John Chrysostom: On Almsgiving and the Therapy of the Soul

Description

In recent years, there has been significant scholarly focus on John Chrysostom's appropriation of ancient philosophical therapy, but relatively little attention has been devoted to his use of this medicalized discourse in relation to almsgiving. Adopting an interdisciplinary research between Greco-Roman philosophy and social ethics in early Christianity, Junghun Bae pursues a giver-centered analysis which has largely been ignored in the previous research. He argues that for Chrysostom almsgiving is one of the most powerful remedies for healing sick souls. The concept of Christianized soul therapy is a new key framework for understanding his approach to almsgiving holistically and has the potential to offer a new reading of the discourse on almsgiving in late antiquity. Content Abstract Abbreviations Acknowledgements Introduction Aim Literature Review on Chrysostom and Almsgiving Theological Approach Ascetical Approach Socio-Cultural Approach Philosophical Approach Synthesis Ancient Philosophical Therapy Identifying Philosophical Therapy: Disease of the Soul and Therapeutic Strategies Origin, Development, and Christian Adaption Sickness, Health, and Remedy in Chrysostom Sources Identifying the Scope of Analysis Date, Provenance, and Audience Methodology Structure Chapter 1 Passion and Therapeutic Almsgiving Introduction 1.1 Disease of the Soul 1.1.1 Passion (πάθος) as the Disease of the Soul 1.1.2 Psychological Aetiology 1.1.3 Is medical language merely metaphorical? 1.2 Almsgiving as a Spiritual Remedy 1.2.1 Medical Expenses: Definition of Almsgiving 1.2.2 Directions for Receiving Almsgiving Treatment 1.2.3 Almsgiving and the Cure of the Soul Conclusion Chapter 2 Rhetoric of Hope and Fear: The Psychagogical Approach to Reward and Punishment Introduction 2.1 The Mixed Use of Gentle and Harsh Instruction in Ancient Psychagogy 2.1.1 Adaptability 2.1.2 The Mixture of Gentle and Harsh Exhortation 2.2 Reward and Judgement as Gentle and Harsh Speech 2.2.1 The Reality of Reward and Punishment 2.2.2 Chrysostom’s Identification of Eschatology as the Mixed Exhortation 2.3 The Psychagogic Role of Eschatology 2.3.1 The Promise of Reward as Gentle Encouragement 2.3.2 The Threat of Judgement as Harsh Criticism 2.4 Eschatology, Almsgiving and the Cure of the Soul 2.4.1 In Matthaeum hom. 20: Greed 2.4.2 In Johannem hom. 79: Adultery or Fornication 2.4.3 In Johannem hom. 16: Pride Conclusion Chapter 3 Almsgiving, the Cure of the Soul, and Salvation: the Hermeneutics of Christianised Philosophical Therapy Introduction 3.1 Redemptive Almsgiving and Chrysostom 3.1.1 Redemptive Almsgiving in the Jewish-Christian Tradition 3.1.2 Almsgiving and Salvation in Chrysostom 3.2 The Christianization of Philosophical Therapy 3.2.1 The Integration of Psychic Therapy and Salvation 3.2.2 A Possible Hermeneutical Principle: Interpretation of the Biblical Passages on Redemptive Almsgiving Conclusion Conclusion Introduction: Objective and Previous Research Gaps Findings of the Chapters Synthetic Analysis and Further Implications Almsgiving as the Best Medical Remedy Holistic Nature of Chrysostom’s View and Discourse on Almsgiving Call for Reshaping the Traditional Identity of Chrysostom Concluding Remarks Bibliography Primary Sources Secondary Sources