Do not insult God

I’m slowly making my way through St. John Chrysostom’s homilies on the Acts of the Apostles.

Most contemporary Scripture commentaries spend the bulk of their time sorting through what other scholars have said about a particular passage.  As one of the very earliest commentators, Chrysostom was spared such mucking about– few scholars had said anything about these passages before he did.  His commentaries are also transcripts of sermons.  While they do comment on Scripture, and in detail, their function is primarily exhortation rather than any scholarly exegesis.  “Here’s what Scripture says, and here’s what to do about it.”

This gives his sermons a really delightful warmth and directness.  Chrysostom is fun to read.