Brenda Fitch Fairaday: Romanos the Melode: Biblical Exegete and Advocate of Intercessory Prayer

This presentation will examine Romanos's exegetical use of biblical typology as a source for his own prayers of intercession and his interpretation of Scripture to encourage his congregation's participation in the liturgy. We will look at his use of the usual types as found also in the writings of earlier Fathers of the Church, with particular examinations of Ignatius, Irenaeus, and Methodius. Some questions will address his use of specific poetic meters and versification as a means to help his listeners grasp and retain his message; his dramatic use of scriptural characters as exemplars of action and of prayer; his use of other types, some of which are not found in any other sources; his possible literary dependence on the Diatessaron of Tatian for unusual readings of the New Testament. His duty to teach the congregation the faith, as well as his desire to rouse them to prayerful lives will be seen in his identification with "the holy sinner" [The Harlot, The Prodigal Son]; they become types in his liturgical storytelling. Some examples will be taken from the six Sermons on the Resurrection. Chiefly, examples will be from the genuine kontakia, though certain of the cantica dubia may be referenced.