Avis de soutenance - doctorat - Barthélémy ENFREIN

Cyril of Alexandria's Homilies on Luke are the most extensive surviving homiletic cycle from late antiquity, and are the only complete series of sermons by the Alexandrian doctor to have survived. The text is transmitted in a highly fragmentary form in Greek and relies primarily on a Syriac version and fragments preserved in Greek exegetical catenae. This has long made a comprehensive study of these homilies difficult. This thesis presents the first Greek-Syriac critical edition of Cyril's first forty homilies on the Gospel of Luke, alongside the first French translation of these sermons. It provides a thorough interpretation of the work, considering philological, theological, and historical aspects. The bilingual approach, which combines Greek and Syriac sources, enables the text to be reconstructed with greater precision, allowing us to understand its full historical context. The research also sheds light on the composition context, the dating, and the literary genre, and internal organisation of the cycle. The analysis reveals that Cyril employs a linear, profoundly pastoral exegesis geared towards the moral edification of the faithful. It also highlights his approach to using the Scriptures and how he positions himself in relation to preceding Christian authors. Finally, the study of reception reveals the exceptional diffusion of these homilies: they were translated, quoted by other writers, incorporated into the liturgy, and included in catenae, circulating throughout the Greek and Syriac worlds for centuries. Thus, this thesis restores the full substance and significance of this important work, which is crucial for a better understanding of Cyril of Alexandria's thought and influence.