TRS 744B Byzantine Funeral Rites: Theology and Pastoral Perspectives
This seminar will chart the evolution of Byzantine Christian funeral rites, analyzing the theologies that shaped them and the theologies generated by them. After a brief analysis of Christian burial practices during the first millennium we will study the rise of discrete funeral offices in Constantinople, Palestine and Southern Italy, followed by a review of the Slavic Syntheses. The Venetian Codification of the Byzantine tradition will be analyzed and the seminar concluded with reflection on "Byzantium Today": Eastern Funeral Rites in Contemporary Western Perspective.