St. John Chrysostom. On The Priesthood. St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 1977.
St. John Chrysostom is one of our saints (Holy Women, Holy Men) and, although he lived in the fourth century, his words are relevant today. The treatise takes the form of a dialogue between himself and a close friend he calls Basil. Basil has just agreed to go for the priesthood; John defends his reasons for not doing so. The dialogue leaves Basil feeling anxious and betrayed (by John). For his part, John considers he has defended himself well and tells Basil he will be there for him when the need arises. So now you know the story. But in the telling there are historical insights for us. One is the rationale for not challenging Chrysostom’s version of the Trinity. Another is “Christians can damage Christ’s cause more than his enemies and foes.” If you want blood and gore, there is that too. In his final chapter he touches on the disasters of war. As is usual with these booklets, the words of the translator in the Introduction contain much of value.
R. Baty CSBS