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The State of the Evidence

Chapter 2 contains some preliminary reflections on the nature of the texts of sermons which have been preserved. A number of scholars have expressed concerns about the reliability of the textual tradition, concerns which rarely find their way into broader scholarship. The state of the evidence, however, must be critically assessed in order to have a clear understanding of the limitations of the evidence and to be able to mitigate such limitations. This chapter therefore discusses two key issues raised by recent scholarship with regard to the sermons of Chrysostom: the reliability of the process of transmission from the first written versions to the earliest manuscripts; and the relationship between the written text and the sermon which was actually delivered. The issues will by no means be resolved, but an awareness of the difficulties of the texts is necessary before a close study of those texts can be undertaken.