Iorda, Constantinia Preschool education according to the principles of Saint John Chrysostom Translation from Greek by prof. Ion Diaconescu During the times of St. John Chrysostom (4th century), Christians were mainly concerned with their children’s worldly welfare. Thus they would diligently and unilaterally concern themselves with their lay instruction, and utterly disregarded Christian education. Which, of course, resulted in the children’s wrong education from their youngest age. Today, when preschool children have become the focus of pedagogical interest, Christian parents are strongly influenced by their own worldly cultural environment, and not only favour but indeed provide preschool children almost exclusively with the outward instruction into contemporary technology. The criteria underlying this choice by today’s parents – concealed under the current subsistence-induced orientation of education – seem to be motivated by the same vainglory which drove the parents during the Holy Hierarch’s times. The holy teacher had the impressive audacity to reject the values considered as sovereign in his times (that is money, power, glory and present life), which were determinant for both the character and purpose of children’s education. Instead, he presented values able to overcome biological death and render children’s life meaningful from the perspective of eternity. Format: 13 x 20 cm; 240 p. ISBN: 978-973-136-123-9 "Christian Pedagogy Series" «« back