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HYMNS, HOMILIES and HERMENEUTICS in BYZANTIUM Abstracts

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HYMNS, HOMILIES and HERMENEUTICS in BYZANTIUM Abstracts HYMNS, HOMILIES AND HERMENEUTICS IN BYZANTIUM Abstracts John Damascene on the Transfiguration of the Lord: Mystical Homiletic Performance and Eschatological Hermeneutics Dr Vassilis Adrahtas (University of New South Wales) John Damascene’s oeuvre is generally seen as scholastic and rationalistic, and thus devoid of mysticism and eschatological fervour. However, this assertion is rather sweeping and does not do justice to the comprehensiveness, complexity and subtlety of John Damascene's theologising. On the basis of his homily On the Transfiguration of the Lord, the present paper will attempt to show that John Damascene did work through established mystical tropes and was indeed driven by an eschatological consciousness. In particular, it will be shown that this specific homily is articulated as a dramatised performance that mystically presents Jesus’ (historical) past in light of the experiencing of his (meta-historical) future. As a result, the homily in question is thoroughly informed by an eschatological hermeneutics, which apart from utilising traditional modes of biblical interpretation ultimately puts forward a mysticism of action and an iconic eschatology of being truly human. The Eye of the Soul in Plato and pseudo-Macarius: Alexandrian Theology and the Roots of Hesychasm A/Professor Eva Anagnostou-Laoutides (Macquarie University) Although the mystical tradition of Hesychasm is typically associated with Gregory Palamas and his fourteenth century dispute with Barlaam of Calabria (Meyendorff 1983: 6-8; Ware 1986: 249; Healey 1999: 227-8), its historical evolution in the writings of earlier writers such as Evagrius Ponticus (345-399; Ware 1986: 177), pseudo-Dionysius Areopagite (5th- 6th century; Russell 2004: 258; Perl 2007: 68); Maximus the Confessor (c. 580 – 662; Moore 2005: 97; Armstrong 1967: 492-3), and Symeon the New Theologian (949-1022; Alfeyev 2000: 80) is well-attested in scholarship. However, to date, the contribution of pseudo- Macarius (300-391) in the core hesychast experience of the uncreated divine light has been rarely examined (except for Sabo 2012; cf. Plested 2004). In light of this discrepancy, my paper focuses on the concept of the eye of the soul, introduced in the sixth book of Plato’s Republic (508) and expanded in his Phaedo (e.g. 66e), and its reception in pseudo- Macarius’ seventh homily. Although pseudo-Macarius eventually places the intellect in the heart (a development appreciated in view of the Old Testament understanding of the heart (lēb), Sabo 2012: 74), in my view, his thought owes a lot to Aristotle’s On the Soul (e.g. 413a23), which Clement had also studied closely (Bos 1993). Bibliography Alfeyev, H. 2000. St. Symeon the New Theologian and Orthodox Tradition. Oxford. Armstrong, A.H. (ed). 1967. The Cambridge History of Later Greek and Early Medieval Philosophy. Cambridge. Bos, A.P. 1993. “Clement of Alexandria on Aristotle’s (Cosmo-)Theology (Clem. Protrept. 5.66.4),” CQ 43.1: 177-188. Healey, Ch.J. 1999. Christian Spirituality: An Introduction to the Heritage. New York. Meyendorff, J. (ed.). 1983. Gregory Palamas, The Triads. Ramsey, NJ. Moore, E. 2005. Origen of Alexandria and St. Maximus the Confessor: An Analysis and Critical Evaluation of Their Eschatological Doctrines. Boca Raton, FL. Perl, E.D. 2007. Theophany: The Neoplatonic Philosophy of Dionysius the Areopagite. New York. Plested, M. 2004. The Macarian Legacy: The Place of Macarius-Symeon in the Eastern Christian Tradition. Oxford. Russell, N. 2004. The Doctrine of Deification in the Greek Patristic Tradition. Oxford. Sabo, Th. 2012. The Proto-Hesychasts: Origins of mysticism in the Eastern church. PhD Thesis, North- West University. Ware, K. 1986. “The Origins of the Jesus Prayer: Diadochus, Gaza, Sinai,” in C. Jones, G. Wainwright and E. Yarnold (eds), The Study of Spirituality, New York/Oxford, 175-184. Individuals and Community: Performing Christian Identity in the Kontakia of Romanos Dr Sarah Gador-Whyte (Australian Catholic University) The kontakia of Romanos the Melodist are important sources for sixth-century liturgical practice, the dissemination of central theological ideas, and the construction of subjectivity in the period. Recent scholarship has highlighted the function of the poetic persona in the kontakia. The poetic persona often performs the character of humble and penitent Christian, wracked with grief and full of a desire for reconciliation with God. Through a variety of rhetorical techniques, members of the congregation are encouraged to identify with and share in this persona. The characteristics of the humble and penitent persona are also emphasised through narrative devices and dialogues through which