SVOTS grants emeritus status to two retired professors
Saint Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary [SVOTS] is pleased to announce the honoring of two recently retired and distinguished professors, Archpriest Dr. Paul Nadim Tarazi and Dr. Paul Meyendorff. The seminary’s Board of Trustees has bestowed the title of “Professor Emeritus” on both Fr. Paul and Dr. Meyendorff in recognition of their many years of outstanding service to the Seminary and the Orthodox Church.
“Father Paul Tarazi and Dr. Paul Meyendorff have given so much of their lives to Saint Vladimir’s and its alumni,” said Archpriest David Barr, Chair of SVOTS Alumni Association. “They have inspired so many of our clergy and laity as professors at Saint Vladimir’s. They have taught priests, bishops, and laity throughout North America. We all owe them a debt of gratitude for their service to Christ and His Church.”
Father Paul served as a professor at Saint Vladimir’s Seminary for more than 40 years before his retirement in 2014. He taught courses in Old and New Testament, Biblical Hebrew and Greek, and Academic Arabic. Father Paul also taught at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology, Brookline, MA and at Saint John of Damascus Institute, Balamand, Lebanon. A well-known scholar and speaker, Father Paul’s many publications include the three-volume Old Testament Introduction [SVS Press], four-volume New Testament Introduction [SVS Press/ OCABS Press], and numerous scholarly articles. Most recently, he authored The Rise of Scripture [OCABS Press].
“I am thankful to Fathers Alexander Schmemann and John Meyendorff for having invited me in 1976 to teach scripture and scriptural languages at Saint Vladimir’s Seminary,” said Father Paul. “Their offer presented me with a golden opportunity to teach many generations of Orthodox leaders in those fields.”
Dr. Meyendorff was the Father Alexander Schmemann Professor of Liturgical Theology at SVOTS from 1997 to 2016 and is an alumnus [SVOTS Class of 1975]. He also served as Academic Dean and as Associate Editor at Saint Vladimir’s Seminary [SVS] Press. Currently, he retains his position as Editor of Saint Vladimir’s Theological Quarterly, a position he has held for more than 15 years. Dr. Meyendorff remains active in ecumenical work, and has participated in the Faith and Order Commission of both the National Council of Churches and the World Council of Churches. He is also an advisor to the Office of External Affairs and Interchurch Relations of the Orthodox Church in America. He is the author of several articles and books, including from SVS Press Russia, Ritual, and Reform: The Liturgical Reforms of Nikon in the 17th Century; the Orthodox Liturgical Series study The Anointing of the Sick, a translation of The Service of the Anointing of the Sick; and a translation, introduction, and commentary of On the Divine Liturgy by Saint Germanus of Constantinople.
“Saint Vladimir’s has from its beginning stood in the vanguard of Orthodoxy in the West, and I am grateful to have been a part of that tradition since my childhood, as an altar boy in the chapel with Father Schmemann, as a member of the choir during my high school years, as a seminarian, and finally as a professor for many years. It is a glorious tradition, and one I hope endures for generations to come,” said Dr. Meyendorff.
Archpriest Chad Hatfield, SVOTS President, was pleased to see the honoring of the two professors move forward as the Seminary works on revisions of its bylaws.
“Even with the revisions of the seminary’s bylaws leaving sections suspended, it was important that we not delay the granting of Professor Emeritus status to these two distinguished professors,” he said.