- St Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary, 575 Scarsdale Road, Yonkers, NY 10707
Bogdan G Bucur
St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary, Patristics, Faculty Member
- Theology, Religion, Patristic Exegesis, Orthodox Theology, Patristics, Reception of the Bible, and 14 moreRabbinical literature (The Mishnah, Babylonian and Palestinian Talmudim, aggadic midrashim), Second Temple Judaism and Early Christianity, Bogdan G. Bucur, Early Christianity, Early Christian Art, Mysticism, Biblical Studies, Biblical Theology, New Testament and Christian Origins, The Origins of Christianity and Rabbinic Judaism, Jewish - Christian Relations, Patristics and Late Antiquity, Jewish-Christian Polemics, and Byzantine Studiesedit
This book discusses the occurrence of angelic imagery in early Christian discourse about the Holy Spirit. Taking as its entry-point Clement of Alexandria s less explored writings, Excerpta ex Theodoto, Eclogae propheticae, and... more
This book discusses the occurrence of angelic imagery in early Christian discourse about the Holy Spirit. Taking as its entry-point Clement of Alexandria s less explored writings, Excerpta ex Theodoto, Eclogae propheticae, and Adumbrationes, it shows that Clement s angelomorphic pneumatology occurs in tandem with spirit christology, within a theological framework still characterized by a binitarian orientation. This complex theological articulation, supported by the exegesis of specific biblical passages (Zech 4: 10; Isa 11: 2-3; Matt 18:10), reworks Jewish and Christian traditions about the seven first-created angels, and constitutes a relatively widespread phenomenon in early Christianity. Evidence to support this claim is presented in the course of separate studies of Revelation, the Shepherd of Hermas, Justin Martyr, and Aphrahat.
Research Interests: Patristics, Early Christianity, Angelology, Second Temple Judaism, Pneumatology, and 15 moreSpirituality & Mysticism, Angels, Christian Origins, Syriac Christianity, Justin Martyr, Holy Spirit, Patristics and Late Antiquity, Aphrahat, Clement of Alexandria, Shepherd of Hermas, Binitarianism, Greek Patristics, Angelology and Demonology, Greek and Latin Patristics, and Second Temple Judaism and Early Christianity
This book discusses the christological exegesis of biblical theophanies and argues its crucial importance for the appropriation of the Hebrew Bible as the Christian Old Testament. The Emmaus episode in Luke 24 and its history of... more
This book discusses the christological exegesis of biblical theophanies and argues its crucial importance for the appropriation of the Hebrew Bible as the Christian Old Testament. The Emmaus episode in Luke 24 and its history of interpretation serve as the methodological and hermeneutical prolegomenon to the early Christian exegesis of theophanies. Subsequent chapters discuss the reception history of Genesis 18; Exodus 3 and 33; Psalm 98/99 and 131/132; Isaiah 6; Habakkuk 3:2 (LXX); Daniel 3 and 7. Bucur shows that the earliest, most widespread and enduring reading of these biblical texts, namely their interpretation as "christophanies"— manifestations of the Logos-to-be-incarnate—constitutes a robust and versatile exegetical tradition, which lent itself to doctrinal reflection, apologetics, polemics, liturgical anamnesis and doxology.
Research Interests: Late Antique and Byzantine Studies, Patristics, Early Christianity, Theological Interpretation of Christian Scripture, Orthodox Theology, and 15 moreByzantine Studies, Spirituality & Mysticism, Theological exegesis, Byzantine Liturgy, Luke-Acts, Patristic Exegesis, Book of Isaiah, Early Christian Studies, Old Testament Exegesis, Book of Exodus, Eastern Orthodox Theology, Greek Patristics, Latin Patristics, Greek and Latin Patristics, and New Testament & Early Christian Studies
This book proposes an interpretation of the Pseudo-Dionysian corpus in light of the liturgical and ascetic tradition that defined the author and his audience. Characterized by both striking originality and remarkable fidelity to the... more
This book proposes an interpretation of the Pseudo-Dionysian corpus in light of the liturgical and ascetic tradition that defined the author and his audience. Characterized by both striking originality and remarkable fidelity to the patristic and late neoplatonic traditions, the Dionysian corpus is a coherent and unified structure, whose core and pivot is the treatise known as the Ecclesiastical Hierarchy. Given Pseudo-Dionysius fundamental continuity with earlier Christian theology and spirituality, it is not surprising that the church, and in particular the ascetic community, recognized that this theological synthesis articulated its own fundamental experience and aspirations.
Research Interests: Late Antique and Byzantine Studies, Patristics, Early Christianity, Orthodox Theology, Visionary Literature, and 15 moreByzantine Studies, Spirituality & Mysticism, Byzantine Liturgy, Pseudo-Dionysius, Byzantine monasticism, Monasticism, Eastern Orthodox Liturgical Theology, Orthodox Christianity, Patristics and Late Antiquity, Mount Athos, Eastern Orthodox Theology, Greek Patristics, Mystical and Ascetical Theology, Second Temple Judaism and Early Christianity, and Dionysius
Corine Milad, Review of Bogdan Gabriel Bucur, Scripture Re-envisioned: Christophanic Exegesis and the Making of a Christian Bible (Leiden: Brill, 2018).
