Romanos Melodos, verse homily ‘On the Leper’. An analysis

Abstract

This paper analises Romanos'verse homily on the leper. Several aspects that are typical of his art are dealt with: its Leitmotif, Christology, polemic, social Umwelt, and its overall rhetorical and stylistic features. Although it is never listed among those which scholars select when they evaluate his art, a close reading thereof nevertheless proves to be rewarding, reflecting all those qualities that have made Romanos famous in his own time and in subsequent ages. But this verse homily is also of importance because it was composed for that time in Easter when Christ's divinity is especially celebrated.