John Chrysostom on the Healing of the Woman with a Flow of Blood: Exegesis, Tradition, and Anti-Judaism

Abstract

This study examines John Chrysostom’s (ca. 349–407 CE) interpretation of the story of the woman with a flow of blood, or the Haimorrhoousa, as found in Mark 5:25–34, and retold in Matthew 9:20–22 and Luke 8:43–48. Chrysostom’s interpretation is selected as the focus of attention because it avoids the common early Christian allegorisation of the story, and prefers a more literal and historical reading of the text. The study enquires what the elements of and strategies in Chrysostom’s interpretation of the tale are, how Chrysostom reconstructs the identity of the woman, the reasons why Jesus brings the woman to light publicly, and the relationship between this tale and that of the resurrection of the synagogue leader’s daughter. The study is especially concerned with the rhetoric of anti-Judaism in Chrysostom’s interpretation of the story of the Haimorrhoousa. A discussion of the story’s reception in early Christianity is also provided in order to contextualise Chrysostom’s interpretation.

Keywords:

• anti-Judaism
• Haimorrhoousa
• divine healing
• John Chrysostom
• menstruation
• woman with a flow of blood
• Gospel of Matthew