PAUL AND THE RHETORIC OF REVERSAL: KERYGMATIC ...

1. John Chrysostom as Student of Paul
John Chrysostom has long been regarded as one of the most insightful exegetes among the
Patristics. 1 His 44 homilies on 1 Corinthians are the earliest “completely preserved, full-
scale commentary on the letter in Greek”. 2 I therefore begin this investigation of 1
Corinthians 1–4 by seeking to be attentive to Chrysostom’s reading of this portion of the
letter. I will then engage with the text of 1 Corinthians itself, before relating my findings
to modern scholarship.
To consider Chrysostom at such length may appear to be a digression, but it belongs
integrally to my argument. It is important that the interpretation of 1 Corinthians that I am
presenting be seen to bear some continuity with early Christian exposition. Chrysostom’s
homilies in particular exhibit substantial harmony with the direction of this dissertation.
The homilies were delivered in Antioch, where John served as lector, deacon, and
presbyter (386-97), before being promoted to bishop of Constantinople.
Wendy Mayer and Pauline Allen describe the usual structure of Chrysostom’s exegetical
sermons:
[I]n these John tends to pursue a close verse-by-verse exegesis of the pericope or
scriptural lection, which he then follows with an ethical discourse on some issue.
1 His reception by Thomas Aquinas and John Calvin is illustrative. For both of these
theologians, Chrysostom is among the three most quoted Patristics, alongside Augustine
and Jerome. In Aquinas’ Catena Aurea, quotations of Chrysostom (and writings thought
to be by Chrysostom) outweigh Augustine and Jerome (2692 for Chrysostom, compared
with 1107 for Jerome, and 2078 for Augustine), indicating Chrysostom’s significance
when it comes to exegesis. Similarly, although Calvin often finds disagreement with
Chrysostom in the Institutes, he seems to view him as a more reliable guide than
Augustine when it comes to exegetical works. R. Ward Holder elucidates: “Calvin
possesses a doctrinal hermeneutic which is basically traditional and conservative, and
dependent on a type of Augustinian grasp of the Christian message. He interprets
Scripture, however, using a hermeneutical method which is humanistically inspired,
contextually considered, and influenced far more by his understanding of the
interpretation of Chrysostom”. R. Ward Holder, “Calvin as Commentator on the Pauline
Epistles,” in Calvin and the Bible (ed. Donald D. McKim; Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press, 2006), 224-256; 250; emphasis mine.
2 Margaret M. Mitchell, The Heavenly Trumpet: John Chrysostom and the Art of Pauline
Interpretation (Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2000; repr. Louisville, Ky.: Westminster John
Knox Press, 2002), xv.
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