The Image of the Virgin Mary in the Akathistos Hymn

Download or read book The Image of the Virgin Mary in the Akathistos Hymn written by Leena Mari Peltomaa and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2021-10-01 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Akathistos Hymn, the most famous work of Byzantine hymnography, has been enshrined in the Orthodox liturgy since the year 626, and its image of the Virgin Mary has exerted a strong influence upon Marian poetry and literature. Anonymous, undated and highly rhetorical, the hymn has presented a challenge to scholars over the years. This study has been undertaken by an innovative method. The approach brings new insights to the era which brought forth the hymn, and the metaphorical image of the Virgin becomes conceptually accessible to the modern-day reader. The investigation leads to the conclusion that the Council of Ephesus (431) constitutes the most likely historical context for the hymn's composition. The book will be of value to all scholars of early Byzantine and Marian studies.