Reading Bucur's enthralling book one must quickly abandon the thought of a leisurely walk through the familiar landscapes of biblical scholarship, with known texts and established concepts, topics, and methods. And although we have... more
Reading Bucur's enthralling book one must quickly abandon the thought of a leisurely walk through the familiar landscapes of biblical scholarship, with known texts and established concepts, topics, and methods. And although we have countless times heard of appropriation, codes, exegesis, rewriting, and theophanies, here Bucur does not undertake another makeover of old ideas. His book heralds a change of paradigm, inaugurating a fundamentally new way of studying scriptural theophanies. The reader engrossed in the current scholarly trends must therefore brace for the unexpectedespecially if he or she has no sensitivity towards the makers of the Christian Scripture, their way of thinking and living and doing things. It is from the perspective of the makers of the Christian Scripture and of their traditional successors that, iconoclastically, Bucur challenges all that we currently hold dear in terms of scholarly concepts, theories, and methods. Literary criticism, historical perspectives, exegesis, and hermeneutics do not suffice. Familiar categories such as literal, typological, allegorical, and figurative are meaningless, unable to touch the scriptural message (276). Whoever fiddles with such categories fails to read the ancient Christian texts as their ancient Christian authors would have wanted them read, and as were read for more than a millennium after their making. Modern scholars read themselves, their concepts, and their approaches into the texts, but they never read the texts as these must be read. They address them with objective detachmentas an astronomer would observe a distant planet through the means of a telescope, never able to reach and touch itwhereas their writers viewed them as epiphanies of the realitiespersons and eventsthey evoke. Bucur tells us that these "precritical thinkers," as we condescendingly call the scriptural writers and their successors, have never established artificial connections between old and new passages. Their task was to pinpoint Scripture's ultimate Author, the revealer of good news, immanent to both old and new texts. In other words, their task was to articulate the connection between the texts, as loci of divine manifestation, and the Author's presence within them. Accordingly, to understand the texts one must seek their Author, pursuing the same connection. The reader of scriptural texts is not the astronomer who leaves the universe untouched, watching it with detached objectivity through a telescope; the true reader is a quantum physicist who interacts with the realities he or she observes. No wonder Bucur begins this fascinating book by analysing the Emmaus story (Luke 24), where the Scriptures become transparent and reveal
Clement of Alexandria understands the references to Wisdom in the Book of Proverbs as “mysteries” revealed by the Christian proclamation. His Christological exegesis of Proverbs 8, weaving together numerous scriptural references,... more
Clement of Alexandria understands the references to Wisdom in the Book
of Proverbs as “mysteries” revealed by the Christian proclamation. His Christological exegesis of Proverbs 8, weaving together numerous scriptural references, identifies Wisdom, “the beginning of God’s ways for his works”, as a designation of the Son’s luminous and salvific outpouring in the act of creation, in the continuum of divine revelation, and in the redemption of fallen humanity. The Alexandrian teacher expects a gradual ascent through the curriculum of his writings to grant an ever-deepening grasp of the realities sketched out by the biblical text. Reconstructing Clement’s exegesis of Proverbs 8 must therefore also involve attention to two distinct but related sets of considerations: the archaic imagery of the Son as divine “Face” contemplated by the protoctists and establishing a “celestial hierarchy” that also offers the paradigm for perfected Christians in via; and the fundamental assumption of a “Christophanic” reading of the Scriptures of Israel – an inherited tradition that Clement would have placed at the very basis of his curriculum – according to which all biblical theophanies constitute manifestations of the Logos-to-be-incarnate.
of Proverbs as “mysteries” revealed by the Christian proclamation. His Christological exegesis of Proverbs 8, weaving together numerous scriptural references, identifies Wisdom, “the beginning of God’s ways for his works”, as a designation of the Son’s luminous and salvific outpouring in the act of creation, in the continuum of divine revelation, and in the redemption of fallen humanity. The Alexandrian teacher expects a gradual ascent through the curriculum of his writings to grant an ever-deepening grasp of the realities sketched out by the biblical text. Reconstructing Clement’s exegesis of Proverbs 8 must therefore also involve attention to two distinct but related sets of considerations: the archaic imagery of the Son as divine “Face” contemplated by the protoctists and establishing a “celestial hierarchy” that also offers the paradigm for perfected Christians in via; and the fundamental assumption of a “Christophanic” reading of the Scriptures of Israel – an inherited tradition that Clement would have placed at the very basis of his curriculum – according to which all biblical theophanies constitute manifestations of the Logos-to-be-incarnate.
Research Interests: Patristics, Early Christianity, Biblical Studies, Christology, Wisdom Traditions, and 11 moreWisdom Literature, Biblical Exegesis, Patristics and Late Antiquity, Clement of Alexandria, Early Christian Studies, pATROLOGY, Greek Patristics, Patrística, History of Reception of Biblical Texts, Logos Christology, and Second Temple Judaism and Early Christianity
The iconographic representation of Isaiah’s vision in a 12th-century Byzantine manuscript illumination encapsulates a fascinating exegesis. The details of the text in Isaiah 6 have been merged with elements drawn from two other... more
The iconographic representation of Isaiah’s vision in a 12th-century Byzantine manuscript illumination encapsulates a fascinating exegesis. The details of the text in Isaiah 6 have been merged with elements drawn from two other significant theophanies, Ezekiel 1 and Daniel 7, and this entire cluster of theophanic passages subjected to the Christological exegesis typical of the first millennium CE. As a result, the Old Testament “Lord,” “Glory,” and “Ancient of Days” in the visions of Isaiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel are explicitly identified with the “Lord” of Christian worship – Jesus. The representation of the dramatic encounter between the prophet and the seraph discloses a theology that understands the divine-human encounter as constituted by the reciprocal ecstatic moves of divine condescension and human ascent. Finally, the manuscript illumination is best understood by taking into account the performative aspect of early Christian exegesis, broadly construed to also incorporate hymnography, iconography, and ritual.
Research Interests: Iconography, Late Antique and Byzantine Studies, Patristics, Visionary Literature, Byzantine Studies, and 13 moreSeptuagint, History of Biblical Interpretation, Byzantine Iconography, Byzantine Manuscripts Illumination, Pseudo-Dionysius, Medieval illuminated manuscripts, Patristic Exegesis, Book of Isaiah, Patristics and Late Antiquity, Early Christian Studies, Byzantine art, Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, and History of Reception of Biblical Texts
ENGLISH TRANSLATION: https://aiocs.net/theophany-and-its-ethical-trace/ For many Romanians who discovered his writings soon after the 1989 fall of Communism, Fr Nicolae Steinhardt embodied and expressed the Gospel of Jesus Christ in a... more
ENGLISH TRANSLATION: https://aiocs.net/theophany-and-its-ethical-trace/
For many Romanians who discovered his writings soon after the 1989 fall of Communism, Fr Nicolae Steinhardt embodied and expressed the Gospel of Jesus Christ in a way that made Orthodoxy credible in spite of the many flaws of the Church as an institution. Steinhardt remains a spiritual mentor for anyone seeking to re-learn the faith.Today it is painfully clear that too many seem to have learned their Orthodoxy at the feet of the Grand Inquisitor, and too many are being catechized by his propagandists. Steinhardt reminds us that there can be no genuine “mysticism” without a robust ethical counterpart, and that our faith requires and empowers us to be courageous; to cultivate kindness, patience, and a sense of humor; to deepen our commitment to Christ and, at the same time, practice an intelligent, civil, and generous assessment of the world around us. All of this constitutes a potent antidote to the pompous evil, ugliness and stupidity of today’s orthodox pseudomorphosis, and a strong impulse to allow God to do his liturgy in us, “impostors of the good,” and to save us despite ourselves.
