“Rightly proclaim the word of Thy truth” [ὀρθοτομοῦντα τον λόγον τῆς σῆς ἀληθείας]. How can the bishop “cut” the word of truth?

The expression “rightly proclaim the word of Thy truth” from the formula of the Eucharistic ascension of the Bishop's name is one of the most difficult to understand and difficult to translate in Orthodox worship. The paper studies the history of the verb ὀρθοτομέω using and its equivalents in religious dictionaries of different peoples, shedding light on the true meaning of the formula under consideration. The author of the paper finds parallels between the verb ὀρθοτομέω and the “cutting of the Covenant” in the religions and cults of Near Asia, particularly in the Biblical religion, and also concludes the “priestly” interpretation of the Bishop's ministry in the Second Epistle of St. Paul to Timothy.