Exegesis and Theology in a Byzantine Funeral Hymn

What is it about?

The article discusses a Byzantine funeral hymn ("I am an image of your unutterable glory..."), its origin and composition, the biblical-exegetical background, and its theological meaning. This hymn does not speak of the human being as created "according to the Image," but straightforwardly as the Image of God’s glory.

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Why is it important?

Byzantine hymnography provides a distillate of Christian biblical exegesis as already received by countless communities in many places and over many centuries, and a better understanding of how the conversion of biblical texts into theological doctrine and spiritual formation was triggered and reinforced by liturgical practice and experience.