Durham E-Theses The contemplation of Christ and Salvation in the liturgical Canons of St John Damascene Pokhilko, Alexander How to cite: Pokhilko, Alexander (2004) The contemplation of Christ and Salvation in the liturgical Canons of St John Damascene, Durham theses, Durham University. Available at Durham E-Theses Online: http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/1757/ Use policy The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in Durham E-Theses • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. Please consult the full Durham E-Theses policy for further details. Academic Support Oce, Durham University, University Oce, Old Elvet, Durham DH1 3HP e-mail: [email protected] Tel: +44 0191 334 6107 http://etheses.dur.ac.uk 2 THE CONTEMPLATION OF CHRIST AND SALVATION IN THE LITURGICAL CANONS OF ST JOHN DAMASCENE Alexander Pokhilko A copyright of this thesis rests with the author. No quotation from it should be published without his prior written consent and information derived from it should be acknowledged. Ph.D. thesis University of Durham Department of Theology 2004 13 JUN2005 `The Contemplation of Christ and Salvation in the Liturgical Canons of St. John Damascene' Alexander Pokhilko Faculty of Theology, University of Durham Ph.D. thesis 2004 ABSTRACT This thesis presents a systematic analysis of John Damascene's liturgical canons for the great feasts. The canons were written in Palestine at the end of the era of Christological controversies and in the context of expanding Islam. So perfectly do they embody Christian Orthodox tradition that to this day they constitute a significant part of Orthodox liturgy, and are often referred to as the treasure of theology. These poems are intended for one and all and they convey the heart of Orthodox Christology. Should we view them as prayers, homilies, theological or polemic treatises? What kind of historical, theological and exegetical reflections do they contain when meditating on the role of the Gospel events in the life of Jesus and the Church? How effective are they in the face of Monophysitism or Iconoclasm? While these issues emerge throughout the thesis, the focus of it is how the canons deal with the Person of Christ. We start by answering the following questions: how does John deal with Christological issues and what vocabulary does he employ when establishing the liturgical contemplation of the Incarnation in the Nativity canon? This is followed by an analysis of the canons for the Epiphany and Transfiguration. The theology of the Passover unfolds in the Easter canon related to that of Antipascha, unveiling faith. Here tradition is largely defined by Gregory Nazianzen with John's poems demonstrating its living continuity and establishing the Church's theological definitions. Unfolding this tradition, the Oktoechos, unfortunately neglected by scholars, demonstrates the integrity of biblical history and Christianity which allows us, justifiably, to call the hymnography the Church's own Bible. Its unique "Orthodox apokatastasis" and the nature of redemption are presented through the prism of Christology and asceticism. Thus, as this thesis seeks to demonstrate, the liturgical and theological journey from the Nativity to the Resurrection makes Christian life a constant living contemplation of Christ and salvation. Table of Contents Declaration 4 .................................................................................................................. Acknowledgements 5 ..................................................................................................... Introduction 6 .............................................................................................................. .. Life Works John Damascene 6 and of ........................................................................ .. Palestinian Liturgical Tradition 13 ............................................................................... Biblical Canticles the Canon 16 and ............................................................................. The Aims the Present Work 23 of ................................................................................ 1. The Canon for the Nativity 29 ................................................................................... Introduction 29 ............................................................................................................ Christology John Damascene 30 of .............................................................................. The Canon for the Nativity 45 ...................................................................................... Acrostic 45 ............................................................................................................... Canon 46 ................................................................................................................. Summary 62 ............................................................................................................. Terminology the Canon 64 of ....................................................................................... The Role the Mother God in the Incarnation 72 of of ................................................... Conclusion 78 .............................................................................................................. II. The Canon for the Epiphany 80 ............................................................................... Introduction 80 ............................................................................................................ History Epiphany 80 of ................................................................................................ The Canon for the Epiphany 85 .................................................................................... Acrostic 85 ............................................................................................................... Canon 85 ................................................................................................................. Summary 106 ........................................................................................................... I The Meaning Water 109 of .......................................................................................... Liturgical Context the Canon 115 of ............................................................................ Conclusion 118 ............................................................................................................ III. The Canon for the Transfiguration 121 ................................................................. Introduction 121 .......................................................................................................... The Transfiguration in Patristic Tradition 122 .............................................................. The Homily Transfiguration the Lord 125 on the of ..................................................... The Canon for the Transfiguration 127 ........................................................................ Acrostic 127 ............................................................................................................. Canon 129 ............................................................................................................... The Transfiguration the Veneration Icons 142 and of ................................................... Conclusion 146 ............................................................................................................ IV. The Canons for Pascha Antipascha 148 and .......................................................... Introduction 148 .......................................................................................................... The Canon for Pascha 151 ........................................................................................... The Canon for Antipascha 167 ..................................................................................... Summary 176 ........................................................................................................... "Christ Our Pascha" 178 - ........................................................................................... "God is Light" 185 ....................................................................................................... Faith 194 ...................................................................................................................... Icons Pascha 201 of ..................................................................................................... Conclusion 207 ............................................................................................................ V. The Canons for the Resurrection in the Oktoechos 209 .......................................... Introduction 209 .......................................................................................................... History the Oktoechos 209 of ....................................................................................... The Imagery the Canonsfor the Resurrection 221 of .................................................... 2 Apokatastasis