John Chrysostom (c. 349–407), Archbishop of Constantinople, was an important Early Church Father. He is known for his eloquence in preaching and public speaking, his denunciation of abuse of authority by both ecclesiastical and political leaders, the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, and his ascetic sensibilities. After his death (or, according to some sources, during his life) he was given the Greek surname chrysostomos, meaning "golden mouthed", rendered in English as Chrysostom. The Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches honor him as a saint and count him among the Three Holy Hierarchs, together with Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzus. He is recognized by the Catholic Church as a saint and as a Doctor of the Church. Churches of the Western tradition, including the Roman Catholic Church, some Anglican provinces, and parts of the Lutheran Church, commemorate him on September 13.
The Divine Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom is the most celebrated Divine Liturgy in the Byzantine Rite. It is named after the anaphora with the same name and reflects the work of the Cappadocian Fathers to both combat heresy and define Trinitarian theology for the Christian Church. The Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom was probably the divine liturgy used originally by the School of Antioch and was, therefore, most likely developed from West Syrian liturgical rites. In Constantinople, it was refined and beautified under John's guidance as Patriarch of Constantinople, (398-404). Having become the liturgical form of the Church of Holy Wisdom, Hagia Sophia, it became over time the normative liturgical form in the churches within the Byzantine Empire. The two liturgical rites of St. John Chrysostom and St. Basil in the Eastern Church became the norm by the end of the reign of Justinian.
This edition of the Divine Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom is specially formatted with a Table of Contents and images.
