John Chrysostom and the Rebirth of Antiochene Mission in Late Antiquity

Abstract

There is surprisingly little evidence to suggest that bishops played a major role in initiating and overseeing missionary endeavors between the second and fourth centuries CE. John Chrysostom (d. 407), who directed a number of missionary enterprises as the bishop of Constantinople, represents one well-established exception. This article argues that Chrysostom cultivated his distinctive approach to mission during his formative years in Antioch by tracing the key features of Chrysostom's mission strategy back to the activities of his episcopal mentors in Antioch, especially their efforts to promote the Christianization of the surrounding rural areas and their assertion of jurisdictional claims over regions beyond the Roman Empire. In conjunction with these activities, Chrysostom developed his own scriptural justification for mission during this period in which he advocated for emulation of the apostle Paul, who was, in his estimation, Christianity's missionary exemplar.