Patristic Exegesis, Distance Education

The course offers an in-depth study of biblical interpretation in patristic times. The student learns to account for differences and similarities in primary sources and to analyze them in light of their historical contexts and functions and to identify the questions the material aims at answering. The course also provides theoretical tools for understanding the patristic endeavor in terms of modern hermeneutics and biblical criticism. In addition to classical patristic sources, the student is provided with examples relating to women, the use of the bible in genres such as hagiography (i.e. rewritings), and the medieval reception of patristic texts in various Orthodox Christian languages.