Disabled men and women in early Christianity. A study of Chrysostom's writings

Abstract

Studies on gender, race and sexuality have provided us with valuable insights into the study of disability, a field which has started to draw the attention of many scholars in varying fields. Various forms of disability were common occurrences in the ancient world and thus also in Chrysostom's world. When studying disability in the ancient world, one should be careful not to make anachronistic assumptions about disability, and should not approach the subject from a modern perspective or use modern medical categories of impairment to discuss the disabilities of the ancients. In this paper we will examine Chrysostom's views on disability and how he chose to deal with the theological questions raised by disability.