Eugenia Constantinou, PhD

  • Adjunct Professor of New Testament

Biography

Degrees

  • Ph.D., Université Laval, Quebec City, Quebec
  • ThM Harvard Divinity School, Cambridge, MA
  • ThM Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology, Brookline, MA
  • MA University of San Diego, San Diego, CA
  • JD Pepperdine University, Malibu, CA
  • BA University of San Diego, San Diego, CA

“I have been drawn to the study of theology because it is concerned with the kinds of questions that have been asked by every person who has ever lived: Why do I exist? Is there a God? What is my relationship to God? What can we know about God? The Bible is the primary means by which we answer those questions. I have been drawn to the New Testament in particular because of Sophia—Wisdom, specifically the wisdom of Christ in the gospels. His words, his love, his grace, his temperament, his actions never cease to amaze and attract me. The words of Christ have comforted and consoled the forgotten, the grieving, the lonely, the repentant, the distressed, and the needy. But the Bible has also been misused to justify repression, elitism, prejudice, hatred, racism, slavery, sexism, anti-Semitism, and the abuse of political and societal power. For this reason the Bible needs to be studied and understood properly within its setting. The Bible is timeless in its message but time-bound in its historical context. and manner of expression.”

Dr. Constantinou’s current research focuses on the Apocalypse in the ancient Church and in the history of Christianity. She produced the first translation into any modern language of the most important ancient Greek commentary on Revelation, by Andrew of Caesarea (published by CUA Press as part of their Fathers of the Church series, volume 123.) Andrew of Caesarea’s interpretation of Revelation influenced the eschatology of the Christian East and eventually led to the acceptance of the book in the New Testament canon for Eastern Christianity. Dr. Constantinou also has a very strong interest in early biblical interpretation, especially patristic interpretation and its impact on the formation of Christian doctrines, traditions, communities, and theological and political movements.

Courses

Johannine Writings          

An overview of the major issues related to the writings of John, their major theological themes, textual issues and context. Prerequisite: NT 501 Intro to New Testament, or instructor permission.

Letters of St. Paul             

An introduction to the Letters of St. Paul, their historical context, theological message, along with questions of their significance.

Synoptic Gospels               

An introduction to the Synoptic Gospels, their historical context, theological message, along with questions of their significance for the development of early Christian communities.

Select Publications

Books

Guiding to a Blessed End: Andrew of Caesarea and the Apocalypse. (Washington, D.C.: The Catholic University of America Press, 2013.)

Andrew of Caesarea. Commentary on the Apocalypse. Translation and introduction by Eugenia Scarvelis Constantinou. Fathers of the Church series, vol. 123. (Washington, D.C.: The Catholic University of America Press, 2011.)

Articles

“The Resurrection of Jesus Christ.” Amir Azarvan, ed., In Re-Introducing Christianity. An Eastern Apologia for a Western Audience (Wipf and Stock, 2016.)

“The Historical Jesus.” Amir Azarvan, ed., In Re-Introducing Christianity. An Eastern Apologia for a Western Audience (Wipf and Stock, 2016.)

“Banned from the Lectionary: Excluding the Apocalypse of John from the Orthodox New Testament Canon.” In The Canon of the Bible in the Churches of the East. The Bible in the Christian Orthodox Tradition series, vol. 2. Vahan Hovanessian, ed. (New York: Peter Lang, 2012.)

“The Canon of Scripture in the Orthodox Church,” In The Canon of the Bible in the Churches of the East. The Bible in the Christian Orthodox Tradition series, vol. 2. Vahan Hovanessian, ed. New York: Peter Lang, 2012.

“Violence, Free Will and the Love of God in the Apocalypse Commentary of Andrew of Caesarea.” In Ancient Christian Interpretations of ‘Violent Texts’ in the Apocalypse. Novum Testamentum et Orbis Antiquus /Studien zur Umwalt des Neuen Testaments series, vol. 92 (Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2011.)

“Lamentations for the Lord: Great and Holy Friday in the Greek Orthodox Church.” In Great is Thy Faithfulness? Reading Lamentations as Sacred Scripture. Robin Parry and Heath Thomas, eds. (Eugene: Pickwick/Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2011.)

“Apocalypse Patchwork: Finding Lost Scraps of the Ancient Eastern Interpretation of the Apocalypse Preserved in the Commentary of Andrew of Caesarea.” In Exegesis and Hermeneutics in the Churches of the East. Vahan Hovanessian, ed. (New York: Peter Lang, 2009.)

“The View From Here: How Differences in Orthodox and Catholic Mindset Impact Efforts Toward Union.” Orientale Lumen X 2006 Conference Proceedings: Church Unity Before 2054? (Fairfax, VA: Eastern Christian Publications, 2009.)

Copyright © 2016 - Franciscan School of Theology - All rights reserved.
Web Design by Jacob Tyler
;