From Genesis to the Apostolic era, Scripture presents marriage as a patriarchal institution.
The husband is established as head, ruler, and household governor. The wife is commanded to submit, obey, and reverence her husband.
This order did not originate in Roman culture — it originated in creation itself.

Yet by the fourth century, Christianity faced a crossroads. Would the Church preserve biblical patriarchy, or soften it under cultural pressure?
Two towering figures illustrate this divergence:

• Augustine of Hippo — representing the Western Church’s continuity with biblical household authority
• John Chrysostom — representing the Eastern Church’s shift toward chivalrous, relational headship

---

Biblical Patriarchy: The Pattern Established in Scripture

Biblical marriage was never designed as an egalitarian partnership. It was always hierarchical:

• Adam was created first and given dominion (Genesis 2:15–18)
• Eve was created as helper, not co-ruler (Genesis 2:18)
• God declared the husband would rule the wife (Genesis 3:16)
• Sarah obeyed Abraham and called him lord (1 Peter 3:5–6)
• Wives are commanded to submit in everything (Ephesians 5:24)
• The husband is head of the wife (Ephesians 5:23)

In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word baal was commonly used to describe a husband.
It literally means lord, owner, master. This was not pagan corruption — it was biblical household language.
Marriage was understood as a covenant relationship with real authority and real jurisdiction.

This patriarchal structure did not disappear in the New Testament. It was reaffirmed.
Peter explicitly appeals to Sarah’s example, commanding Christian wives to regard their husbands with lordly reverence:

“Even as Sara obeyed Abraham, calling him lord: whose daughters ye are, as long as ye do well.”

— 1 Peter 3:5–6

The apostles never softened male authority into romantic persuasion or emotional partnership.
They spoke in the language of order, authority, submission, and rule.

---

Why the Western Church Preserved Biblical Patriarchy

The Roman world into which Western Christianity developed was not biblical — but its household structure was far closer to Scripture’s patriarchal framework than Eastern cultural models.

Roman society recognized the household as a governed unit, headed by the father.
Authority, hierarchy, and discipline were normal features of domestic life.
Because of this cultural compatibility, Western Christianity did not feel the same pressure to reinterpret biblical headship.

Augustine represents this continuity. He did not invent patriarchy — he preserved it.
He treated marriage authority the way Scripture does: as real jurisdiction with real responsibility.

---

Augustine: Patriarchal Household Authority Applied to Marriage

Augustine explicitly names wives as subjects of household discipline.
He does not speak abstractly about “authority” — he applies it directly to marriage.

“Is it your friend? Let him be gently admonished. Is it your wife? Let her be curbed severely. Is it your slave girl? Let her be restrained even with floggings.”

— Tractates on the Gospel of John, Tractate 10.9 (CCSL 36:106)

He describes wife discipline as normal household order:

“Each man even in his own house often gives discipline to his wife, and subdues her when she resists him; he doesn’t persecute her as his enemy.”

— On the Usefulness of Fasting, Book 4.5 (CCSL 46:235)

Augustine even gives concrete examples of corrective authority:

“If he found his wife… even looking through the window excessively, he would correct her not only with words but with blows… He would deliver just floggings for the correction of his own household.”

— Expositions on the Psalms, Psalm 140.9 (CCSL 40:2032)

And he treats wife discipline as a judicial matter, not personal rage:

“If the wife was at fault, she can receive the fitting discipline of flogging from her husband, in the presence of her mother-in-law with Your Veneration acting as judge.”

— Letters Recently Brought to Light, Letter 8.2 (Œuvres de saint Augustin, vol. 46B)

Augustine’s framework mirrors biblical patriarchy: the husband governs the household, corrects disorder, and bears responsibility for the moral order of his home.

---

Chrysostom: Rejecting the Husband as Master

One of Chrysostom’s most consequential departures from biblical patriarchy is his rejection of the husband as “master” over his wife.

While Scripture uses master-language for husbands (baal in Hebrew and kurios in Greek),
Chrysostom explicitly rejects this framework:

“Let him never lay his hands on her — these things are far from a free spirit. Men should remember they are the husbands, not the masters of their wives.”

— Homilies on the Epistle to the Ephesians, Homily 20.7 (PG 62:144)

This statement directly contradicts the biblical pattern.
Peter does not hesitate to describe Sarah honoring Abraham as her lord (kurios).
The Old Testament regularly uses baal — master — to describe husbands.

By rejecting master-language, Chrysostom was not merely adjusting tone.
He was redefining the nature of authority itself — moving marriage from jurisdiction to companionship, from rule to relationship management.

---

Chrysostom: Eastern Cultural Influence and the Rise of Chivalry

Unlike the Roman West, Eastern Mediterranean culture placed far greater emphasis on public honor, social harmony, and relational restraint.
These values shaped Chrysostom’s theology of marriage.

While Chrysostom affirmed male headship in theory, he redefined its practice.
Instead of authority and correction, he emphasized suffering endurance and emotional persuasion.

He told husbands to imitate Christ’s suffering:

“Even if it shall be needful for you to give your life for her… yea, and endure and undergo any suffering whatever — refuse it not.”

— Homilies on the Epistle to the Ephesians, Homily 20 (PG 62:143–144)

He applied this directly to wives who despised their husbands:

“Though you see her looking down upon you, and scorning you… yet by affection and kindness you will be able to lay her at your feet.”

— Homilies on the Epistle to the Ephesians, Homily 20 (PG 62:144)

He rejected corrective authority:

“One ought never to chain down by fear and menaces, but with love and good temper.”

— Homilies on the Epistle to the Ephesians, Homily 20 (PG 62:144)

And even discouraged reproach:

“Though you should suffer anything on her account, do not upbraid her; for neither did Christ do this.”

— Homilies on the Epistle to the Ephesians, Homily 20 (PG 62:144)

This represents a theological shift. Chrysostom did not preserve biblical patriarchy — he softened it under Eastern cultural values.

---

Why Chrysostom Misapplies Christ’s Sacrifice

Chrysostom’s error is not honoring Christ’s sacrifice.
It is treating Christ’s suffering as if it eliminates Christ’s authority.

Scripture presents Christ as:

• King and ruler (Ephesians 1:22)
• One who disciplines His bride (Revelation 3:19)
• One who sanctifies through correction (Ephesians 5:26)

Christ does not merely absorb rebellion — He conquers it.
He does not tolerate disorder — He reforms His Church.

To teach husbands that Christlike headship means enduring disrespect, contempt, and rebellion without correction is to strip Christ’s kingship from His sacrifice.

---

Why This Matters Today

The philosophies of Chivalrous Patriarchy (e.g., Doug Wilson), Complementarianism (e.g., John Piper), and Egalitarianism (e.g., Rob Bell) all descend from the philosophy of John Chrysostom and early Eastern church culture.
They preach emotional leadership, relational persuasion, and passive endurance.

Meanwhile, men who hold to biblical patriarchy — husband as lord and household governor — are labeled extreme.

But Scripture never retreated from patriarchy.
And Western Christianity preserved it for centuries before cultural pressure forced compromise.

The question is not whether patriarchy feels modern.
The question is whether it is biblical.

Domestic Discipline Resources

If you would like to learn more about the historic Christian practice of Domestic Discipline (aka Wife Spanking) and how you can implement this in your marriage see the resources below:
Note some of these podcasts require Husband premium subscription on my podcast site.

The Biblical Case For Domestic Discipline

A Husband’s Guide to Implementing Christian Domestic Discipline