The interpretation of Holy Scripture in hymnography and its connection with the patristic tradition with the troparion of the midwives in the Great canon of repentance as an example

This article deals with one of several possible ways of using Holy Scripture — alongside citing and paraphrasing — in hymnography, namely with the interpretation of events or characters. When studying liturgical texts that contain possible interpretations of the Bible, their comparison with the church tradition is necessary. Such a placement in the patristic context allows us to identify possible sources, the degree of dependence on patristic writing, as well as the level of the exegetical independence of the writer, which in turn helps us understand the meaning of the interpretation presented in the hymn. This idea is illustrated by studying the 8th troparion of Ode 5 of the Great Canon “Thou hast heard, wretched soul, of the midwives”. It is based on the fi rst two chapters of the Book of Exodus: the order of the Egyptian Pharaoh to kill Israeli male infants and the story of Moses. In this troparion, the Biblical story is violated: unlike the story in the Scriptures, the midwives kill the male infants in the troparion. With the help of philological analysis, the phrase aνηβον… την aρρενωπόν… της σωφροσύνης πρÅξιν is explained. To understand the meaning of this interpretation, the church exegesis of the corresponding place of the Bible was analysed. It goes back to Philo of Alexandria, was introduced to the church by Origen, and then was maintained in the writings by St. Methodius of Patara, Gregory of Nyssa and Cyril of Alexandria. These writers proceeded from the opposition of the male virtuous principle to the female vicious principle found in Plato’s texts. The article also establishes the proximity of the troparion to texts of Origen, St. Methodius of Patara and Gregory of Nyssa in a number of exegetical details