Analysis of Biblical Quotations as a Key to Identifying Patristic Sources
Analysis of Biblical Quotations as a Key to Identifying Patristic Sources

Summary/Abstract: Slavic philology currently lacks a reliable tool for the systematic and comprehensive identification of patristic quotations in original texts. This study highlights the frequent occurrence of biblical citations among patristic authors, emphasizing their distinct form, meaning, and exegetical context. These features can serve as clues for researchers using modern patristic text databases such as Thesaurus Linguae Graecae. Based on empirical analysis of homiletic material, five heuristic scenarios are presented, ranked from most to least indicative: (1) a particular textual variant, (2) a unique abbreviation, (3) a specific sequence of quotations, (4) distinctive exegesis of individual phrases, and (5) a characteristic exegetical context within the patristic tradition. Corroboration through additional methods remains necessary. Using this approach, quotations from Gregory of Nazianzus, Severian of Gabala, Ephrem the Syrian, Cyril of Alexandria, and Dionysius the Areopagite were identified in a corpus of Slavic homilies. This contribution may serve as a methodological foundation for software development aimed at detecting patristic quotations in unanalyzed texts.

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