Archpriest Alexander Rentel, a 1995 M.Div. graduate of St Vladimir's, finished his doctoral dissertation under the direction of Fr. Robert Taft, SJ, at the Pontifical Oriental Institute in Rome in January 2004. Prior to coming to St Vladimir's as a professor, Fr. Alexander was a 2000-2001 Junior Fellow in Byzantine Studies at Dumbarton Oaks, Washington, D.C. He has taken numerous research trips to Greece, Italy, and France. He was ordained to the priesthood in July 2001. He and his wife, Nancy (née Homyak, M.Div. 1995) are the proud parents of three children, Dimitrios, Maria, and Daniel.

 

Educational Background

• B.A., The Ohio State University
• M.Div., St Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary
• Doctor in Scientiis Ecclesiaticis Orientalibus, Pontifical Oriental Institute

Teaching Interests

• Canon Law
• Church History
• Liturgics

Current Projects and Research Interests

I am interested in the interpretation and application of canon law. I am in the midst of considering various questions on the status of those outside the canonical limits of the Church. I am working slowly on a book on the so-called Diataxis of Philotheos Kokkinos and another on the Diataxis of Dimitrios Gemistos.

Recent Courses Taught at SVOTS

• New Testament Greek
• Oriental Liturgies
• The History of the Liturgy of St John Chrysostom
• Ecclesiology

Selected Publications

• “The Canonical Tradition: Universal Primacy in the Orthodox Church,” Primacy in the Church: The Office of Primate and the Authority of Councils, Volume 2, ed., J. Chryssavgis, Crestwood, NY: Saint Vladimir’s Seminary Press (2016).
• “Where is God in the Liturgy?,” St Vladimir’s Theological Quarterly 59 (2015).

Recent Conference Presentations and Activities

• Offered retreat entitled "Beholding the beauty of the Lord: What we do when we do liturgy,” Kimisis tis Theotokou, Southampton, NY, March 1-3 2016
• Participated in meeting of Orthodox Scholars at the Ecumenical Patriachate, January 3-7 2016
• "The Case for an Interdisciplinary Study of the Sacred Arts," Sofia Institute Conference, New York, NY December 4 2015
• Represented the Orthodox Church of America (OCA) at the throne feast of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, concelebrating at the synodal liturgy with the Ecumenical Patriarch and members of the sacred synod, November 29-30 2015
• Offered retreat on the liturgical celebrations of the Nativity-Theophany season, Carolina Deanery clergy, Diocese of the South (OCA), Durham, NC, November 8-10 2015

Additional Certifications

• Intensive Russian Certificate, Middlebury College