For many Romanians who discovered his writings soon after the 1989 fall of Communism, Fr Nicolae Steinhardt embodied and expressed the Gospel of Jesus Christ in a way that made Orthodoxy credible in spite of the many flaws of the Church as an institution. Steinhardt remains a spiritual mentor for anyone seeking to re-learn the faith.Today it is painfully clear that too many seem to have learned their Orthodoxy at the feet of the Grand Inquisitor, and too many are being catechized by his propagandists. Steinhardt reminds us that there can be no genuine “mysticism” without a robust ethical counterpart, and that our faith requires and empowers us to be courageous; to cultivate kindness, patience, and a sense of humor; to deepen our commitment to Christ and, at the same time, practice an intelligent, civil, and generous assessment of the world around us. All of this constitutes a potent antidote to the pompous evil, ugliness and stupidity of today’s orthodox pseudomorphosis, and a strong impulse to allow God to do his liturgy in us, “impostors of the good,” and to save us despite ourselves.
Research Interests: Russian Studies, Jewish Studies, Christian Mysticism, Orthodox Theology, Christian Orthodoxy and Nationalism, and 14 moreEastern Christianity, Mysticism, Religious Conversion, Romanian Literature, Romanian Studies, Spirituality & Mysticism, Russian Orthodoxy, Eastern European Literature, Orthodox Christianity, Mystical Theology, Central and Eastern Europe, Eastern Orthodoxy, Communism and national question, and Nicolae Steinhardt
This short text was composed in the late 1980s—at the height of Communist dictatorship—at the Rohia Monastery (Romania), by the monk Nicolae Steinhardt: a Jewish convert to Orthodox Christianity, distinguished literary critic and public... more
This short text was composed in the late 1980s—at the height of Communist dictatorship—at the Rohia Monastery (Romania), by the monk Nicolae Steinhardt: a Jewish convert to Orthodox Christianity, distinguished literary critic and public intellectual, former political prisoner, and, in his own words, “an impostor of the good.”
Research Interests: Eastern European Studies, Russian Studies, Theology, Literature, Eastern European and Russian Jewish History, and 10 moreOrthodox Theology, Jewish-Romanian Literature, Romanian Studies, Moral Theology, Literature and Religion, Central and Eastern Europe, Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity, Eastern Orthodox Christianity, Slavic Studies, Russian Studies, Literature and Cultural History of Gulag and Political Repressions In URSS; Literature and Culture of Russian Post-revolutionnary Emigration; Theory of Literature, and Nicolae Steinhardt
Εἰκών εἰμι τῆς ἀρρήτου δόξης σου: the opening of one of the Eulogētaria hymns in the Byzantine funeral service—a highly interesting composition with roots in Late Ancient Jerusalem—invites a connection with Genesis 1:26. However, even... more
Εἰκών εἰμι τῆς ἀρρήτου δόξης σου: the opening of one of the Eulogētaria hymns in the Byzantine funeral service—a highly interesting composition with roots in Late Ancient Jerusalem—invites a connection with Genesis 1:26. However, even though the allusion to the story of creation, Eden, and the Fall is undeniable, this hymn does not speak of the human being as κατ᾿εἰκόνα, but straightforwardly as the εἰκών of God's glory. A first step in interpreting this line should therefore be the consideration of another set of biblical references, dealing not with "image" but with "glory." We can then, as a second step, make sense of the resulting interpretation within the larger theological context of Byzantine Christomorphic anthropology, with its rich biblical and extra-biblical sources.
Research Interests: Late Antique and Byzantine Studies, Patristics, Early Christianity, Orthodox Theology, Byzantine Studies, and 8 moreEarly Christian Apocryphal Literature, New Testament and Christian Origins, Apocrypha/Pseudepigrapha, Eastern Orthodox Liturgical Theology, Patristics and Late Antiquity, Eastern Orthodox Theology, Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, and Second Temple Judaism and Early Christianity
Research Interests: Late Antique and Byzantine Studies, Theology, Patristics, Orthodox Theology, Mysticism, and 11 moreByzantine Studies, Late Antiquity, Philo of Alexandria, Pseudo-Dionysius, Christian Spirituality, Neoplatonism, Christian Neoplatonism, Dionysius the Areopagite, Clement of Alexandria, Eastern Orthodoxy, and Greek Patristics
Research Interests: Russian Studies, Late Antique and Byzantine Studies, Patristics, Byzantine Literature, Early Christianity, and 14 moreAntisemitism (Prejudice), Orthodox Theology, Byzantine Studies, Jewish - Christian Relations, Liturgical Theology, Eastern Orthodox Liturgical Theology, Orthodox Christianity, Patristic Exegesis, Patristics and Late Antiquity, Rabbinic Judaism, Eastern Orthodox Theology, Greek Patristics, History of Judaism In Antiquity, and Second Temple Judaism and Early Christianity
One of the significant changes introduced in the latest critical edition of the New Testament (NA 28/ GNT 5) is the rendering of Jude 5 as Ἰησοῦς λαὸν ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου σώσας τὸ δεύτερον τοὺς μὴ πιστεύσαντας ἀπώλεσεν. Since no new textual... more
One of the significant changes introduced in the latest critical edition of the New Testament (NA 28/ GNT 5) is the rendering of Jude 5 as Ἰησοῦς λαὸν ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου σώσας τὸ δεύτερον τοὺς μὴ πιστεύσαντας ἀπώλεσεν. Since no new textual evidence has emerged to impose this change, it appears that the determining factor was a different weighing of the existing witnesses. Indeed, previous editions had opted for the reading Κύριος on the basis of explicit theological reasoning: according to Metzger’s Textual Commentary, even though the strict application of text-critical principles would have required the adoption of Ἰησοῦς, “a majority of the Committee was of the opinion that the reading was difficult to the point of impossibility.” This essay will consider the problem of Jude 5 from a reception-historical perspective, showing that the notion of Jesus leading Israel out of Egypt—irrespective of whether the text read “Jesus” or “Lord”— was not only perfectly acceptable to Christians of the early centuries, but held a quasi-normative status. These observations raise questions about the kind of theological bias that has kept the reading Ἰησοῦς in the footnotes for so many decades, about the unfortunate effects of maintaining the academic fiefdoms of New Testament Studies and Early Christian Studies, and, more importantly, about the benefit of retrieving the patristic notion of Sacred Text as a hermeneutical phenomenon rather than a textual object.
