Christian History Home > Issue 44 > Letters from a Lonely Exile
Letters from a Lonely Exile
by CHRISTOPHER A. HALL Christopher A. Hall is assistant professor of biblical and theological studies at Eastern College in St. Davids, Pennsylvania. He is author of “Religion and Health: A Bibliographic Essay” (Westview, forthcoming). | posted 10/01/1994 12:00AM
On June 20, 404, Archbishop John Chrysostom left Constantinople under military escort, never to return.
He was exiled to the backwater town of Cucusus, in the mountains of Armenia. Separation from friends and raids from Isaurians (tribes from mountainous southern Turkey) continually plagued his last years—as did the climate and his poor health: “During the last two months I have been no better than one dead… In spite of endless contrivances, I could not shake off the pernicious effects of the cold… I underwent extreme sufferings, perpetual vomiting … loss of appetite, and constant sleeplessness.”
Three years of these severe hardships would end with death, yet Chrysostom remained faithful to Christ. He also remained a source of encouragement to friends and followers. To paraphrase Chrysostom himself, the gold of his life undergirded the currency of his words.
What spiritual principles supported him during these last, brutal years in exile? Some answers can be gleaned from correspondence with ... To view this item, you must be a member of ChristianHistory.net.
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