John Chrysostom
- proper noun
:
San Juan Crisóstomo
- As Archbishop of Constantinople, John Chrysostom worked tirelessly to reform the Church.
Examples
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John Chrysostom was known for his powerful sermons that inspired many believers during his time.
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For the most part, these associations were made because of the allegorizing tendency of contemporary scholarship and the anti-Jewish polemics of such church officials as John Chrysostom.
Blog text (33) -
The writings of John Chrysostom continue to influence Christian thought in the modern era.
Synonyms
A fourth-century Christian church leader famous for powerful sermons
Surface Forms
Morphology
John + Chrysostom
This is a personal name rather than a compositional phrase: knowing the common name 'John' and an unfamiliar element 'Chrysostom' does not allow a learner to infer the historical identity or ecclesiastical status. The referential, encyclopedic meaning (a specific early Church Father and archbishop) is not derivable from the constituent words, so it is unpredictable for a B1 learner.
Etymology
John Chrysostom comes from Greek words chryso and stoma, meaning 'gold' and 'mouth'. He was a famous preacher whose words were so praised that people called him 'golden-mouthed', so the name points to his great skill in speaking.
