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Chapter 5 - Kassia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 July 2020

Andrew Mellas
Affiliation:
St Andrew's Greek Orthodox Theological College, NSW
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Summary

This chapter moves to ninth-century Byzantium and the hymnographer Kassia, who is the only known female author of hymns appearing in the liturgical books of the Byzantine tradition. Exploring the liturgical performance of Kassia’s hymn On the Sinful Woman during Holy Week, this chapter examines the genre of this hymn (sticheron idiomelon) and its manuscript tradition. The tears of Kassia’s protagonist and how they evoke the mystery of compunction and repentance in Byzantium are investigated. On the Sinful Woman was chanted a few days before Christ’s Passion, evoking the existential abyss created by the absence of the divine from the life of the faithful and unveiling how tears of compunction could bridge this chasm. This chapter concludes with a few brief remarks on the sacred music of Kassia’s hymn and reflections on the relationship between chant and compunction.

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Chapter
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Liturgy and the Emotions in Byzantium
Compunction and Hymnody
, pp. 141 - 168
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2020

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  • Kassia
  • Andrew Mellas
  • Book: Liturgy and the Emotions in Byzantium
  • Online publication: 04 July 2020
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108767361.005
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  • Kassia
  • Andrew Mellas
  • Book: Liturgy and the Emotions in Byzantium
  • Online publication: 04 July 2020
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108767361.005
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Kassia
  • Andrew Mellas
  • Book: Liturgy and the Emotions in Byzantium
  • Online publication: 04 July 2020
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108767361.005
Available formats
×