Research Interests: Patristics, New Testament, Textual Criticism, Early Christianity, Orthodox Theology, and 13 moreByzantine Studies, Christology, Biblical Theology, New Testament and Christian Origins, Orthodox Christianity, Patristic Exegesis, New Testament Textual Criticism, New Testament Studies, Epistle of Jude, The Use of the Old Testament in the New, Eastern Orthodox Christianity, Greek Patristics, and The epistle of Jude
This text is the English translation of an article published in Romanian: "Lumina nevăzută a veșmântului slavei. Perspective biblice și teologice," in Isihasm și spiritualitate filocalică în teologia românească, ed. Daniel Lemeni (Sibiu:... more
This text is the English translation of an article published in Romanian: "Lumina nevăzută a veșmântului slavei. Perspective biblice și teologice," in Isihasm și spiritualitate filocalică în teologia românească, ed. Daniel Lemeni (Sibiu: Astra Museum, 2021), pp. 30-51.
Research Interests: Asceticism, Monastic Studies, Orthodox Theology, Visionary Literature, Byzantine Studies, and 15 moreSpirituality & Mysticism, Byzantine Iconography, Christian Origins, Christian Spirituality, Monasticism, Ascetical Theology, Orthodox Christianity, Patristics and Late Antiquity, Eastern Orthodox Theology, Greek Patristics, History of Christian Asceticism, Mystical and Ascetical Theology, Second Temple Judaism and Early Christianity, Asceticism and Monasticism, and Early Asceticism and Monasticism
Alexander Golitzin impressed upon his students the need to recover the wealth of the Christian theological tradition by paying special attention to continuities with Second Temple Judaism and parallels with Rabbinic Judaism. The pages to... more
Alexander Golitzin impressed upon his students the need to recover the wealth of the Christian theological tradition by paying special attention to continuities with Second Temple Judaism and parallels with Rabbinic Judaism. The pages to follow heed this call for a new, and yet so traditional, approach to Christian texts. I suggest that a synoptic approach to the Church’s advocacy of the full divinity of Christ and to the Rabbinic polemics against “two powers” theologies reveals a certain unexpected convergence, and that this convergence may help Christians discover the richness and complexity of their own tradition and, perhaps, understand a bit more about their estranged brothers in the Rabbinic tradition.
Research Interests: Philosophy, Patristics, Early Christianity, Orthodox Theology, Mysticism, and 15 moreByzantine Studies, Biblical Theology, Theological exegesis, Byzantine Liturgy, New Testament and Christian Origins, Judaism, Eastern Orthodox Liturgical Theology, Biblical Exegesis, Patristic Exegesis, Jewish Christian relations, Byzantine Hymnography, Rabbinic Judaism, Eastern Orthodox Theology, History of Reception of Biblical Texts, and Second Temple Judaism and Early Christianity
The imagery of the "radiant body" and "luminous garment" occurs frequently in early Christian references to the Edenic state of Adam and its partial reinstatement by Moses, Jesus, and numerous saintly (usually ascetic)... more
The imagery of the "radiant body" and "luminous garment" occurs frequently in early Christian references to the Edenic state of Adam and its partial reinstatement by Moses, Jesus, and numerous saintly (usually ascetic) figures. This article offers a synthetic presentation of these traditions, sketching out its main articulations, its biblical-exegetical foundations, its points of continuity with the apocalyptic traditions of the Second Temple Era and parallels with the Rabbinic tradition.
Research Interests: Iconography, Patristics, Asceticism, Spirituality, Early Christianity, and 15 moreMonastic Studies, Orthodox Theology, Mysticism, Second Temple Judaism, Byzantine Studies, Byzantine Iconography, Rabbinic Literature, New Testament and Christian Origins, Christian Spirituality, Judaism, Ascetical Theology, Orthodox Christianity, Patristic Exegesis, Glory, and Second Temple Judaism and Early Christianity
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Aside from other strands in its rich history of interpretation, the episode of the three youths in the fiery furnace (Dan 3) was interpreted by early Christians as a theophany (or rather, more specifically, a manifestation of the... more
Aside from other strands in its rich history of interpretation, the episode of the three youths in the fiery furnace (Dan 3) was interpreted by early Christians as a theophany (or rather, more specifically, a manifestation of the Logos-to-be-incarnate, a "Christophany"), as a foreshadowing of the mystery of the incarnation, and, especially in Byzantine hymns about "the three youths equal in number to the Trinity," as an allusion to the Trinitarian God. The current scholarly concepts, however, fail to distinguish properly between the various types of exegesis involved in each of these cases and obscure the importance of the earliest and most enduring Christian exegesis of OT theophanies.
