DOCTORAL DISSERTATION INTERNATIONAL MARIAN RESEARCH INSTITUTE UNIVERSITY OF DAYTON PONTIFICAL THEOLOGICAL FACULTY “MARIANUM” ROME ________________________________________________ Virginia M. Kimball LITURGICAL ILLUMINATIONS: DISCOVERING RECEIVED TRADITION IN THE EASTERN ORTHROS FOR FEASTS OF THE THEOTOKOS Submitted to the Faculty of the International Marian Research Institute of the University of Dayton and the Pontifical Faculty of Theology “Marianum” in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree Doctor of Sacred Theology Specialization in Marian Theology Director of Thesis Reverend Bertrand Buby, SM AuthorHouse™ 1663 Liberty Drive Bloomington, IN 47403 www.authorhouse.com Phone: 1-800-839-8640 © 2010 Virginia M. Kimball. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author. First published by AuthorHouse 1/19/2010 ISBN: 978-1-4490-7212-4 (sc) ISBN: 978-1-4490-4239-4 (e) Library of Congress Control Number: 2010900653 Printed in the United States of America Bloomington, Indiana This book is printed on acid-free paper. Nihil obstat: Johann G. Roten, S.M., Ph.D., S.T.D., Director Vidimus et approbamus: Bertrand A. Buby, S.M., S.T.D., Revisor Thomas A. Thompson, S.M., Ph.D., Revisor Daytonensis (USA), ex aedibus International Marian Research Institute, et Romae, ex aedibus Pontifi ciae Facultatis Theologicae Marianum, die 8 Decembris 2006 2 Acknowledgments This doctoral dissertation would not have been possible without the support and encouragement given by my family and the patient direction from the International Marian Research Institute and its faculty. The time and effort that this doctoral dissertation required was substantial and I sincerely thank all those who made it possible. I particularly am grateful to my husband, Dean, and our children: Cheryl, Laurence, Lucia, Mary Louise, Thomas, Maura, John, Elizabeth and Katrina, and my grandchildren -- all who consistently urged me to continue and finish the project. I want to express my gratitude to the members of the faculty at the International Marian Research Institute at the University of Dayton, in Ohio. Fr. Bertrand Buby S.M. served as my director and spiritual mentor. I am grateful to Fr. Johann Roten SM, Director of the Institute and Fr. Thomas Thompson SM who were readers of my dissertation. I also wish to thank Fr. Luigi Gambero SM, of the Marianum in Rome, who gave me initial encouragement and suggestions for beginning this research. In addition, I appreciate the effort by Fr. Theodore Bobosh, an Eastern Orthodox priest who was also a reader. Finally, I wish to thank Ms. Susan L. Fall, a former student of mine and now good friend, who offered editorial assistance in proof reading and help in preparing the manuscript for printing. This project has been, for me, a spiritual journey. From the time I was a small child, I have had a love for Mary, the mother of Christ. She led me to Catholicism and now to Eastern Orthodoxy. She is the mother of all. I see her hand in my life and I believe that she guided me in this research. Virginia M. Kimball 4 Wayne Road Westford, Massachusetts 01886 June 2003 3 4 LITURGICAL ILLUMINATIONS: DISCOVERING RECEIVED TRADITION IN THE EASTERN ORTHROS OF FEASTS OF THE THEOTOKOS TABLE OF CONTENTS PROLOGUE Illumination of Received Truths, Tradition 9 Methodology 10 Architecture of the Study 11 Lex credendi – Tradition, Architecture chart 16 CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION (Justification for examining Orthros) Looking to Liturgical Sources for an Illumination of Doctrine 19 Feasts of the Theotokos 20 Pope John Paul II, Reference to “richness in eastern liturgy” 21 Contemporary Study of Eastern Liturgical Texts 23 “Liturgical Theology” versus “Theology of the Liturgy” 31 Patristic Writers 40 Liturgy of Orthros: definitions and structure 42 General Background on the Daily Hours 47 Method to Examine Liturgical Texts 58 Context 58 Lex orandi, Lex credendi 65 Introduction to Other Sources 73 Icon 73 Biblical References 76 Patristic Writings 78 Translation 81 Authorship 88 Rationale for Contextual Analysis 93 Architecture of the Study 94 Context of Time 96 Methodology of Examining Each Liturgical Text 98 (Review of Existing Literature) Ancient Sources, Collections and their Study 101 Albert Ehrhard 104 Josef Jungman SJ 105 Karl Krumbacher 107 Hippolyte Delehaye, Bollandiste 108 5 Contemporary Work on Orthros 110 George Guiver 110 Robert Taft 111 Paul Bradshaw 118 Historical Background and Commentary, Monks of Mt. Athos 120 Byzantine Catholic Translations and Commentary 125 Festal Menaion and Other English Translations 125 CHAPTER TWO ANNUNCIATION, NATIVITY AND SYNAXIS, HYPAPANTE Feast of the Annunciation, Introduction 127 The synaxarion 131 Authorship 133 