“(Jn. 3, 15) Para que todo el que cree en él no perezca, sino que tenga la vida eterna. Advierte el motivo de la cruz y de la salvación de ahí originada. ¿Adviertes cómo consuena la figura con la realidad? Allá en el desierto los judíos evitaban la muerte, pero era la muerte temporal; acá los fieles evitan la muerte, pero la eterna. Allá la serpiente suspendida de un palo curaba las mordeduras de las serpientes. Acá Jesús crucificado curaba las llagas causadas por el dragón infernal. Allá quien veía a la serpiente con sus ojos corporales se curaba; acá quien ve con los ojos de la mente se libra de todos sus pecados. Allá era bronce el que modelado en forma de serpiente pendía de un palo; acá pende de la cruz el cuerpo del Señor modelado por el Espíritu Santo. Allá la serpiente mordía y la serpiente curaba; acá la muerte mató y la muerte dio la vida. Pero la serpiente que allá mataba tenía veneno; mientras que acá el que salvaba no lo tenía.”
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John Chrysostom (349 - 407)
Read freely text sermons and articles by the speaker John Chrysostom in text and pdf format Archbishop of Constantinople, was an important Early Church Father. He is known for his preaching and public speaking, his denunciation of abuse of authority by both ecclesiastical and political leaders, the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, and his ascetic sensibilities. The epithet Χρυσόστομος (Chrysostomos, anglicized as Chrysostom) means "golden-mouthed" in Greek and given for his celebrated eloquence.The Eastern Orthodox and Byzantine Catholic churches honor him as a saint and count him among the Three Holy Hierarchs, together with Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzus. He is recognized by the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church as a saint and as a Doctor of the Church. Churches of the Western tradition, including the Roman Catholic Church, some Anglican provinces, and some Lutheran churches, commemorate him on 13 September. Some other Lutheran churches and Anglican provinces commemorate him on the traditional Eastern feast day of 27 January. Chrysostom's extant homiletical works are vast, including many hundreds of exegetical homilies on both the New Testament (especially the works of Saint Paul) and the Old Testament (particularly on Genesis). Among his extant exegetical works are sixty-seven homilies on Genesis, fifty-nine on the Psalms, ninety on the Gospel of Matthew, eighty-eight on the Gospel of John, and fifty-five on the Acts of the Apostles.
John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople, was an important Early Church Father. He is known for his eloquence in preaching and public speaking, and his denunciation of abuse of authority by both ecclesiastical and political leaders.
Chrysostom is known in Christianity chiefly as a preacher, theologian and liturgist, particularly in the Eastern Orthodox Church.
During a time when city clergy were subject to criticism for their high lifestyle, John was determined to reform his clergy in Constantinople. These efforts were met with resistance and limited success. He was an excellent preacher. As a theologian, he has been and continues to be very important in Eastern Christianity, and is generally considered the most prominent doctor of the Greek Church, but has been less important to Western Christianity.
His writings have survived to the present day more so than any of the other Greek Fathers. He rejected the contemporary trend for allegory, instead speaking plainly and applying Bible passages and lessons to everyday life.