the congregation can identify with biblical characters. Such techniques contribute to the construction of a Christian self, the formation of an ideal Christian subjectivity. While acknowledging the importance of the construction of preferred individual identities, this paper foregrounds ways in which the performance of the kontakia constructs Christian communal identity. Communal identity is not merely individual identity on a larger scale, although the poetic persona can certainly be deployed to form communal subjectivities as well as individual identities. Placing the emphasis on construction of communal identity rather than individual subjectivity identifies tensions between individual subjectivity and communal cohesion, and also foregrounds ways in which place and liturgical or ritual action help to characterise and define communities. The Homiletic Audience as Embodied Hermeneutic: Scriptural Interpretation as Psychagogy in the Preaching of John Chrysostom Professor Wendy Mayer (Australian Lutheran College, University of Divinity) Traditionally the exegetical preaching of John Chrysostom has been viewed through the lens of the Antiochene-Alexandrian schools of biblical interpretation. At the same time the moral or ethical portions of his exegetical homilies have been viewed as discrete from the exegetical portion, the two viewed as largely disconnected. The recent shift to view John’s preaching and teaching as holistic with a therapeutic telos (Rylaarsdam 2014) requires us to reconsider both his approach to exegesis and its purpose in his preaching. In a forthcoming chapter on catechesis and homily in early Christian biblical interpretation I conclude that if we accept that in early Christianity in both catechesis and homily scriptural interpretation was directed towards effecting the transformation of the whole human person, then the interpretation of Scripture is something that extended beyond reasoned explanation to engage both preacher/teacher and listener alike in a multi-sensory and multi-layered experience. The holistic way of looking at biblical interpretation promoted by preachers like Origen, Augustine and Chrysostom calls us to extend our sights beyond the liturgical context to consider the way in which the Christian person was transformed (or not) through hearing the truths of Scripture communicated in spiritual instruction—that is, to view the life of the Christian person itself as embodied biblical interpretation. This paper takes this idea and seeks to explore it further. “They are indeed a mighty enchantment”: The Act of Imperial Hymn-Singing in Early Byzantium Dr Meaghan McEvoy (Macquarie University) In the course of his conflict with the court of the emperor Valentinian II over one of the basilicas of Milan, Bishop Ambrose asserted that he had been accused of casting a spell over his congregration through introducing them to the wonders of communal hymn-singing. Christian hymn-singing itself was a relatively new activity in the late fourth century, and appeared in Constantinople also around this period in the context of the conflict between John Chrysostom and the court of the emperor Arcadius. Yet while both of these cases saw congregational hymn-singing wielded as a weapon against emperors, during the reign of Theodosius II (402-450AD) a shift can be detected in this use of hymns, through the numerous examples reported in our sources of the emperor himself taking to leading his subjects in public hymn singing at moments of crisis or celebration. Indeed, by the time of the emperor Heraclius (610-641AD), emperors publicly singing hymns had become so expected that it was a matter of comment that Heraclius was too overcome to sing the prescribed verses on the occasion of his return of the True Cross to Jerusalem in 629AD. This paper will examine the questions of when and why emperors sang hymns publicly, as well as tracing the progression of this tradition to the point where emperors such as Leo V (813- 820AD) and Theophilus (829-842AD) prided themselves on not only their singing but also their composition of hymns and conducting of choirs at religious celebrations. The Tears of a Harlot: Kassia’s On the Sinful Woman and the Biblical Mosaic of Salvation Dr Andrew Mellas (University of Sydney) In a hymn for Holy Wednesday by the ninth-century hymnographer Kassia, there is a curious tension between paradisal nostalgia and the eschaton. The tears of the harlot, her repentance at the feet of Christ and her transformation into a myrrhbearer, open a liminal space where Creation, Fall, Incarnation and Passion are glimpsed. Although Kassia’s hymn echoes the biblical reading associated with Holy Wednesday (Luke 7: 36-50), the liturgical performance of her song extends beyond this scriptural passage, evoking a visual and sonic intertextuality. Kassia’s textual strategy begins with
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