Hearing the Scriptures

In this study, Eugen J. Pentiuc illuminates the remarkable way in which the Byzantine hymnographers expressed their understanding of the Old Testament in their compositions, an interpretive process he terms "liturgical exegesis." Patristic exegesis is primarily linear and sequential, while liturgical exegesis offers a more imaginative and eclectic mode of interpretation. 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.

Eugen J. Pentiuc is Archbishop Demetrios Chair of Biblical Studies and Early Christianity and Professor of Old Testament and Semitic Languages at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology.