The Law-Observant Lord: John Chrysostom's Engagement with the Jewishness of Christ

Abstract

Jesus' observance of the Law in the canonical gospels presented an intellectual, theological, and at times practical challenge to orthodox Christians. This essay examines John Chrysostom's engagement with the Jewishness of Jesus in the Homiliae Adversus Iudaeos (386–387 C.E. ) and his homilies on Matthew (390 C.E. ) and John (391 C.E. ). While John's treatment in the Homiliae is brief, largely unoriginal, and intended to dissuade imitators, in the gospel homilies he develops a sophisticated strategy for reading Jesus' Jewishness shaped by social concerns (e.g., Judaizing) as well as contemporary heresiological discourse. John views Christ's relationship to Judaism as fundamentally paradoxical—both Law-observant and Law-defiant—a double-sided behavior aimed at creating a gradual transition from one stage in salvation history to the next.

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