[John] of Antioch, called Chrysostom ["Golden-mouth"].[1] A presbyter among the most prominent at Antioch, a follower of Eusebius the philosopher of Emesa and of Diodore.[2] He is said to have written many things, among which his discourse On the Priesthood is outstanding in sublimity and expression and smoothness, and in the beauty of the words.[3] This is rivaled by the homilies on the Psalms of David and the interpretation of the Gospel according to John and the commentaries on Matthew and Mark and Luke. The rest of his writings are beyond counting; for he commented on all the Jewish and Christian Scriptures as no one else [has done]. He enhanced the festivals of the martyrs by improvising without hindrance, [so that] his tongue flowed more than the cataracts of the Nile. So no one has ever supplied such a flow of speech, in which he alone was wealthy, and he alone acquired the unadulterated name of golden and divine from everyone. But to reckon the number of his compositions is not [the work] of a man, but rather of God who knows all.
This holy John Chrysostom[4] was an extreme ascetic, sleeping little and very fond of solitude, speaking frankly out of zeal for self-control and easily angered; for he used to indulge wrath rather than shame, and employed free-speaking immoderately towards those who met him. And in teaching he was extremely helpful, but in chance meetings he was considered boastful and contemptuous by those who did not know him. For this reason when elevated to the episcopate he used a greater superciliousness against his disciples with a view to the correction and salvation of each one, and changing [their] behavior and speech. If one is not a flatterer, he should not therefore be considered a braggart; nor either, if one is a flatterer and low-born, should he be called humble-minded. But [this term should be applied] to him who maintains himself in the appropriate status, as befits free men; for one should be magnanimous, not arrogant, courageous, not rash, gentle, not slavish. So he himself says; for this reason the shepherd and teacher should be versatile. I say 'versatile', not unsound, nor a flatter nor insolent, but full of much liberality and frankness, knowing both how to come to agreement appropriately, when the basis of the facts requires this, and to be pleasant and austere at the same time. For it is not right to treat all one’s followers in the same manner, since it is not good either for the servants of the physicians to prescribe only one medicine for all the sick, nor for the steersman to know only one road for the battle with the winds.[5] Think what kind of man one must be who is going to stand up against such a storm and such a surge and such great waves in order to 'become all things to all men', so that he may benefit all.[6] For such a man must be venerable and modest and awe-inspiring and kindly and authoritative and companionable and incorruptible and obsequious and humble and unslavish and cheerful and mild, so that he may easily combat these things. Therefore the productive and prudent man must avoid both flattering and accepting flattery; he must be neither boastful nor a flatterer, but chastise the excess of both these evils, and be a free man who does not either turn aside to willfulness or descend to slavishness. He should be humble with the good, but haughty with the rash. Since [the former] consider reasonableness to be virtue, but [the latter consider] rashness to be courage, [one should] present humble-mindedness to the former and to the latter the courage which quenches their self-importance which comes from rashness. There is a time for every matter, says Solomon;[7] that is for humility, authority, testing, encouragement, sparing, frankness, friendliness, severity, and in short for every matter; so that [it is right] at one time to demonstrate humility and to imitate the children in humbleness, according to the Lord’s saying,[8] and at another time to use authority, which the Lord gave for building up and not for destruction, when the situation calls for frankness. And in the time for encouragement [one ought] to show friendliness, but in the time for severity to reveal one’s zeal, and at each of the other [times] similarly to bring the appropriate and just consideration. For consideration is the judgment of the just. And Isidore[9] [writes]: "the ruler must be just and awe-inspiring, so that those who live a good life may take courage, but the sinners may hesitate. For one without the other is anarchy rather than rule. For if all were easily-persuaded and lovers of virtue, only goodness would be needed; but if they are lovers of sin, fear [is needed]. But since there are both good and bad [people], the ruler and leader must employ both".