Nicolas Cernokrak

This article examines the practice and theory of Scripture reading in Symeon the New Theologian (949-1022), a major figure of Byzantine spirituality. The author adopts an exegetical and theological study approach, analyzing the way in which Symeon conceives access to the meaning of sacred texts. The central idea is that, for Symeon, authentic understanding of Scripture is inseparable from personal spiritual experience and the action of the Holy Spirit within the believer: the letter of the text can only be fully grasped through an inner transformation of the reader. On the theological level, the article highlights the specificity of Symeon's hermeneutics within the Eastern patristic tradition, emphasizing the close link it establishes between exegesis, ascesis and mystical theology, thereby contributing to a better understanding of the Orthodox approach to the Word of God.

This article examines the exegetical approach of Olivier Clément, a major figure in twentieth-century French-language Orthodox theology. Father Nicolas Cernokrak, Dean of the Saint-Serge Institute, offers an analytical study of the way in which Clément approached the reading of Holy Scripture. The central idea is that his exegesis does not belong to a classical academic method, but is rooted in an articulation between lived spiritual experience and illumination by the Holy Spirit, heir to the patristic tradition. The article thus sheds light on a hermeneutical approach that reconciles intellectual rigor and mystical dimension, characteristic of Orthodox theology. On the theological level, this contribution offers elements for understanding the Orthodox reception of Scripture and the place occupied therein by the interior life as a condition for an authentic interpretation of the biblical text.