A Word from Bob: You’re reading Part 2 of a four-part blog mini-series on The Forgotten Church Mothers. When we ponder early church history, our minds naturally focus on the Church Fathers. Sadly, we normally fail even to consider the Church Mothers. In our modern Western Evangelical world, where the worth and role of women is often debated—and demeaned—it is helpful to learn from church history. These posts are taken from my book, Sacred Friendships: Celebrating the Legacy of Women Heroes of the Faith. You can read Part 1 here: Mothers of the Church Fathers.
Anthusa: Lamenting Loss, Gripping Grace
Endeared as one of the four great doctors of the Church, John Chrysostom was born in 347 AD in Antioch, Syria and was prepared for a career in law under the renowned Libanius, who marveled at his pupil’s eloquence and foresaw a brilliant vocation for him as statesman and lawgiver.
But Chrysostom decided, after he had been baptized at the age of twenty-three, to abandon law in favor of service to Christ. In his renowned pulpit ministry, he emerged as “Golden Mouth,” a preacher whose oratorical excellence gained him a reputation throughout the Christian world.
To continue...read the full-length post originally published on this site.
