Labeling a Saint

St. John Chrysostom, one of the most celebrated saints in the Orthodox Church, received his title "Chrysostom" (which means "golden tongue") from a peasant woman in Antioch. The story goes he was delivering an eloquent sermon to a large group of people right after he was ordained to the priesthood in the 4th century. A woman who, for her lack of education, didn't understand his sermon yelled up from the crowd, "Dear saint, I would fain call you John of the golden tongue, but the well of your holy teaching is deep, and the rope of our minds is too short to reach its depths!" Someone else from the crowd yelled in answer, "God Himself has given John this name through the mouth of this woman. Let him henceforth be called Chrysostom!"

From then on, the Church has referred to John by this title.

Also from then on, St. John simplified his sermons, not "adorning his speech with refined oratory, but with simple and morally edifying words, that even the simplest listener might understand and derive benefit therefrom."