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pre-eminence of Chrysostom
as a preacher remains undisputed, despite the many reversals of
judgment that have resulted from modern historical investigations; no
voice has been raised against the popular verdict, repeated in every
age, that awards to him the first place among pulpit orators in the
Eastern Church.
Nor has there been any serious difference of opinion in
regard to his personal character. His intense moral earnestness has
always been recognized, and the man has been honored because it was
distinctly felt that the man gave power to the oration. “Golden
mouth” avails little, unless it belongs to a golden man. The
rhetorical training of his earlier years doubtless contributed much to
his skill as a preacher, but his exegetical method was perhaps a still
more important factor.