Every book has its own story. The story of this one is a testament to how books may still be written in difficult circumstances. It is based on the doctoral dissertation that I wrote between 2018 and 2022 at KU Leuven. A considerable part of my Ph.D. program fell during the years of the COVID-19 pandemic and strict lockdown in Belgium. This resulted in hindered access to the library, suspended meetings with colleagues, and canceled research trips. Apart from this, at the writing stage of my doctoral studies, my country invaded Ukraine, which left many Russians, who were strongly against this war, utterly devastated. There were days I was torn between depression and fear for everyone—my Ukrainian and Russian friends, their families, my own immediate family in Russia, and all the people in the countries neighboring Ukraine. I finished my dissertation at the end of the third month of the war, and this war will forever be in the story of this book.
Further, this book is written by a first generation academic. It is dedicated to the memory of Sergey Alexeyevich Berdin (1953–2007), my first philosophy teacher in high school and the first real philosopher I ever met, who opened up the treasures of human wisdom and the world of religion to me. His classes inspired me to study Christianity further and brought me to the Department of Christian Orthodox Theology at Russian State Social University (RSSU, Moscow), where I completed my BA. Without Sergey Berdin, I would never have become a theologian, and this book would never have come into existence.
There are many other people without whom this book could not have been written. I was a catechist at the Moscow university parish when I first attempted to study Theodore of Mopsuestia’s Catechetical Homilies at SS Cyril and Methodius Theological Institute of Post-Graduate Studies. I thank Prof. Alexey R. Fokin, who pointed out Theodore’s Homilies to me and suggested that I write a dissertation on them. I also thank Dr. Irina V. Prolygina and Dr. Alexey K. Lyavdansky, my professors of Greek and Syriac languages at SS Cyril and Methodius Theological Institute, for their incredibly profitable courses. It was while studying languages at the Institute and reading Theodore’s works that I discovered the understudied biblical exegesis offered in his Homilies.
I thank my supervisor, Prof. Johan Leemans, with whom I wrote my dissertation on Theodore at KU Leuven and who guided me with my academic writing. Additionally, I thank all my colleagues from the research group of my supervisor who contributed to my work by discussing my text and offering improvements. I am especially grateful to my friends Dan Batovici and Madalina Toca, who supported me through sympathetic conversations and advice during the last stage of my research and through the period of post-doctoral applications.
Special thanks go to my co-supervisor Emer. Prof. Herman Teule and Emer. Prof. Sebastian Brock for their corrections of the Syriac in this book. I thank my Ph.D. examiners, Emer. Prof. Theresia Hainthaler and Prof. Antony Dupont, for their useful remarks and suggestions for improvement of my work. I also thank Rev. Prof. Samuel Fernández for his consultation on Origen’s works and Prof. David Taylor for his advice on Dionysius bar-Salibi’s liturgical commentaries. Finally, many thanks go to Rachel Edney, who proofread this book.
Dr. Sofia Puchkova