PAUL AND THE RHETORIC OF REVERSAL: KERYGMATIC ...

By these words [“my love be with you all”] he indicates that the things he had
written did not come from passion or wrath, but from care, given that after such
an accusation he does not turn away from them, but loves them and embraces
them from afar, enfolding them through these letters and writings. For this is
what the one who corrects must do. 33
2. Chrysostom as Preacher of 1 Corinthians
Pastoral Creativity in Exposition and Application
It should not be surprising, then, if the pastoral and rhetorical tact that Chrysostom has
perceived in Paul is also evident in his own homilies. Indeed, it is suddenly obvious that
the homilies generally involve a movement from the distant (Corinth) to the direct
(Antioch); from the mild (indirect application) to the strong (direct confrontation); from
the covert (speaking about “them”) to the overt (addressing “you”). There may be more to
the link between “exposition” and “application” in Chrysostom’s exegetical homilies than
is first apparent. A brief examination of several homilies will be worthwhile. I will focus
on a sequence of homilies for which the relationship between exposition and application
appears obscure or tenuous.
In the exposition section of Homily 11, Chrysostom identifies the issue in 1 Corinthians
4:3-5 as the Corinthians’ arrogant judgement of one another, “just like judges on their
seats”. 34 This sin (like that of the “fornicator”, as John points out) is shown to arise from
pride, as the Corinthians usurp the divine position of Judge, making false judgements
based on present appearances.
The application section of this homily, however, is about the evils of wealth:
33 Homily 44; PG 61.377.
34 Homily 11; PG 61.87.
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