John Chrysostom's Homily against the Jews 8 as a Response to Antiochene Jewish Healthcare

Abstract

Abstract: This article argues that John Chrysostom's Homily against the Jews ( Adv. Iud . 8), preached at Antioch in 387 ce, is produced as a response to the popularity of Antiochene Jewish healers among John's congregants. As a solution to the perceived problem of Christians seeking out Jewish healing, John develops a model of anti-medicinal martyrdom by which he calls congregants to seek out death by fever. The article is split into three sections. The first section situates the argument amidst recent scholarship on Antiochene space, religious affiliation and ambiguity, and John's rhetorical strategies. The second situates John's anxiety regarding the religious ambiguity of amulets and other medicinal practices alongside late ancient Antiochene material culture. The final section provides a close reading of Adv. Iud . 8 that underscores how John uses biblical exempla to produce his model of anti-medicinal martyrdom.