." His tenure as archbishop was stormy, and he died in exile. His relics were brought back to Constantinople in about 438, and he was later declared doctor (teacher) of the church. Additional reading The standard modern biography is by Chrysostomus Baur, John Chrysostom and His Time, 2 vol. (1959-60, reissued 2 vol. in 4, 1988). For a more popular treatment, see Donald Attwater, St. John Chrysostom: Pastor and Preacher (1959). Robert L. Wilken, John Chrysostom and the Jews: Rhetoric and Reality (1983), describes the world he lived in and its influence on his thinking, especially as manifested in his anti-Jewish homilies.