Translation 136 Interrelationship with Other Sources 138 Biblical 139 Apocryphal 149 Patristic and Conciliar Documents 157 Icon 179 Context, Feast Day, Calendar, Shrines 187 Lex Credendi, Tradition 205 Synaxis, December 25 230 Authorship 231 Translation 234 Interrelationship with Other Sources 234 Biblical 234 Apocryphal 235 Patristic and Conciliar Documents, Icon 237 Context 238 The synaxarion 240 Lex Crededendi, Tradition 243 Hypapante, The Meeting 248 Authorship 249 Translation 250 Biblical Writings 250 Apocryphal Writings 252 Patristic and Conciliar Documents 253 Iconography 256 Context 257 Synaxarion 261 Illuminations the Texts Evoke 265 Appendices 269 6 CHAPTER THREE DORMITION / ASSUMPTION Introduction 275 Authorship 285 Menaia and the Synaxarion 290 Apocryphal Sources 296 Translation 300 Hymnographers 304 Interrelationship with Other Sources 305 Patristic Writings 306 Conciliar Considerations 324 Bible 331 Iconography 346 Context and Social Location 357 Liturgical Book, the Synaxarion 365 Lex Credendi, Tradition 371 Mysterium a silentio 372 Appendices 380 CHAPTER FOUR FOUNTAIN OF THE FOUNTAIN Introduction 405 Authorship, Biography Nicephorus Xanthopolous 405 History and Writing of Texts 408 Determining Original Authorship 410 Contextual Analysis 412 Sources of the Liturgical Texts 412 English Translation 413 The Synaxarion 414 Interrelationship with Other Sources 417 Patristic Documents 418 Other Liturgical Texts 422 Conciliar Texts 426 Biblical Writings 430 Meaning of the Icon 442 Symbols Used 444 Context and Social Location 446 Connection to Easter 448 Outside Eastern Orthodoxy 449 Shrines 452 Analysis of the Synaxarion 454 Lex Credendi, Tradition 457 The Spring, Fountain 458 The Well 462 7 The Source 463 The Fish 463 Theological Term 465 Mystical Meaning of Pigi 468 Illuminations 469 Appendices 476 CHAPTER FIVE VIRGIN OF PROTECTION, BLACHERNAE Introduction 484 The Veil 485 Relics 486 Feast Days, Constantinople 488 Expanding of the Tradition 489 Authorship 491 Translation 495 Interrelationship with Other Sources, Councils 496 Patristic References 503 Mary as “source of the Source,” Eve-Mary 505 Liturgical Texts 514 Related Liturgical Themes of “Protection” 522 Biblical References 530 Iconography 533 Context in Time 536 Western Appreciation of the Eastern Churches 548 Feast and Its Elements 549 The Synaxarion 550 Illuminations 561 Lex Orandi, Lex Credendi 569 Appendices 582 CHAPTER SIX CONCLUSIONS, ILLUMINATIONS (Guidelines for Valid Use of Lex Orandi, Lex Credendi) General Observations 591 Theological Analysis of Symbol in Marian Feasts 598 Overall Theological Illuminations 612 Principles for Lex Orandi, Lex Credendi, theological illuminations 616 Recapitulation 619 BIBLIOGRAPHY Bibliography 623 Endnotes 635 8 PROLOGUE The Rationale Liturgical Prayer embraces received truths Let us all who seek grace, praise with one accord the true living and endlessly flowing source, the most divine Spring, which pours forth its streams most abundantly. So much does it pour forth with healings daily unto all of us, men, women and children -- by comparison, a river's streams are regarded as nothing. In the course of our lives, we all are deeply longing -- with faith let us cup water in our hands and draw forth from the Spring inexhaustible and immortal strength in all truth which clearly covers the hearts of the pious with the dew of the morning. So with our lips let us cry …You are the comfort and solace of the faithful flock, O Maria!1 1. Illumination of received truths, Tradition Roman Catholic and Orthodox theologies have always insisted there are two sources for revelation: Holy Scripture and Tradition.2 The purpose and methods of this thesis are to identify illuminations of Marian doctrine found in eastern liturgical texts, texts that reveal centuries-long prayer and hymns describing the mother of God in anthropological and mystical ways. The method of this thesis rests on an observation of spiritual experience in prayer and prayer life, which demonstrates Christian faith in its praxis, and identifies this belief as doctrine embraced in Tradition. References to the Virgin Mary in the Bible are few but powerful. This work will explore liturgical texts in much the same way that biblical texts are studied, through recognition that liturgical texts are also generated from source material in the earliest Christian times 9 and are themselves the fruit of Tradition. This Tradition will be viewed as a canon of received truths concerning the Mother who bore God. In content, these texts are always founded in and directly related to Holy Scripture – the Hebrew Scriptures and the New Testament. Olivier Clement, a contemporary Orthodox theologian, describes Tradition in the following way: … a