A digital reconstruction as a preliminary stage to an interactive Genesis catena 

The main objective of the project is to reconstruct one of the most important late antique works on Genesis, Theodore of Mopsuestia's commentary, both in terms of its context of origin and its reception, and in turn to shed new light on the structure of late antique Genesis discourse through this exploration, in the form of a database containing all relevant texts in the original and, in some cases, in English translation, integrated into the PTA (=Patristic Text Archive ).

In terms of content, the aim is first to gain new insights into the person of Theodore, his theology, and his exegesis, particularly with regard to his conception of biblical salvation history, the classification of the two catastases, and the associated exegetical application of Christological typology. 

In addition, a comparative analysis of the extensive reception history of the text, which at least until the late sixth century transcended the confessional boundaries in the Greek and Syriac-speaking world, only later becoming restricted to the East Syrian Theodorites, will not only bring to light numerous new testimonies to the text, but also shed light on the way in which the East Syrians in particular develop their interpretations further and synthesize them with genuinely Syrian ideas. However, the most abundant source for new Theodore-testimonia appears to be the largely anonymous reception within Greek-language compilations (Genesis chains, Procopius), whose comprehensive examination makes the project the perfect starting point for the development of a digitally accessible, interactive Genesis catena.

Start: October 2025

The project is funded by the DFG , German Research Foundation – project number 555708714.