Research Interests: Patristics, Old Testament Theology, Early Christianity, Biblical Studies, Byzantine Studies, and 15 moreChristology, Biblical Theology, History of Biblical Interpretation, New Testament and Christian Origins, Christian Origins, The Book of Daniel, Biblical Exegesis, Exegesis, Rewritten Bible, Jesus Christ, Old Testament Exegesis, Greek Patristics, History of Reception of Biblical Texts, Rewritten Scripture, and Second Temple Judaism and Early Christianity
The notion that christophanic exegesis is, essentially, a pre-Nicene tradition with little or no relevance for the study of later Christian literature is woefully inadequate: it minimizes the continued appeal to theophanies across much of... more
The notion that christophanic exegesis is, essentially, a pre-Nicene tradition with little or no relevance for the study of later Christian literature is woefully inadequate: it minimizes the continued appeal to theophanies across much of the fourth-century theological spectrum, both as a polemical “adjuvant” and as an element of received tradition, and does not account for the pervasive and insistent references to theophanies in Byzantine hymnography. This article seeks to demonstrate that the christological exegesis of theophanies, widely recognized as an element of shared tradition, continued to be function as a polemical “adjuvant” in fourth-century anti-Jewish, anti-Arian, anti-modalistic, and anti-Apollinarian argumentation.
Research Interests: Patristics, Early Christianity, Augustine, Christology, Gregory of Nyssa, and 15 moreBasil of Caesarea, Patristic Exegesis, Athanasius, Patristic and Medieval Exegesis, Arianism, Early Christian Studies, Ancient Christianity, Ancient Christian Literature, eusebius of Caesarea, Greek Patristics, Patrística, Latin Patristics, History of Reception of Biblical Texts, Logos Christology, and Greek and Latin Patristics
New insights into the theology of the Shepherd may be gained by taking anew look at this text’s use of the term pneuma. I am here indebted to John R. Levison, whose seminal study on “The Angelic Spirit in Early Judaism” documented the... more
New insights into the theology of the Shepherd may be gained by taking anew look at this text’s use of the term pneuma. I am here indebted to John R. Levison, whose seminal study on “The Angelic Spirit in Early Judaism” documented the widespread use of “spirit” to designate an angelic presence in post-exilic Judaism. In the conclusion of his article, Levison challenged the scholarly community to revisit the Fourth Gospel, the Shepherd of Hermas, and the Ascension of Isaiah, and apply his findings to these and similar texts of the early common era. The following pages attempt to take up the challenge. I argue that, within a theological framework of pronounced binitarian character, the Shepherd of Hermas illustrates a complex interaction between the phenomenon discussed by Levison (“spirit” designating angelic/demonic beings), Spirit Christology,7 and an “angelomorphic” representation of theHoly Spirit.
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The interpretation of Old Testament theophanies was crucial for early Christianity’s theological appropriation of the sacred history of Israel, and igured signiicantly in the antiJewish, anti-dualistic, and anti-monarchian polemics of the... more
The interpretation of Old Testament theophanies was crucial for early Christianity’s theological appropriation of the sacred history of Israel, and igured signiicantly in the antiJewish, anti-dualistic, and anti-monarchian polemics of the second and third centuries. A Christian continuator of Philo’s “noetic exegesis,” Clement of Alexandria inaugurates an approach to theophanies that is different from that of some of his predecessors and contemporaries, but no less important from a receptionhistorical perspective, inasmuch as it laid the groundwork for the valorisation of theophanies for Christian spirituality. Despite being an understudied topic in biblical or patristic scholarship, the exegesis of Old Testament theophanies is a crucial element in early Christianity’s process of theological self-deinition. It igured signiicantly in a catechetical manual such as Irenaeus’ Demonstration; it contributed significantly to Justin Martyr’s articulation of the Christian faith in opposition...
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This article pursues the intersection of angelology and Pneumatology in the writings of the so-called Persian Sage. The first part of the article takes its cue from the critique of Aphrahat’s Pneumatology contained in a seventh-century... more
This article pursues the intersection of angelology and Pneumatology in the writings of the so-called Persian Sage. The first part of the article takes its cue from the critique of Aphrahat’s Pneumatology contained in a seventh-century letter by George, the monophysite bishop of the Arabs, and demonstrates that Aphrahat uses a cluster of biblical verses (Zech 3:9; 4:10; Isa 11:2–3; Matt 18:10) to support what is best designated as “angelomorphic Pneumatology.” The second part of the article attempts to integrate Aphrahat’s angelomorphic Pneumatology within the larger theological framework described by earlier scholarship, that is, in relation to Spirit Christology, and within a theological framework of marked binitarian character.
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In the biblical theophanies of Isaiah 6 and Daniel 3, divine condescension and human ascent constitute reciprocal ecstatic moves towards a divine–human encounter. The christological interpretation, widespread in early Christian reception... more
In the biblical theophanies of Isaiah 6 and Daniel 3, divine condescension and human ascent constitute reciprocal ecstatic moves towards a divine–human encounter. The christological interpretation, widespread in early Christian reception history, further discerns in Isaiah 6 and Daniel 3 an anticipation of the radical condescension of the Logos-made-human and, conversely, an anticipation of the deifying ascent of humanity in Christ. Finally, the early Christian reading of Isaiah 6 and Daniel 3 as ‘christophanies’ – that is, as manifestations of the Logos-to-be-incarnate – also allows us a glimpse into the performative aspect and experiential claims of early Christian exegesis, broadly construed to also incorporate hymnography, iconography and ritual.
