On Marriage and Family Life: St John Chrysostom

Popular Patristics Series Number 7

Christian tradition often seems to give only grudging approval to the married life, particularly its sexual aspect. In these sermons of St John Chrysostom we find an important corrective to this view. Although himself a monk, Chrysostom had a profound understanding of the needs of his congregation. Inspired by the epistles to the Corinthians and Ephesians, he discusses their reasons God instituted marriage–primarily to promote holiness of the husband and wife, and only secondarily to produce children.Chrysostom goes on to discuss sexual relations, the mutual responsibilities of marriage, and parenting. While parts of Chrysostom’s sermons may seem limited to his own time, the vast majority of his advice has timeless relevance for the Christian family.

“[This] translation is, by and large, fluent, and it thus makes Chrysostom sound both contemporary and refreshing… it shows a Chrysostom dealing with a theme which may seem unusual for somebody who had defended virginity so stoutly, and who nevertheless speaks of marriage in a fashion which shows him thoroughly acquainted with the ways of the world.” — E.G. Farrugia, S.J. Orientalia Christiana Periodica