The Image of the Virgin Mary in the Akathistos Hymn (The Medieval Mediterranean, 35)

Book info: The Image of the Virgin Mary in the Akathistos Hymn (The Medieval Mediterranean, 35) (Hardcover, 256 pages) – Brill, 2001. Language: English.

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. Editorial Reviews About the Author Leena Mari Peltomaa, Ph.D. (2000) in Classical Philology (Greek), University of Helsinki, is working among a team of international scholars researching early Mariology. Her concern is to chart the stages in the origin of the cult of Mary.