An editorial project devoted to the texts of the Christian East

The Paterikon Project prepares and disseminates critical editions, scholarly translations, and annotated reading editions of patristic, ascetic, hagiographic, and liturgical writings from the Greek, Syriac, Slavonic, Coptic, and Latin traditions.

Established in 2019 as an independent editorial collaboration of scholars based primarily in the Netherlands and Greece, the Project addresses what we consider a persistent gap in accessible scholarly editions of the Eastern Christian textual corpus. Many essential works remain available only in nineteenth-century editions, in rare and difficult-to-obtain volumes, or — for Slavonic and Syriac texts in particular — in entirely untranslated form.

Our editorial work proceeds slowly and deliberately. We do not aspire to a comprehensive corpus, nor to compete with the great editorial enterprises of Sources Chrétiennes, the CSEL, or the Corpus Christianorum. Rather, we work on individual texts where a discrete contribution seems possible: a fresh translation where the existing one is dated; a partial critical edition based on a small group of manuscripts neglected by earlier editors; a reading edition with a modest scholarly apparatus, useful for students and researchers without access to a full critical text.

How the library is organised

Texts in the library are catalogued by tradition, period, genre, and editorial status. Each volume entry includes original-language text (where applicable), an English translation, a critical or descriptive introduction, and footnotes addressing textual and historical questions. Readers will note that a substantial portion of the catalogue is marked as in preparation or forthcoming; this reflects the deliberate pace at which scholarly editorial work proceeds, and the small scale of our team.

The full library is available to members. A representative selection of sample volumes is open to all visitors, including complete reading editions of several short patristic treatises and selections from longer works. Visitors are encouraged to consult these samples before considering membership.

Recent additions

• 14 May 2026

  Maximus the Confessor — Ambigua to Thomas, fascicle II

  Continuation of the bilingual reading edition begun in 2025, with the introduction to the second epistle and the first six aporiai. Translated by Dr Bălescu, with notes by Dr Berghuis.

• 2 May 2026

  Jacob of Serugh — Homily on the Veil of Moses, complete

  First English translation of the complete homily from Bedjan's edition, with Syriac text en regard. Preface and notes by Hieromonk Photios.

• 19 April 2026

  Symeon the New Theologian — Hymns of Divine Love, hymns 17–24

  Continuation of the working translation of the Hymni divini amoris. The notes engage particularly with the relation between the imagery of light in Symeon and that of Pseudo-Macarius.

All updates →