Preaching and the Cure of Souls

Teachers, particularly philosophers, saw the purpose of their teaching to be the therapy of the soul. Similar medical language can also be found in much Christian literature throughout antiquity, and Chrysostom is no exception. It permeates both his preaching and his discussion of preaching in his treatise On the Priesthood, and will thus prove to be important for assessing how he perceives and articulates his objectives as preacher. Despite it being a commonly used metaphor in his preaching, Chrysostom’s use of medical language has only very recently begun to receive attention, particularly in recent articles by Wendy Mayer, who has depicted Chrysostom as a ‘medico-philosophical psychic therapist’, and compares his ministry to the therapy of the soul exercised by many of the Hellenistic philosophers. Chapter 4 will largely support her arguments through a closer analysis of his preaching (her own research focusing more on a selection of his treatises).