Proclus Bishop of Constantinople: Homilies on the Life of Christ
by Jan Harm Barkhuizen
Recent Reviews
… Barkhuizen offers translations and short commentaries of a number of homilies which have never before been translated into any modern language…the presentation of the homilies in [metrical lines in order to emphasise their rhythmic quality] is undeniably effective in drawing the reader’s attention to their poetic nature…read together [with Nicholas Constas, Proclus of Constantinople and the Cult of the Virgin in Late Antiquity. Homilies 1-5, Texts and Translations, Leiden: Brill, 2003], the two books complement each other and offer significant advances in our understanding of this accomplished and most Orthodox preacher of the early fifth century.
Mary B. Cunningham, Sobornost
Professor Barkhuizen adds a significant volume to the series of shorter studies he has published in the last decade on Proclus’ Homilies… Following a brief description of Proclus’ historical background, his literary output, and a listing of critical editions and translations, the author devotes the bulk of his introductory discussion to an insightful and highly valuable discussion of the rhetorical culture of fifth-century Constantinople and the place of Proclus’ homilies within it. This includes, most usefully, an analysis of Proclus’ deployment of rhetorical devices, with numerous examples. By placing Proclus’ preaching within the oral culture of late antiquity, the author defends his homilies against modern detractors who anachronistically criticise them as too rhetorically embellished and thus lacking in ethical value. The introduction concludes with a sketch of the soteriology, Christology and Trinitarian theology emerging from the homilies, again with references. The literal translation that follows is fresh, readable and engaging, presented in verse form so as to preserve the homilies’ rhetorical character, and accompanied by thorough scriptural cross-referencing… the result is an introduction to, and translation of, early Christian preaching that will be of particular interest to advanced undergraduate students seeking an introduction to Proclus’ theology, an understanding of central motifs and their deployment in the unfolding Christological drama of the fifth century, and (most usefully) a portrait of the popular oral culture in which Christological teachings were received.
Harry O. Maier, Journal of Ecclesiastical History
… This admirable volume in the Early Christian Studies series will be warmly welcomed by theologians and historians alike.
Hélène Perdicoyianni-Paléologou, Journal of Early Christian Studies