Hymnography as literature in the commentaries by Gregory of Corinth, Theodore Prodromos, and Eustathios of Thessalonike

This article explores reflections on literature, authorship, and language in the commentaries written by Gregory of Corinth, Theodore Prodromos, and Eustathios of Thessalonike on the canons of Kosmas of Jerusalem and John of Damascus. In particular, it focuses on the ways in which these twelfth-century commentators approach the canons as literary artefacts belonging to the long tradition of Greek poetry that began with Homer. This genealogical connection enabled them to approach both pagan and Christian poetry from the interpretive standpoint established in Byzantine literary education. By studying the commentators’ notions of authorship, their practices of reading and strategies of interpreting, and their reflections on the relation between language and devotion, this article demonstrates how the study of ancient literature and language was brought to bear on the interpretation of the liturgical canons.