John Chrysostom

John was born at Antioch, studied rhetoric under Libanius, and gave up a career in law for the ascetic life and the service of the church (Socrates, Church History 6.3). As a presbyter there he preached to the city through the weeks of fear that followed the riot of 387 (Chrysostom, Homilies on the Statues 2.1–4). In 398 he was brought to Constantinople and ordained its bishop (Socrates, Church History 6.2), where, his supporter Palladius says, he disciplined the clergy, spent the bishop’s income on hospitals and preached against the rich (Palladius, Dialogue 5).

A synod led by Theophilus of Alexandria deposed him at the Oak, near Chalcedon (Socrates, Church History 6.15). He was recalled, condemned again, and exiled in June 404 (Socrates, Church History 6.18); his own account of these events survives in a letter to Innocent of Rome (Chrysostom, Letters to Innocent 1–4). He died at Comana on 14 September 407, while being moved to a more distant place of exile (Socrates, Church History 6.21) (Palladius, Dialogue 11). His body was brought back to Constantinople in 438 (Socrates, Church History 7.45). See John Chrysostom, Preacher and Exile.