The Old Testament in Eastern Orthodox Tradition

ISBN-13: 9780195331233 / Angielski / Miękka / 2014 / 448 str.

Eugen J. Pentiuc

Opis

This study provides a general overview and a succinct analysis of the primary ways in which the Old Testament has been received, interpreted and conveyed within Eastern Orthodox tradition, filling a vacuum in scholarly literature on the history of biblical interpretation. The book is divided into two parts: Reception and Interpretation. Under Reception issues such as unity and diversity of the Christian Bible, text, canon, and Tradition are considered. The second part, Interpretation, focuses on Eastern Orthodox modes of interpretation: discursive and intuitive. Among the discursive modes, the patristic exegesis is chosen as a case study. The intuitive modes representing the so-called "liturgical exegesis" are subdivided into aural (hymns, psalmody, lectionaries) and visual (portable icons, frescoes, mosaics).
A special emphasis is placed on the hallmarks of Eastern Orthodox reception and interpretation of the Old Testament, including: the centrality of Scripture within Tradition, a blend of flexibility and strictness at all levels of the faith community, integrative function and holistic use of the sacred text, a tensed unity of discursive and intuitive modes of interpretation, and a dynamic synergy between formative and informative goals in the use of Scripture.

Recenzje

This work is a major event: the first comprehensive and thorough analysis of the role of the Old Testament in the Eastern Orthodox tradition, written by the foremost Eastern Orthodox scholar of Scripture, internationally respected within both Church and Academy alike. Opening up the scriptural culture of Eastern Orthodoxy in all its dimensions, this illuminating volume will richly reward every reader.

O autorze

Eugen J. Pentiuc holds a Th.D. in Old Testament from Bucharest University, and a Ph.D. in Near Eastern languages and civilizations from Harvard University. He is also an Élève titulaire of École biblique et archéologique française in Jerusalem. He is a Professor of Old Testament and Hebrew at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology, Brookline.