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.Those who encouraged unity and orthodoxy faced a problem larger than an issue of cleaning up a few inconsistent rituals.Instead, they were faced with disparate perceptions of the religious importance attributed to one’s actions and thoughts and to particular times and places.For example, after the conversion of Constantine, widespread reverence for martyrs’ tombs and the sites of Jesus’ life in Palestine led to the proliferation of new Christian holy places and more holidays in the liturgical year.[1] Eusebius considered holy places to be important for pagans and Jews, but not for Christians.Although Gregory of Nyssa and Jerome agreed with this view, Cyril, bishop of Jerusalem in the mid-fourth century, prized the holy places in his see, while Augustine changed his mind on these matters over time.[2]Chrysostom agreed with the view that did not distinguish certain times and places as more holy than others.He respected the feast days of the martyrs and gave appropriate sermons in their honor, but he did not consider those days as particularly holy times or the Christian buildings as particularly holy places, independent of the worship performed there.Likewise, he did not understand the laity’s practice of washing their hands before they entered the church and objected to the fact that they acted differently, with increased levels of piety, within the church than they did after they had left its confines.[3] His view of the all-encompassing, continuous observance of Christian life, which will be discussed in more detail in the next chapter, opposed the concentration of holiness in distinct times, places, and people.The preacher’s position on this matter had much to do with his uncompromising stance against the Judaizing tendencies of his congregation.[4]For Chrysostom, the key function of his sermons was to enhance the laity’s education in living a proper, moral Christian life.[5] Most of his work as a preacher was not in fact Christianization (much less conversion) but rather the reorienting of his followers’ practices and beliefs to align better with his own conception of orthodoxy.His emphasis on the importance of the laity’s attention to his sermons was perhaps in part egotistic, but he also believed that his lessons would increase their knowledge about Christianity, which in his view was the only way to salvation.Knowledge, not merely belief, was necessary in order to become a full member of the community, and after that, to distinguish incorrect from correct behavior and heresies from orthodoxy.This chapter will examine how this knowledge of proper belief and practice, which defined orthodox Christians in opposition to others, was contested in the interaction between the preacher and the laity.Often, Chrysostom’s critiques of his congregation reveal aspects of lay spirituality that were not necessarily founded on ignorance or a lack of interest, but rather on a difference of perspective.For example, the preacher and the congregation differed in their judgments of the importance of certain religious observances and the danger of various sins.In many cases, indications of a widespread belief among the laity in a strong divide between the holy and the ordinary as well as a concern for physical purity emerge from Chrysostom’s sermons.The purpose here is to examine how the sermons reflect a dialogue between the preacher and his audience, in order to observe how the concerns of the laity affected the preacher’s choice of subjects and also how lay Christians opposed their preacher in favor of their own beliefs.A community of knowledgeInfant baptism was not yet widespread in this period and so the mysteries of the church were not open simply to anyone interested in them.[6] Attendance at communion was guarded from outsiders to the extent that baptized Christians who traveled away from home were required to carry signed letters from their bishops certifying their eligibility to participate in the entire church service.[7] The Church encouraged converts, of course, but newcomers had to gain a certain amount of knowledge of the doctrine, rituals, and proper conduct before they underwent baptism and were accepted as full members.Once people decided to be baptized, their Christian sponsors brought them to clergy who then interviewed the candidates to confirm their serious intent.If approved, they became catechumens, participating in Christian life in every way, short of attending communion.During Lent, they met for sermons instructing them on the elements of doctrine.[8] Right before they were to be baptized, a member of the clergy carefully explained to them the meaning of the different stages of the transformation they were about to undergo.[9]Eleven catechetical sermons by Chrysostom survive, revealing what he chose (or what the bishop instructed him to choose) as the most fundamental concepts of Christianity for new members.In five of these homilies, he addressed the catechumens before their baptism.In the first sermon of this series, he recited the creed, and told them that they must remember it and be able to defend their faith with it because of the possible confrontation with an Arian or Sabellian.[10] This was sufficient doctrine for beginners, as long as they did not allow themselves or others to question its logic or veracity: “Let no one confuse you again, by bringing the inquiries based on his own reasoning into the doctrines of the church, hoping to muddy the correct, sound doctrines
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