This paper's intention is to present the prominent role of pagan and
Christian figures as archetypes of vices and virtues in the writings of
John Chrysostom. In the broader context of Chrysostom’s reception of
Hellenism, the martyrs and the saints play a prominent role, serving
both as role models and as living proofs of an emergent and victorious
Christianity. In his rhetoric, martyrdom becomes a very significant
point of divergence from Hellenism, precisely because, according to
John, the Hellenes cannot claim any martyrs for their religion. During
his time there were many points of contention between pagans and
Christians. What we will try to attempt is a preliminary effort to
collect and analyse this material, while at the same time trying to
contextualise it within the larger context of John's reception of
Hellenism. While the lives of the apostles and martyrs are sometimes the
object of comparison with the lives of philosophers, these bioi are
primarily used as exemplifications of contrasts that John sees as
characteristics of Christianity and paganism. These include the
antithesis between syllogisms and pistis, the effectiveness of each
religion's persuasion, and the attitude of believers under persecution.
Finally, the theme of usefulness also appears often in John's
comparisons, and one of his major arguments against the most eminent
philosophers of Hellenism is that their lives (in some cases) and
theories (in other cases) were ultimately worthless, because they either
served no purpose at all or plainly failed.
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