John Chrysostom

I. Chrysostom’s Life and Work

John Chrysostom (c. 347–407 CE) was born in Antioch. After receiving a thorough classical education under the rhetorician Libanius, he underwent theological formation in the Antiochene tradition (notably in the circle of Diodore of Tarsus). In the 370s he embraced the ascetic life and spent several years in monastic seclusion near Antioch. Ordained deacon (381) and priest (386), he became the leading preacher of the Antiochene church. His extraordinary rhetorical power earned him the surname Chrysostomos (“golden-mouthed”).

In late 397 he was chosen for the see of Constantinople and was consecrated archbishop early in 398. In the imperial capital he pursued a rigorous programme of pastoral and moral reform, criticising clerical abuses, courtly luxury, and social injustice. These initiatives quickly provoked resistance, especially from Empress Eudoxia and from Theophilus, bishop of Alexandria. In 403, a hostile assembly (the Synod of the Oak) deposed him and sent him into exile. Although briefly recalled, he was again expelled in 404 and banished to the eastern provinces (Cucusus). Later he was ordered to an even harsher exile; he died on 14 September 407 at Comana in Pontus while being transferred under military escort. In 438 his remains were solemnly translated to Constantinople.

Chrysostom’s literary legacy is vast and diverse, ranging from doctrinal and pastoral treatises to letters and, above all, biblical exegesis. Much of his exegesis is preserved as homilies delivered to a living congregation. Among his major exegetical works are:

• Homiliae in Genesim (CPG 4409)
• Sermones in Genesim (CPG 4410)
• De Anna sermones 1–5 (CPG 4411)
• De Davide et Saule homiliae 1–3 (CPG 4412)
• Expositiones in Psalmos (CPG 4413)
• In illud: Ne timueritis cum dives factus fuerit homo (Two homilies on Ps 48:17) (CPG 4414)
• In Psalmum 145 (CPG 4415)
• In Isaiam (CPG 4416)
• In Matthaeum homiliae 1–90 (CPG 4424)
• In Iohannem homiliae 1–88 (CPG 4425)
• In Acta apostolorum homiliae 1–55 (CPG 4426)
• Homilies and commentaries on the Pauline Epistles:
  • Romans (CPG 4427)
  • 1 Corinthians (CPG 4428)
  • 2 Corinthians (CPG 4429)
  • Galatians (CPG 4430)
  • Ephesians (CPG 4431)
  • Philippians (CPG 4432)
  • Colossians (CPG 4433)
  • 1 Thessalonians (CPG 4434)
  • 2 Thessalonians (CPG 4435)
  • 1 Timothy (CPG 4436)
  • 2 Timothy (CPG 4437)
  • Titus (CPG 4438)
  • Philemon (CPG 4439)
  • Hebrews (CPG 4440)

II. Chrysostom’s Expositiones in Psalmos

1. Direct Tradition and the Textual Profile of the Work

Chrysostom’s Psalms exegesis is transmitted primarily under the title Expositiones in Psalmos (CPG 4413). Unlike Theodoret’s complete Interpretatio in Psalmos, Chrysostom’s commentary has survived only in a partial and uneven form.¹ In its standard printed form it preserves expositions on selected Psalms, while large sections are missing.

From the perspective of the textual history of the Septuagint Psalter, the Expositiones are of special interest for two reasons:

1. Their Antiochene profile. As an Antiochene author of the late fourth century, Chrysostom offers early evidence for the reception and interpretation of the Greek Psalter in the Antiochene milieu.
2. Their engagement with competing Greek versions. In the Expositiones, Chrysostom frequently distinguishes the Septuagint (“the Seventy”) from other Greek renderings (especially Aquila and Symmachus), and he uses these comparisons to clarify exegetical and theological problems.²

At the same time, the Expositiones in Psalmos pose a major text-critical challenge. A significant portion of the material is transmitted through catenae and excerpt collections; even manuscripts that preserve the commentary in a “continuous” form may differ markedly in wording, omissions, and rearrangements. Consequently, there is no single, uniform “Chrysostom text” of the Psalms commentary that can be cited without qualification. Individual passages must be evaluated in their specific manuscript context.

For the Göttingen Psalter project, Chrysostom is therefore a key patristic witness for identifying and characterising the Lucianic–Antiochene layer in the transmission of the Greek Psalter. A central task for future work is to assess the textual tradition of the Expositiones systematically and to decide which readings can be used securely for reconstructing early Antiochene forms of the Psalter text.

2. The Editions and the Göttingen Transcriptions

The standard printed text of Chrysostom’s Expositiones in Psalmos is based on the early modern editions of his opera omnia and their reprints. The text circulated in the Savile edition (Eton College, 1612) and in the later Benedictine edition prepared by Bernard de Montfaucon; the latter was reprinted in J.-P. Migne’s Patrologia Graeca (vol. 55). These editions were not established on the basis of a comprehensive survey of the manuscript tradition and do not constitute a modern critical edition. Establishing a reliable text remains difficult, especially because of the catena-based transmission and the resulting fluidity of the tradition.

In view of this situation, the ongoing Göttingen research on the Lucianic–Antiochene text of the Psalter (module 2 of the Psalter project), scheduled to reach its conclusion by the end of 2026 before the project turns to the Origenic–Palestinian form of the Psalter text (module 3), Chrysostom is taken into account on the basis of selected manuscripts. These witnesses have for the first time been fully transcribed in diplomatic form within the framework of the Göttingen Psalter project. This newly established documentary basis permits a more precise evaluation of Chrysostom’s Psalms exegesis as an important patristic witness to the Lucianic–Antiochene layer of the Greek Psalter.

List of MSS

Rahlfs Number	olim	Place	Shelf Mark	Date
9100	–	Paris	BN, Grec 654	s. X
9101	–	Paris	BN, Grec 655	s. XI
9102	–	Paris	BN, Grec 796	s. XI
9103	–	Rome	Bibl. Vat., Vat. gr. 1639	s. XI
9104	–	Rome	Bibl. Vat., Vat. gr. 524	s. XI
9105	–	Rome	Bibl. Vat., Vat. gr. 525	s. XI
9106	–	Venice	Bibl. Marc., Z.111	s. XI in.
9107	–	Venice	Bibl. Marc., Z.562	s. XI in.
9108	–	Rome	Bibl. Vat., Vat. gr. 2192	s. XI

The Expositiones have been translated into several modern languages. The extant portions of the commentary are available in English translation in Robert C. Hill’s two-volume Commentary on the Psalms (Holy Cross Orthodox Press, Brookline, MA, 1998–1999).

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1. Georgi R. Parpulov, “John Chrysostom on the Psalms”, Göttinger Septuaginta blog (December 1, 2023).↩︎

2. Katherin Papadopoulos, “Severian and Chrysostom on their Bible’s Translation, Texts, and Canon”, esp. on Chrysostom’s use of “the Seventy” and other Greek versions in the Expositiones in Psalmos.↩︎