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Providence and Narrative in the Theology of John Chrysostom

Providence and Narrative in the Theology of John Chrysostom

Providence and Narrative in the Theology of John Chrysostom

Robert Edwards, University of Goettingen, Germany
December 2022
Available
Hardback
9781009220934
$117.00
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Hardback
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eBook

    This book is the first major study of providence in the thought of John Chrysostom, a popular preacher in Syrian Antioch and later archbishop of Constantinople (ca. 350 to 407 CE). While Chrysostom is often considered a moralist and exegete, this study explores how his theology of providence profoundly affected his larger ethical and exegetical thought.  Robert Edwards argues that Chrysostom considers biblical narratives as vehicles of a doctrine of providence in which God is above all loving towards humankind. Narratives of God's providence thus function as sources of consolation for Chrysostom's suffering audiences, and may even lead them now, amid suffering, to the resurrection life-the life of the angels. In the course of surveying Chrysostom's theology of providence and his use of scriptural narratives for consolation, Edwards also positions Chrysostom's theology and exegesis, which often defy categorization, within the preacher's immediate Antiochene and Nicene contexts.

    • Provides a broad perspective on the intersection of the theological, exegetical, pastoral aspects of John Chrysostom's thought
    • Situates Chrysostom's thought within its immediate theological and exegetical contexts
    • Challenges the idea that John Chrysostom is exclusively a moralist and exegete, and to show that he is also a significant theological thinker

    Reviews & endorsements

    ‘This book is an exemplary piece of scholarship on John Chrysostom’s theology of providence and pastoral care. Edwards’s judicious reading of Chrysostom pays close attention to comparative work to demonstrate that this patristic writer does not fit easily within established categories of the history of exegesis.’ Ashish J. Naidu, Scottish Journal of Theology

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    Product details

    December 2022
    Hardback
    9781009220934
    240 pages
    235 × 159 × 19 mm
    0.5kg
    Available

    Table of Contents

    • 1. Stories of suffering and providence
    • 2. Divine and human activity in biblical narrative
    • 3. Narrative clusters, providential habits, and typological exegesis
    • 4. Proofs of providence and God's philanthropic character
    • 5. True judgments and consolation
    • 6. The virtue of yielding to providence.
      Author
    • Robert Edwards , University of Goettingen, Germany

      Robert G. T. Edwards is a Humboldt Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Göttingen, Germany. He is a translator of John Chrysostom's works and has published widely on early Christian theology and exegesis in leading academic journals.