The adaptability of divine pedagogy: Sunkatabasis in the theology and rhetoric of John Chrysostom

Adaptability was a prominent concept in ancient rhetoric, moral philosophy, and the theological tradition. The commonplace idea that God adapts his interactions with humans to their limitations was most extensively applied by John Chrysostom. His primary term for divine adaptation, sugkata &d12;basiz , is found as frequently in his corpus as in all other Greek literature combined. Sugkata &d12;basiz was a constitutive principle for Chrysostom, influencing every major area of his theology.;In Chrysostom's doctrine of God and anthropology, sugkata &d12;basiz protects divine incomprehensibility while still making it possible for humanity, limited by creaturely finitude and sin, to have some precise knowledge of God. For, according to Chrysostom's definition of sugkata &d12;basiz , God reveals himself not as he is in his incomprehensible essence. Instead, his self-revelation imitates who he is in his essence and is proportioned to human capacity. Throughout redemptive history, God, like a teacher, adapts his revelation in order to lead humans progressively to greater faith and virtue. The Divine Teacher's pedagogical method of adaptation essentially employs corporeal signs which analogically lead people to imperceptible, spiritual realities.;Tracing this pedagogical method in Chrysostom's exegesis reveals that sugkata &d12;basiz is a rhetorical and theological tool for determining which texts to interpret metaphorically or typologically. Sugkata &d12;basiz also shapes Chrysostom's Christology, rendering it quite different from what is traditionally thought of as Antiochene. The apostle Paul, according to Chrysostom's interpretation of his favorite saint, participates in divine adaptation, becoming all things to all people (1 Cor. 9:19--23). Sugkata &d12;basiz in Paul is centered in his oscillation between gentle and harsh rhetoric and in his archetypal image of virtue, which provides a more imitable ethical model than Christ himself. Priests also participate in divine adaptation. Chrysostom's own homilies exhibit techniques which correspond to those of divine adaptation.;Contextualizing sugkata &d12;basiz within Chrysostom's theology provides a much-needed introduction to his thought, presents him in a new light by demonstrating both the existence and coherence of his theology, discloses his contribution to the history of a rich idea, and provides a case study on the fourth-century church's appropriation and transformation of the cultural ideal of adaptability.