Research Interests: Philosophy, Patristics, Early Christianity, Orthodox Theology, Mysticism, and 15 moreByzantine Studies, Christology, Biblical Theology, Byzantine Iconography, New Testament and Christian Origins, Book of Daniel, Christian Iconography, Patristic Exegesis, Book of Isaiah, Deification, Patristics and Late Antiquity, Byzantine art, Eastern Orthodox Theology, History of Reception of Biblical Texts, and Anthropology of visionary experiences
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Research Interests: Late Antique and Byzantine Studies, Art, Patristics, Early Christianity, Orthodox Theology, and 15 moreByzantine Studies, Christology, Biblical Theology, History of Biblical Interpretation, New Testament and Christian Origins, Patristic Exegesis, Exodus, Patristics and Late Antiquity, Book of Exodus, Greek Patristics, History of Reception of Biblical Texts, Reception History of the Bible, Logos Christology, History of Reception of Biblical and Liturgical Texts, and Biblical Reception History
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The exegesis of the burning bush theophany set forth in Eusebius of Caesarea’s Prophetic Extracts and Proof of the Gospel adds a distinctive and original voice to the rich chorus of Jewish and Christian interpreters of Exodus 3. Eusebius... more
The exegesis of the burning bush theophany set forth in Eusebius of Caesarea’s Prophetic Extracts and Proof of the Gospel adds a distinctive and original voice to the rich chorus of Jewish and Christian interpreters of Exodus 3. Eusebius posits a disjunction between the visual and the auditory aspects of the theophany – the angel appears, the Lord speaks – and departs from the mainstream of Jewish and Christian tradition by depicting Moses as a spiritual neophyte whose attunement to God ranks much lower than that of the patriarchs of old. Even though scholars point to the overall anti-Jewish context of this exegesis, it is difficult to find satisfactory terms of comparison for some of its details. It appears, therefore, that Eusebius’ understudied Prophetic Extracts and Proof of the Gospel offer a surprisingly original interpretation that should enrich the scholarly account of the Wirkungsgeschichte of the famous burning bush episode.
Research Interests: Patristics, Early Christianity, Mysticism, Angelology, Biblical Theology, and 15 moreSpirituality & Mysticism, History of Biblical Interpretation, Patristic Exegesis, Patristics and Late Antiquity, Sinai, Visions, Moses, Patristic Theology, Book of Exodus, eusebius of Caesarea, Greek Patristics, History of Reception of Biblical and Liturgical Texts, Second Temple Judaism and Early Christianity, Theophanies, and De Gruyter
The article discusses the interpretation of biblical theophanies in Byzantine hymns associated with the so-called Improperia tradition. After presenting the exegesis of specific theophanies as exemplified in hymns, the author argues that... more
The article discusses the interpretation of biblical theophanies in Byzantine hymns associated with the so-called Improperia tradition. After presenting the exegesis of specific theophanies as exemplified in hymns, the author argues that this type of exegesis is difficult to frame within the categories commonly used to describe patristic exegesis. He suggests that patristic scholars should instead consider the category “Rewritten Bible” current among scholars of the Old Testament Pseudepigrapha.
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Building on John R. Levison’s study on «The Angelic Spirit in Early Judaism», which documented the widespread use of the term «spirit» as a designation for an angelic presence, this essay argues the presence of an «angelomorphic... more
Building on John R. Levison’s study on «The Angelic Spirit in Early Judaism», which documented the widespread use of the term «spirit» as a designation for an angelic presence, this essay argues the presence of an «angelomorphic Pneumatology» in three early Christian sources: the book of Revelation, the Shepherd of Hermas, and Clement of Alexandria. It is argued that angelomorphic Pneumatology occurs in tandem with Spirit Christology, within a binitarian theological framework. This larger theological articulation results in a quasi-Trinitarian structure of the divine world, featuring the Father, the Son/Spirit, and the angelomorphic Spirit. The final section of the essay proposes a theological interpretation of these data.
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Research Interests: Philosophy, Metaphysics, Philosophy Of Religion, Theology, Medieval Studies, and 15 moreOrthodox Theology, Aquinas, Thomas Aquinas, Denys the Aeropagite, Theology of Thomas Aquinas, Negative Theology, Apophaticism, Gregory Palamas, St Thomas Aquinas, Apophatic theology, St Gregory Palamas, Eastern Orthodoxy, History of Philosophy, Philosophy of Religion, and Downside
Research Interests: Philosophy, Medieval Philosophy, Late Antique and Byzantine Studies, Orthodox Theology, Eriugena, and 13 moreByzantine Studies, Palamas, Augustine, Denys the Aeropagite, Late Antiquity, Pseudo-Dionysius, Dionysius Areopagita, Dionysius the Areopagite, Byzantine Theology, Exegesis, Ps. Dionysius the Areopagite, Theophanies, and Dionysius
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This article points to a strand in the reception history of the Transfiguration account that is generally neglected in biblical and patristic scholarship. According to Irenaeus of Lyon, Tertullian, ps.-Ephrem Syrus, Anastasius the... more
This article points to a strand in the reception history of the Transfiguration account that is generally neglected in biblical and patristic scholarship. According to Irenaeus of Lyon, Tertullian, ps.-Ephrem Syrus, Anastasius the Sinaite, John of Damascus, and the Byzantine hymnographic tradition, Matthew's account is not only a vision that the disciples have of Christ, but also a vision granted to Moses and Elijah, witnessed by the disciples. Relating Matthew's account of a vision on Tabor with the biblical vision reports of Moses and Elijah at Sinai was crucially important for early Christians : (a) it underlay their appropriation of the Scriptures of Israel as "Old Testament", by using exegetical procedures that find their closest analogon in the "rewritten Bible" characteristic of certain strands of Second Temple Judaism; (b) it lent itself to polemical use against dualism and monarchianism; (c) it was eventually absorbed into Byzantine festal hymnography, thereby gaining wide acceptance in Byzantine theology.
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The Wirkungsgeschichte of Mart. 18:10 presents a more complex picture than so far acknowl- edged in Biblical and Patristic scholarship. After rehearsing the current scholarly views on Matt. 18:10, this article discusses the ways in which... more
The Wirkungsgeschichte of Mart. 18:10 presents a more complex picture than so far acknowl- edged in Biblical and Patristic scholarship. After rehearsing the current scholarly views on Matt. 18:10, this article discusses the ways in which this verse was interpreted by the Mar- cosians, by the author of the Ps.-Clementine Homilies, and in various texts by Clement of Alexandria, Aphrahat, Basil the Great and Gregory of Nyssa. A notable common element bridging temporal, geographical and ecclesiastical boundaries is the Christological interpre- tation of the Face (prosopov) in Matt. 18:10, via exegetical identification with арактпр in Heb. 1:3 and sikv in Col. 1:15. Almost equally widespread is the interpretation of the angels in Matt. 18:10 as seven supreme angels, which is carried out via exegetical identification with the "seven eyes of the Lord" (Zech. 4:10) and the "seven gifts of the Spirit" (Isa. 11:2-3, LXX). Less common, though also strongly represented, is the use of Matt. 18:10 to illustrate the intercessory work of the Holy Spirit. While it is certainly true that this verse became a locus classicus of Christian angelology, and while much of patristic exegesis seized upon the obvious ethical implications of the passage, the analysis undertaken in this article shows that Matt. 18:10 also provided scriptural proof for the doctrinal phenomena termed "Face
Christology" and "angelomorphic Pneumatology."
