Reviews
"[This book] should be read by anyone interested in the history of the emotions, the power of storytelling, the history of biblical exegesis, the history of Christian spirituality, church history or the world of late antique Byzantium."—Classical Review
"Leyerle’s book represents a convincing and definitive analysis of Chrysostom’s thought about the emotions, and of the practical application of emotional and cognitive strategies in his programme of moral reform.... Accessible and a pleasure to read!"
—Journal of Early Christian History
"Leyerle’s analysis of Chrysostom’s affective strategy, homiletic program, and philosophical antecedents yields profound insights. The book is a wonderful contribution to Chrysostomic studies and the history of emotions, showing how Christianity harnessed the power of narrative, rhetoric, and feeling to navigate the spiritual universe of the faithful in late antiquity."—Journal of Early Christian Studies
"The present book is to be fully recommended to an academic audience of historians of late antiquity, theologians, and religious studies scholars, as well as to those who still uphold the educational value of uncomfortable situations."—ASDIWAL
"Blake Leyerle offers the first sustained treatment of the pedagogy of emotions by which John Chrysostom, one of late antiquity's most revered preachers, sought to craft his audiences' Christian habits. Nuanced, captivating, and accessible to experts and generalists alike, this book presents the reader with a scintillating glimpse into the emotional worlds that ancient Christians inhabited and the voices that shaped them."—Maria Doerfler, author of
Jephthah's Daughter, Sarah's Son: The Death of Children in Late Antiquity
"In this rich and beautifully written book, Blake Leyerle conveys the rhetorical and psychological genius of John Chrysostom, a master storyteller and incomparable preacher. As she brilliantly demonstrates, Chrysostom brought to life biblical and other narratives to manage the anger, fears, sorrows, and shame of his audience in the service of Christianity."—David Konstan, Professor of Classics, New York University
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