Primary Authors & Sources
NPNF-402 draws on Philip Schaff's Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers — the definitive English patristic library for chrysostomic homilies on gospels and epistles. These are not secondary surveys but the fathers themselves. Philip Schaff, ed. provides access to the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers — the standard English patristic corpus that shaped Protestant and Anglican scholarship for generations, notably in Chrysostom: Homilies on the Gospel of Saint Matthew and Chrysostom: Homilies on the Acts of the Apostles and the….
Taken together, these readings form a coherent conversation across centuries — students encounter real arguments, not flattened summaries. The required corpus for this course totals 5 assigned works with 23 supplemental volumes available in the library, all integrated with assessments in the BCFK learning platform.
What You Will Study
Students read Chrysostom's homilies on the Gospels and Epistles, examining how the golden-mouthed preacher moved from grammatical exegesis to moral and Christological application for ordinary congregations. Primary texts include homilies on Matthew, John, Acts, and Pauline letters with attention to Chrysostom's use of typology, historical context, and rhetorical amplification. The course analyzes Chrysostom's anti-Judaic rhetoric and other problematic elements with honest critique alongside appreciation for his exegetical and homiletical genius. Students compare Chrysostom's methods with Reformed preaching principles emphasizing literal sense, Christ-centered interpretation, and application governed by Scripture. Weekly assignments require reading full homilies and summarizing exegetical moves for classroom discussion.
Course Objectives
Objectives include outlining Chrysostom's exegetical approach to New Testament passages, identifying Christological and ethical themes in his homilies, evaluating strengths and weaknesses of patristic preaching for Reformed adaptation, and producing exegesis-to-sermon summaries modeled on patristic but confessional method. Students will explain how Chrysostom's congregational context shaped his rhetorical choices. The course cultivates homiletical skill through immersion in a master preacher's sustained work. Students will compare Chrysostom with Augustine and Reformation preachers on selected pericopes. Assessments require detailed analysis of individual homilies with constructive proposals for contemporary pastoral use.
Ministry & Life Application
Chrysostom demonstrates that expository preaching can be vivid, accessible, and demanding without sacrificing biblical fidelity. Pastors and house church teachers in the Florida Keys gain homiletical inspiration and practical models for moving from text to application. Pastoral ministry is enriched by studying a preacher who served ordinary believers with relentless weekly exposition. This course supports PAST-101 and Greek exegesis courses by showing how grammatical reading becomes living proclamation. Congregations thrive when leaders preach with Chrysostomic urgency filtered through Reformed conviction that every text leads to Christ and his demands on the Christian life.