Christology" and "angelomorphic Pneumatology."
Research Interests: Philosophy, New Testament, Jewish Mysticism, Angelology, Pneumatology, and 10 moreBiblical Theology, History of Biblical Interpretation, Matthew's Gospel, Interpretation, Reception History, Jewish apocalyptic literature, History of Exegesis, Gospel of Matthew, History of Reception of Biblical Texts, and Wirkungsgeschichte
The Wiley-Blackwell Companion to Christian Mysticism (ed. Julia Lamm; Wiley-Blackwell, 2013) 133-146.
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This article contributes to research on Clement of Alexandria's pneumatology by revisiting and expanding upon Christian Oeyen's oft-neglected study Eine frühchristliche Engelpneumatologie bei Klemens von Alexandrien, published in... more
This article contributes to research on Clement of Alexandria's pneumatology by revisiting and expanding upon Christian Oeyen's oft-neglected study Eine frühchristliche Engelpneumatologie bei Klemens von Alexandrien, published in 1966. It argues, first, that a study of Clement's Pneumatology cannot ignore the surviving portions of Clement's Hypotyposes (especially the Excerpta ex Theodoto, Eclogae Propheticae, and Adumbrationes), because these appear to have included treatises "On Prophecy" and "On the Soul." Secondly, it reaffirms Oeyen's thesis that Clement of Alexandria's Pneumatology is best understood within the framework of early Jewish and Christian speculation on the "first created" angelic spirits (πρωτó;κτιστoι). The article advances the discussion by providing a context for Clement's "angelomorphic Pneumatology": this phenomenon is part of a larger theological articulation, occurring in tandem with Spirit...
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The article provides an overview of the three distinct approaches to the exegesis of theophanies documented in the surviving works of Justin Martyr. It argues, contrary to previous scholarship on Justin Martyr, and in agreement with Larry... more
The article provides an overview of the three distinct approaches to the exegesis of theophanies documented in the surviving works of Justin Martyr. It argues, contrary to previous scholarship on Justin Martyr, and in agreement with Larry Hurtado, that the argument from theophanies precedes its use by Justin, and suggests that the Dialogue and the Apologies may offer a glimpse into the process by which the exegetical disagreement over theophanies contributed to the crystallization of distinct “Jewish” and “Christian” social identities.
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... 479493; Christos Yannaras, The Distinction Between Essence and Energies and Its Importance for Theology, SVTQ 19 (1975), pp. ... Segal, 'Two Powers in Heaven' and Early Christian Trinitarian Thinking, in Stephen T.... more
... 479493; Christos Yannaras, The Distinction Between Essence and Energies and Its Importance for Theology, SVTQ 19 (1975), pp. ... Segal, 'Two Powers in Heaven' and Early Christian Trinitarian Thinking, in Stephen T. Davis, Daniel Kendall, and Gerald O'Collins (eds), The ...
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... the result?we mightalmost say the inescapable result?of that movement of God that weaves together all the Dionysian universe."29 This view will be echoed by Maximus the Confessor, who can therefore ...
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A discussion of Augustine's understanding of theophanies is a necessary part of the theological reception of Augustine in Eastern Orthodoxy. The investigation of the historical context and precedents for the treatment of... more
A discussion of Augustine's understanding of theophanies is a necessary part of the theological reception of Augustine in Eastern Orthodoxy. The investigation of the historical context and precedents for the treatment of theophanies in the early books of De Trinitate reveals Augustine's own contribution to be both a theological breakthrough and a major contribution to the anti-Homoian polemics, and a break with earlier tradition. In relocating the theophanic heart of theology to the periphery of Christian dogma and spirituality, Augustine shaped a theology that eludes precisely those elements that are defining Eastern Orthodoxy. However, the type of theological investigation made possible by the shift away from "theophanic" theology is indispensable for the theological reflection of both Eastern and Western Christianity.
Research Interests: Philosophy, Late Antique and Byzantine Studies, Theology, Patristics, Spirituality, and 15 moreEarly Christianity, Monastic Studies, Orthodox Theology, Byzantine Studies, Augustine, Augustine of Hippo, Christian Spirituality, Monasticism, Orthodox Christianity, Patristics and Late Antiquity, St Augustine, Eastern Orthodoxy, Eastern Orthodox Theology, Greek Patristics, and Latin Patristics
Building on the insights of Jon Levenson's work, Sinai and Zion: An Entry into the Jewish Bible, this article endeavors to show that a similar approach, which could be labeled "theophanic," has traditionally guided the... more
Building on the insights of Jon Levenson's work, Sinai and Zion: An Entry into the Jewish Bible, this article endeavors to show that a similar approach, which could be labeled "theophanic," has traditionally guided the Christian—perhaps especially the Eastern Orthodox—entry into the Bible. Relating the Sinai theophany and the transfiguration on Tabor was crucially important for early Christian theology. It underlay their appropriation of the Scriptures of Israel as "OT," it lent itself to polemical use against dualism and monarchianism, and it was eventually absorbed into Byzantine festal hymnography and thereby into the mainstream of theology as performed and experienced in liturgy. Similar interpretive strategies are at work in early Christian works and later Byzantine festal hymns and icons that take up theophanies centering on God's throne in Zion. After discussing hymns and icons dealing with Sinai, Zion, and Tabor, I argue that this type of exegesis...
