„Односот на свети Јован Златоуст кон античката философија и култура“, Зборник на трудови од XI Меѓународен симпозиум за византиски средновековни студии „Денови на Јустинијан I“, Скопје 10-12.11. 2023 г. уред. Митко Б. Панов Скопје 2024, 282-291.
Date Issued
2024
Abstract
The Attitude of St John Chrysostom Towards Ancient Philosophy
There are conflicting views about the attitude of St. John Chrysostom to ancient philosophy and culture in modern science. On one hand, St. John is considered to have particular merit for the incorporation of Hellenism into the Christian heritage, and on the other hand, he is characterized as an anti-Hellenist. In the background of these divided views the complex problem of understanding the Christian attitude towards Hellenism exists. The incorrect understanding of the reception and assimilation of the ancient heritage, made by the holy fathers, that is, the misunderstanding of the phenomenon of Christian Hellenism leads to simplified and contradictory answers to the question of Chrysostom's attitude to the Hellenic heritage. Comparing the places from the sermons of St. John where the ancient philosophers were strongly attacked (their teachings and ways of living), with the places where they were praised, as examples of the benevolent living, we will notice a duality, which at first glance is surprising. As if it were a question of a certain inconsistency in the thought of the saint. Obviously, Chrysostom`s attitude towards the ancient philosophy and culture is not unilateral (positive or negative) but "ambivalent". His views on ancient philosophy don`t only depend on the concrete oratorical situation, but also on his own position as a Christian philosopher, where he could distinguish what was and what wasn`t from the ancient heritage compatible with the Christian worldview.
There are conflicting views about the attitude of St. John Chrysostom to ancient philosophy and culture in modern science. On one hand, St. John is considered to have particular merit for the incorporation of Hellenism into the Christian heritage, and on the other hand, he is characterized as an anti-Hellenist. In the background of these divided views the complex problem of understanding the Christian attitude towards Hellenism exists. The incorrect understanding of the reception and assimilation of the ancient heritage, made by the holy fathers, that is, the misunderstanding of the phenomenon of Christian Hellenism leads to simplified and contradictory answers to the question of Chrysostom's attitude to the Hellenic heritage. Comparing the places from the sermons of St. John where the ancient philosophers were strongly attacked (their teachings and ways of living), with the places where they were praised, as examples of the benevolent living, we will notice a duality, which at first glance is surprising. As if it were a question of a certain inconsistency in the thought of the saint. Obviously, Chrysostom`s attitude towards the ancient philosophy and culture is not unilateral (positive or negative) but "ambivalent". His views on ancient philosophy don`t only depend on the concrete oratorical situation, but also on his own position as a Christian philosopher, where he could distinguish what was and what wasn`t from the ancient heritage compatible with the Christian worldview.