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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Gary Waddingham, post: 2989884, member: 73648&quot;]Here is something that I wrote for the Feast of St. John Chrysostom whose nemesis was Eudoxia.&nbsp; I am also posting a coin of hers I make reference to and a Byzantine seal of St. John Chyrsostom.</p><p>[ATTACH=full]737327[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]737328[/ATTACH] </p><p>Tomorrow is the feast of St. John Chrysostom (349 - 407). Many years ago when Fr. Ernie Badenoch,, the sometime rector of St. James, Bozeman, died, someone in the diocese said he was a good preacher. Bishop Jackson Gilliam said something to the affect that he wasn’t just good, he was a true chrysostom. Of course that means “golden mouthed” and having heard him preach, I agree with the good bishop.</p><p><br /></p><p>John is properly called the bishop or archbishop of Constantinople as the term patriarch, though in the works, would not be attached to the position for a few more years. He is venerated by Catholics, Anglicans and the Orthodox. The latter consider him one of the Three Holy Hierarchs along with Basil the Great and Gregory of Nazianzus. The three were contemporaries.</p><p><br /></p><p>In his position in Constantinople John criticized the ruling classes for extravagance and what to him was arrogance. In particular he was wont to call the empress Eudoxia both Jezebel and Herodias, neither conciliar terms. He was a true advocate of charity and the poor. His theological skills were perhaps the least of the thee Holy Hierarchs though one wonders if his lack of clarity on certain theological issues was on one level intended to smooth over differences among churchmen. John was finally exiled to a barren Greek Island, the custom for those who fell into disfavor be it theological or political, and then to yet another where he died. </p><p><br /></p><p>His admonition to feed the poor and cloth the naked were straight forward and unless we are to ignore the gospel, absolutely necessary. One can only imagine his take on our current first family. He would be unapologetically livid with rage.</p><p><br /></p><p>Here is a seal with St. John Chrysostom on it. You can see the O for “O Hagios” or saint on the left and the iota and omega of “John.” On the right you can clearly see the X or chi that is the first letters of Chrysostom and you can see most of the other letters as well. Interestingly the other side of the seal is of St. Basil. The coin of Eudoxia, the empress and John’s political nemesis, shows her being crowned with a laurel and on the other side her seated with crossed arms and again the hand of God bearing honor. There is no doubt Eudoxia had genuine piety but John found her charity lacking and her vanity abounding.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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