Painting and Polyphony

doi:10.1017/9781009085762.009

Chapter 8 - Painting and Polyphony

The Christos Paschon as Commentary

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 07 August 2023

Margaret Mullett

Edited by

Baukje van den Berg ,

Divna Manolova and

Przemysław Marciniak

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Baukje van den Berg: Affiliation:
Central European University, Vienna
Divna Manolova: Affiliation:
University of York
Przemysław Marciniak: Affiliation:
University of Silesia, Katowice

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Summary

This chapter looks at an unexpected text of the twelfth century and explores its engagement with ancient literature, specifically the Medea, Hippolytus and Bacchae of Euripides and the Rhesus, no longer thought to be by him. The text is the Christos paschon, a composite tragedy and Virgin’s lament, with prooimion, two prayers and a colophon, which tells the story of the Easter weekend in three plays of a trilogy by means of a Euripidean cento. The chapter proceeds source text by source text to indicate what passages are used and why. It then compares the reading of each source text in the Christos paschon with more modern receptions. The use of the source texts is then compared to painting as it is either dotted or sloshed on to the canvas. It can also be seen as polyphony as each source text enters in turn and interacts with the others. The trilogy’s reading of Euripides is examined and its possible performance context in the twelfth century. Finally, the text’s credentials as commentary are tested against criteria arrived at by recent students of classical commentary: it is certainly reception, possibly appropriation or emulation – and conceivably commentary.

Keywords

tragedy cento Theotokos Easter crucifixion burial resurrection Euripides emotion reception

Type: Chapter
Information: Byzantine Commentaries on Ancient Greek Texts, 12th–15th Centuries , pp. 214 - 239

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009085762.009 [Opens in a new window]

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Print publication year: 2022

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Chapter 8 - Painting and Polyphony

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