What Do Chrysostom's Sermons Actually Prove About the Separation from Yashar'al?

Late 4th c. · Antioch · Chrysostom's eight anti-Judaizing homilies

What the ancient record says

They prove the separation was still being enforced. By his period we already have earlier identity-transfer arguments, Pasakh disputes, Roman pressure for uniformity, anti-Judaizing canons, and imperial involvement, yet Chrysostom still has Christianoi participating in Yahudi religious life; the boundary was not self-enforcing (people were still crossing it), so he used extremely hostile rhetoric against the synagogue, Yahudim, their festivals, fasts, and continuing observances.

His insults cannot be studied without his audience: the insults tell us what Chrysostom thought; his complaints tell us what some Christianoi were actually doing (critical evidence). Documented behaviors: attending Yahudi services, participating in festivals, joining fasts, respecting Yahudi practice, enough interaction that he considered it a major pastoral problem.

His aims (stated plainly): drive the practice out, uproot favorable opinions of Yahudi life, have his congregation confront other Christianoi who continued. "Identity separation" as analysis is fair, meaning an influential leader trying to make the boundary harder and less permeable (demonstrable).

Did he invent the separation? No, Justin, Melito, Victor, Polycrates, Nicaea, Constantine, Laodicea predate him; Chrysostom is another stage.

Important because official separation and lived behavior were not identical, authorities declared boundaries, councils wrote canons, emperors advocated uniformity, but ordinary people continued older/shared practices, so enforcement continued.