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Alexander Golitzin impressed upon his students the need to recover the wealth of the Christian theological tradition by paying special attention to continuities with Second Temple Judaism and parallels with Rabbinic Judaism. The pages to... more
Alexander Golitzin impressed upon his students the need to recover the wealth of the Christian theological tradition by paying special attention to continuities with Second Temple Judaism and parallels with Rabbinic Judaism. The pages to follow heed this call for a new, and yet so traditional, approach to Christian texts. I suggest that a synoptic approach to the Church’s advocacy of the full divinity of Christ and to the Rabbinic polemics against “two powers” theologies reveals a certain unexpected convergence, and that this convergence may help Christians discover the richness and complexity of their own tradition and, perhaps, understand a bit more about their estranged brothers in the Rabbinic tradition.
Research Interests: Patristics, Early Christianity, Orthodox Theology, Mysticism, Byzantine Studies, and 15 moreBiblical Theology, Jewish - Christian Relations, Spirituality & Mysticism, Theological exegesis, Byzantine Liturgy, New Testament and Christian Origins, Eastern Orthodox Liturgical Theology, Biblical Exegesis, Patristic Exegesis, Byzantine Hymnography, Rabbinic Judaism, Eastern Orthodox Theology, Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, History of Reception of Biblical Texts, and Second Temple Judaism and Early Christianity
Clement Alexandrinul și-a adus o foarte importantă contribuție la articularea tradiției ascetice și mistice a Bisericii. Lui i se datorează, în mare măsură, transmiterea mai vechilor tradiții apocaliptice, atât prin așsternerea în scris a... more
Clement Alexandrinul și-a adus o foarte importantă contribuție la articularea tradiției ascetice și mistice a Bisericii. Lui i se datorează, în mare măsură, transmiterea mai vechilor tradiții apocaliptice, atât prin așsternerea în scris a învățăturilor orale ale „bătrânilor”, cât și prin „traducerea” imaginilor apocaliptice în idiomul cultural medioplatonic, pe urmele lui Filon. Literatura monahală îi datorează articularea unor teme majore precum rugăciunea lăuntrică neîncetată, paternitatea duhovnicească, botezul lacrimilor, viețuirea în oraș ca și în pustie, sau noțiunea de „îndumnezeire”. Clement are în vedere un proces treptat de „angelificare” a omului, derulat în cadrul unui program catehetic și ascetic sub îndrumarea competentă a unui învățător căruia i-a fost încredințată instruirea „acelora dintre oameni care devin îngeri” fiindcă el însuși a înaintat mult pe calea acestei transformări. Un astfel de învățător și mistagog „mijlocește legătura și comuniunea cu Dumnezeu”, devenind el însuși punctul de contact al ucenicilor cu ierarhia cerească, ierarhie care mediază și propagă lucrarea efectivă a Logosului asupra lor. Paternitatea duhovnicească și ucenicia spirituală reprezintă, așadar, condiția sine qua non pentru ascensiunea noastră întru Dumnezeu.
Research Interests: Patristics, Asceticism, Christian Mysticism, Jewish Mysticism, Early Christianity, and 14 moreOrthodox Theology, Mysticism, Spirituality & Mysticism, Byzantine monasticism, Ascetical Theology, Patristics and Late Antiquity, Clement of Alexandria, Eastern Orthodoxy, Eastern Orthodox Theology, Greek Patristics, Heavenly ascent, Mystical and Ascetical Theology, Greek and Latin Patristics, and Second Temple Judaism and Early Christianity
O perspectivă teologică asupra războiului din Ucraina. Online:
https://www.contributors.ro/biserica-la-vremea-deosebirii-duhurilor/
https://www.contributors.ro/biserica-la-vremea-deosebirii-duhurilor/
A subjective account of the author's ongoing experience as a Romanian immigrant to the USA, a parent struggling to bring up children that are "Romanian-Americans," a priest serving a small parish of the Antiochian Patriarchate in Western... more
A subjective account of the author's ongoing experience as a Romanian immigrant to the USA, a parent struggling to bring up children that are "Romanian-Americans," a priest serving a small parish of the Antiochian Patriarchate in Western Pennsylvania, and an Orthodox academic in the Theology Department of a Catholic University.
https://aiocs.net/orthodox-identity-in-my-slice-of-todays-america/
https://aiocs.net/orthodox-identity-in-my-slice-of-todays-america/
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This article contributes to the scholarly discussion of anti-Jewish rhetoric present in Orthodox Christian hymnography by providing an exegetical and theological contextualization of the problematic hymnographic material. I argue that the... more
This article contributes to the scholarly discussion of anti-Jewish rhetoric present in Orthodox Christian hymnography by providing an exegetical and theological contextualization of the problematic hymnographic material. I argue that the core Christological interpretation of Old Testament theophanies is present in hymns in which anti-Jewish rhetoric is absent, and that the anti-Jewish overtones are therefore not essential to the theological message of the hymns. In itself, the amendment of Orthodox liturgical texts and observances is neither wrong nor unprecedented; however, any attempts at liturgical reform should be mindful of the Christological proclamation of the hymns that give voice to a venerable and widespread early Christian exegesis of Old Testament theophanies.
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This article discusses the interpretation of Old Testament theophanies in Byzantine festal hymnography, and its place in patristic Scripture exegesis and theology. The author argues that ”Christophanic exegesis”–that is, the... more
This article discusses the interpretation of Old Testament theophanies in Byzantine festal hymnography, and its place in patristic Scripture exegesis and theology. The author argues that ”Christophanic exegesis”–that is, the straightforward identification of the “Lord God” in Hebrew Bible narratives with the “Lord” of Christian worship, Jesus Christ–is difficult to frame within the categories commonly used to describe patristic exegesis. A more recent suggestion, namely, appealing to the category “Rewritten Bible,” current among scholars of the Old Testament Pseudepigrapha, is also rejected. Christophanic exegesis is an epiphanic and performative approach to the interpretation of Scripture by which the Hebrew Bible is appropriated as a coherent narrative leading from Genesis to Jesus, in which Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as well as Moses and the prophets are “men of Christ” (Justin Martyr), and in which the readers are invited to inscribe themselves. It provides the key for adequately approaching the Christology of the Fathers and the dogmatic definitions of the Ecumenical Councils, anchoring Christian Dogmatics in the living experience of Israel’s walk with the God of Abraham, of Isaac and Jacob, the Lawgiver and “God of our fathers.”