Teaching of the Orthodox Faith according to the Principles of Liturgical Byzantine Treatises. Testimonies and Interpretation

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Fr. Ivan Ivanov (Kyumurdjiyski), Teaching of the Orthodox Faith according to the Principles of Liturgical Byzantine Treatises. Testimonies and Interpretation. The questions related to the ecumenical character of the Liturgy, the role of church music and hymnography, and specifically Eastern and Byzantine church singing, as a means of professing the faith of the Orthodox Church, are driven by paradigms for clarifying fundamental liturgical issues. These issues are addressed through objective scientific study of sources from the medieval Byzantine period of worship development and their correct inter-pretation today. This research highlights how these paradigms reflect the understanding of church music both as a phenomenon of the Church’s musical and hymnographic creativity and as a primary liturgical means for knowing God. In other words, church music serves as a tool for understanding and properly participating in the Liturgy and for accurately confessing the faith. Some of the research problems and aspects presented here have been addressed in various studies of musicological and medieval traditions in both the East and West. However, this text represents part of my ongoing research, which aims to demonstrate the need for a new theological interpretation. This interpretation seeks to rediscover the church musical and liturgical “treasury” preserved by faith and tradition.