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Saint John Chrysostom

Saint John Chrysostom Quotes

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Saint John Chrysostom (c. 347 – September 14, 407) was an early Church Father and Archbishop of Constantinople, renowned for his eloquent preaching and oratory, earning the epithet 'Chrysostom' meaning 'golden-mouthed.' Born in Antioch, he received a classical education and later became a hermit. His sermons emphasized moral reform, social justice, and biblical exegesis, often criticizing luxury and corruption. His conflicts with the imperial court and clergy led to multiple exiles, and he died during a forced march. His extensive writings, including homilies, commentaries, and letters, profoundly influenced Eastern Christianity. He is venerated as a saint and Doctor of the Church in Eastern Orthodoxy, Catholicism, and other traditions.

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Famous Saint John Chrysostom Quotes

“Wine was given us by God, not that we might be drunken, but that we might be sober. It is the best medicine when it has the best moderation to direct it. Wine was given to restore the body's weakness, not to overturn the soul's strength.”

Soul Body Might Given Food Weakness Direct Cooking Wine Medicine Culinary Sober Moderation

Book:A Select Library of the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church

Source: A Select Library of the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church

“Are you angry? Be angry at your sins, beat your soul, afflict your conscience, but strict in judgement and a terrible punisher of your own sins. This is the benefit of anger, wherefore God placed it in us.”

Inspirational Soul Christian Religious Sin Terrible Benefits Beats Conscience Angry Your Soul Judgement Orthodox Strict Punisher

Author:Saint John Chrysostom

“Many can give money to those in need, but to personally serve the needy readily, out of love, and in a fraternal spirit, requires a truly great soul.”

Needs Giving Soul Spirit Needy Great Souls Those In Need Fraternal

Author:Saint John Chrysostom

“Therefore, not only are their passions satanic, but their lives are diabolic. So I say to you that these are even worse than murderers, and that it would be better to die than to live in such dishonor. A murderer only separates the soul from the body, whereas these destroy the soul inside the body..... There is nothing, absolutely nothing more mad or damaging than this perversity.”

Soul Body Would Be Dies Passion Mad Murderer Absolutely Nothing Satanic Dishonor Perversity

Author:Saint John Chrysostom

“What is dying? Just what it is to put off a garment. For the body is about the soul as a garment; and after laying this aside for a short time by means of death, we shall resume it again with more splendor.”

Mean Soul Body Dying Garments Splendor Short Time Resumes

Book:Homilies: On the Statutes, or, To the people of Antioch. 1856

Source: Homilies: On the Statutes, or, To the people of Antioch. 1856

“It is certainly a greater and more wonderful work to change the minds of enemies, bringing about a change of soul, than to kill them.”

Mind Soul Enemy Greater Wonderful

Author:Saint John Chrysostom

“Whether or not our prayer is heard depends not on the number of our words, but on the fervor of our souls.”

Soul Prayer Numbers Heard Depends Our Prayers Our Words Fervor

Author:Saint John Chrysostom

“When we teach our children to be good, to be gentle, to be forgiving (all these are attributes of God), to be generous, to love their follow men, to regard this present age as nothing, we instill virtue in their souls, and reveal the image of God within them.”

Men Children Soul Age Teach Virtue Regard Our Children Forgiving Parenting Be Good Gentle Generous Attributes Follow Me God Image Instill Attributes Of God

Author:Saint John Chrysostom

“What the soul is in the body, let Christians be in the world.”

World Soul Body Inspiration Christian Faith Catholic Christian Inspirational

Author:Saint John Chrysostom

“Laughter has been implanted in our soul, that the soul may sometime be refreshed.”

May Has Beens Soul Laughter Theologian

Book:Homilies of Saint John Chrysostom: On The Epistle to the Hebrews

Source: Homilies of Saint John Chrysostom: On The Epistle to the Hebrews

“Since it is likely that, being men, they would sin every day, St. Paul consoles his hearers by saying 'renew yourselves' from day to day. This is what we do with houses: we keep constantly repairing them as they wear old. You should do the same thing to yourself. Have you sinned today? Have you made your soul old? Do not despair, do not despond, but renew your soul by repentance, and tears, and Confession, and by doing good things. And never cease doing this.”

Men Should Made Soul Today Christian Faith House Sin Tears Despair Good Things Cease Your Soul Repentance Confession Day To Day Doing Good Being Me Console Old You Repairing

Author:Saint John Chrysostom

“Let us pass to the despotic part of the soul, spirit. We must not eliminate it utterly from the youth nor yet allow him to use it all the time. Let us train boys from earliest childhood to be patient when they suffer wrongs themselves, but, if they see another being wronged, to sally forth courageously and aid the sufferer in fitting measure.”

Ifs Soul Use Spirit Suffering Boys Childhood Youth Train Patient Aids Be Patient Fitting Sufferers Being Wrong Wronged

Author:Saint John Chrysostom

“Imagine your anger to be a kind of wild beast, because it has ferocious teeth and claws, and if you don't tame it, it will devastate all things even corrupting the soul.”

Ifs Kind Soul Imagine All Things Saint Teeth Beast Claws Wild Beasts

Author:Saint John Chrysostom

“You cannot pray at home, like you can at church, where there is a great multitude; where exclamations are cried out to God as from one great heart, and where there is something more: the unions of minds, the accord of souls, the bond of charity, the prayers of priests.”

Mind Heart Soul Home Christian Church Prayer Like You Praying Unions Charity Priests Cried Multitudes Accord Exclamation Great Hearts

Author:Saint John Chrysostom

“Abba Moses asked Abba Sylvanus, Can a person lay a new foundation every day? The old man replied, If you work hard, you can lay a new foundation every moment. Abba Pimen said, To throw yourself before God, not to measure your progress, to leave behind all self-will; these are the instruments for the work of the soul. The desire to rule is the mother of heresies.”

Ifs Men Persons Said Soul Self Hard Moments Christian Mother Desire Behinds Progress Hard Work Foundation Instruments Lays Orthodox Old Man Moses Heresy Self Will Abba

Author:Saint John Chrysostom

“Fasting of the body is food for the soul.”

Soul Body Fasting Food For The Soul

Author:Saint John Chrysostom

“When one is required to preside over the Church, and be entrusted with the care of so many souls, the whole female sex must retire before the magnitude of the task, and the majority of men also.”

Men Soul Whole Care Sex Church Female Tasks Majority Retiring Magnitude

Book:A Select Library of the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church

Source: A Select Library of the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church