Ritual Fictions, Liturgical Truths in Early Byzantium, lecture by Derek Krueger (UNC Greensboro), Seeger Center for Hellenic Studies, Princeton University, October 15, 2018, 4:30–6:00 pm

Christian rites elaborated on the Bible through hymns, sermons, and prayers. Together they created a narrative environment that added elements to the sacred story. Modern studies of fictionality offer insights into how late antique Christians came to know their Bible in ways that deviated from the text of scripture and generated new forms of liturgical truth.

Derek Krueger (PhD Princeton 1991) is Joe Rosenthal Excellence Professor of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He is the author of three monographs, including Liturgical Subjects: Christian Ritual, Biblical Narrative, and the Formation of the Self in Byzantium (2014) and editor of three volumes, including Byzantine Christianity (2006) and The New Testament in Byzantium (with Robert Nelson; 2017). He serves as President of the United States National Committee for Byzantine Studies and as a Senior Fellow in Byzantine Studies at Dumbarton Oaks.