St Chrysostom's picture of his age Author:Saint John Chrysostom Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER III. THE LAST YEARS OF ST. CHRYSOSTOM. Tnnmlt after John's departure.—Sufferings of Ms friends Olympias, Pentadia, and Serapion.—Journey to Cucusns... more ». —Correspondence.—He is ordered to Pityuns.—-His sufferings. — Death. — Personal appearance; habits; character; learning; Scriptural knowledge; preaching; pastoral superintendence.—Results of his labours.—His style and rank as an orator. In the midst of the tumult which arose after John's departure, his church was set on fire, and totally destroyed. His enemies without reason attributed this unhappy result to the designs of his friends, many of whom were put to the torture by Optatus, Prefect of the city, but without drawing from them any confession. tending to inculpate them or their party.1 Chrysostom's correspondence shows that others were cast into prison, and in many ways ill- treated, simply because they were known tobe attached to him.1 At the instigation of Eudoxia his chair was occupied by Arsacius, an old man of eighty, brother of the Nectarius who had succeeded Gregory of Nazianzum. The new Bishop was mild towards his own party, but severe towards those who steadily adhered to John. He enjoyed his dignity but a short time, and was succeeded by Atticus, an industrious Presbyter of moderate learning and eloquence, but a terrible persecutor of his opponents.3 1 Ep. ad Olympiadem et Constantium Presbyterum, x. et ccxxi. It would not be right to omit all mention of those faithful Christians who stood by their spiritual father in adversity, and endured great afflictions on his account.4 John had ever pleaded for such friendships as are cemented, not by external attractions, but by the spiritual beauties of the soul; they had ever been to him a cordial of life, light in his darkness,5 consolation in his grief...« less