Biblical Exegesis and Theology at the University of San Damaso, Madrid
On 28 April, Br. Olivier-Thomas Venard gave a lecture on the future of the relationship between theology and biblical exegesis, during the Colloque organised by prof. Ignacio Carbajosa Pérez at the San Damaso University in Madrid.
Biblindex
The Biblindex seminar on Friday 20 May was led by our collaborator Jean-Marie Auwers, professor of patristics and ancient history at the Catholic University of Louvain, on the subject: “The exegetical chains and the polysemous reading of the Song of Songs.
“From Philo of Alexandria to Photius, it is in the chains that the most important and, let us say, the best part of Greek exegesis has been preserved. It is one of our best sources of information on the thought of Christian antiquity that remains hidden in the chains and, so to speak, unknown”, wrote Robert Devreesse in 1928. Since then, the study of the exegetical chains has progressed considerably.
The question will be asked whether Devreesse’s words are still relevant in the case of the Song of Songs, and it will be shown that the chains are not only of documentary interest, but also offer a mirror of the exegesis of the Song in the early centuries. This is particularly true of Procopius’ Epitome. The juxtaposition of the various commentaries in the Epitome provides a contrasting picture of the exegesis of the Song between the third and fifth centuries and shows the originality of each commentator, as well as the profound influence of Origen on early exegesis. In their diversity, the Epitome of Procopius and related chains reflect the biblical culture of their time. As such, they are a cultural phenomenon that deserves to be studied for its own sake.
GraphEast: The Graphic Signs in the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem
On 31 May, a meeting with Estelle Ingrand-Varenne allowed us to consider the next stage of our collaboration, with the help of dedicated assistants from the GraphEast project.
The reception of the Apocrypha in Strasbourg
Our friends from Les Sources Chrétiennes are sharing this beautiful programme with us.
Nomination
Le pape François a nommé Mgr Yvan Mathieu, mariste, comme évêque auxiliaire à l’archidiocèse Ottawa-Cornwall au Canada, Pope Francis appointed Bishop Yvan Mathieu, a Marist, as Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Ottawa-Cornwall in Canada on Thursday 17 March 2022. We met in Jerusalem on 3-5 January 2015 and he participated in our Canadian meetings in July of the same year. We wish him much joy and success in his ministry!
