Author: Pentiuc, Eugen J.
Binding: Paperback
Number Of Pages: 456
Release Date: 16-11-2021
Details: Product Description Throughout the ages, interpreters of the Christian scriptures have been wonderfully creative in seeking to understand and bring out the wonders of these ancient writings. That creativity has often been overlooked by recent scholarship, concentrated as it is in the so-called critical period. In this study, Eugen J. Pentiuc illuminates the remarkable way in which the Byzantine hymnographers (liturgists) expressed their understanding of the Old Testament in their compositions, an interpretive process that he terms "liturgical exegesis." In authorship and methodology, patristic exegesis and liturgical exegesis are closely related. Patristic exegesis, however, is primarily linear and sequential, proceeding verse by verse, while liturgical exegesis offers a more imaginative and eclectic mode of interpretation, ranging over various parts of the Bible. In this respect, says Pentiuc, liturgical exegesis resembles cubist art. To illuminate the multi-faceted creativity of liturgical exegesis, Pentiuc has chosen the vast and rich hymnography of Byzantine Orthodox Holy Week as a case study, offering a detailed lexical, biblical, and theological analysis of selected hymns. His analysis reveals the many different and imaginative ways in which creative liturgists incorporated and interpreted scriptural material in these hymns. By drawing attention to the way in which the bible is used by Byzantine hymnographers in the living Orthodox tradition, Hearing the Scriptures makes a ground-breaking contribution to the history of the reception of the scriptures. Review "A wonderfully illuminating guide to the ways in which the Greek hymnographers for Holy Week interact with, and interpret, the biblical text, this detailed analytical work on Byzantine hymnography is especially valuable since its author is both a biblical scholar and linguist." -- Sebastian Brock, Emeritus Reader in Syriac Studies, Oxford University "This learned work is a much-needed examination of the scriptural sources that inform the content of the liturgical poetry of the Orthodox Church. Such a task requires a good knowledge of the Greek church and the Biblical text. Few scholars can handle both sides of this equation, but in Eugen Pentiuc the reader will find a superb guide." -- Gary A. Anderson, Hesburgh Professor of Catholic Theology, University of Notre Dame "For most people throughout history Scripture has been mediated primarily through the Church's worship; the liturgical hermeneutics of the Bible largely waits to be explored. This is particularly true for the rich Byzantine hymnography so famously characteristic of Orthodox tradition. With his profound expertise in biblical exegesis and intimate familiarity with Orthodox hymnography, Pentiuc's new book on liturgical hermeneutics of the Bible fills a gap for scholars and a wider readership alike." -- Harald Buchinger, Chair of Liturgical Studies, University of Regensburg "In this learned and innovative study, Pentiuc brilliantly analogizes hymnic use of the Bible to cubism, in contrast to more representational patristic exegesis. A very important contribution to the Bible's reception history." -- Michael Coogan, editor of The New Oxford Annotated Bible About the Author Eugen J. Pentiuc is the Archbishop Demetrios Chair of Biblical Studies and Early Christianity as well as a Professor of Old Testament and Semitic Languages at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology. He is the author of The Old Testament in Eastern Orthodox Tradition and numerous other works.
EAN: 9780190239640
Package Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 1.2 inches
Languages: English