Rome, Italy
International SBL (Society of Biblical Literature) Conference, July 1 – 5, 2019, Pontifical Biblical Institute, Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome, Italy. Read the paper: Knowing the Commandments of the Lord, Let This Be Our Way of Life: Slavonic Hymns as an Authentic Eastern Orthodox Exegesis.
Abstract:
The worship of the Eastern Orthodox Church appropriated and adopted a vast of biblical verses, phrases, and motifs and preserved them in its liturgical books. These books not only refer to the Holy Scripture but exegete them in a unique, creative, and joyful manner. Therefore, this paper is interested in the exegesis of the books of the Old Testament and the New Testament along with the Apocrypha passages found in the Slavonic Menaion – a 12-volume liturgical book set containing the hymns and readings for each day of the year. The Menaion used for the purpose of this paper was the one written in Novgorod in Russia in the 12th century, which was the most influential and which is still in the use in the Orthodox Churches of Russia, Serbia, Poland, and the Czech Republic. In this paper, I argue that the language of these liturgical hymns is sacred and precise. On the other hand, it is very clear, joyful, and easy to understand. Biblical characters are vividly described and portrayed as authentic people chosen by God for a special service. Therefore, their service is depicted and interpreted with great detail, common to the loving and extensive Slavic culture. Hence, the depth of the understanding of the biblical truths is embedded in poetic Slavonic language, along with the dogmas of the church. Finally, its sound assures an excellent reception and delivers an overall great missionary and worship proceeding, founded on giving thanks to God for everything.
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