Paideia in Christian Family According to John Chrysostom

Abstract

The chapter aims at discovering and discussing the process of paideia in a Christian family, concentrating on the process of upbringing children and teenagers as suggested by the prominent archbishop of Constantinople John Chrysostom († 407). He himself did not create a consistent model of the upbringing system but devoted a great deal of interest to the area, applying the achievements of antique culture at the same time. Chrysostom understood paideia in a Christian family as one of the stages in the process of discovering the depth and beauty of faith and as a part of the process of making a human resemble the image of God as revealed in Jesus Christ. And it is the father of the family who is first of all responsible for that process, mainly concerning the intellectual, moral and religious spheres of the children. A family unit in this context is understood as a ‘home church’, where, thanks to the bonds of love, common responsibility and the way of life based on Gospel and fear of God, sanctification if its members takes place.