The problem of understanding liturgical texts and its solution on the example of Gregory of Corinth’s exegesis

Abstract

The orthodox liturgy was finally established during the 8th and 9th centuries. The two stepbrothers and eminent Byzantine poets St. Cosmas of Maiuma and St. John of Damascus greatly contributed to its development. They composed the majority of the irmi and troparia that are still performed during the liturgy today. During their lives, however, worshippers were facing certain difficulties in understanding the meaning of church odes. This is also true today when orthodox liturgy occasionally becomes an obstacle on the path to God for the worshippers. Greater efforts are also required in order to understand the liturgy and this is not always easy. One of the reasons for this is an incorrect translation of many odes into Russian and Slavonic. Comments from 12th century Byzantine writers and poets can help us clarify their meaning. Gregory of Corinth and his 23 commentaries on the liturgical canons are particularly noteworthy. In the current article, a philological analysis is conducted of two complex, “obscure” and unclear passages from the Canon of Pentecost. At the same time, Metropolitan Gregory’s exegeses of these extracts, which can help us better understand the meaning not only of these passages but also of the whole celebration, are cited.