Adoption of Western Four-Sense Biblical Hermeneutics by Ukrainian Baroque Literature

Nataliia Levchenko,Olena Liamprekht,Maryna Povar,Olena Chukhno

doi:10.34069/ai/2020.31.07.16

Abstract

The study outlines general principles of biblical hermeneutics influence on the poetics of Ukrainian baroque prose. The Bible perceived by ancient writers as a collection of sacred books written by the Holy Spirit through the mediation of hagiographers is full of metaphors, comparisons, allegories and parables that needed clarification. Biblical hermeneutics developed rules for the Bible exegesis in order to avoid false variants of interpreting the Scripture. The four-sense method of biblical hermeneutics borrowed from Western Catholic tradition helped to avoid controversial interpretation of the Holy Scripture. The immersion of Ukrainian baroque literature into the biblical domain caused its paraphrasing nature and created conditions for the development of the four-sense hermeneutics as the structure of the poetics of Ukrainian baroque prose. Principles of biblical hermeneutics, having become a monolithic core of the form and content of authors’ texts, eventually began to go beyond the actual theological literature into the field of secular arts.

Highlights

The four-sense model of biblical hermeneutics played an important role in the development of Ukrainian baroque literature
The synthesis of western, eastern and ancient traditions in applying biblical hermeneutics by Ukrainian baroque literature was caused by a specific teaching of academic subjects with the use of polemics in Kyiv-Mohyla Academy «which was alma mater of Ukrainian scholars and artists and alumni who made a substantial contribution to the science and culture of Poland, Russia, Germany and other countries». (Sumtsov, 1884) stated that teaching theology inevitably acquired polemic character under the influence of the religious controversies which concerned the Southwestern Krai (р. 6)
In church the word ‘homily’ began to denote a sermon delivered by presbyters who wholeheartedly explained the contents of Scripture without complicating the matters too much (Sulyma, 2018, p. 55) and the school theology propagated ‘quadruple’ exegesis of Holy Scripture, according to which the literal sense presupposed the direct reading of the Bible, the allegorical one revealed the notions, in which a human being had to believe, the anagogical sense embodied people’s hopes for the hereafter and the moral one taught the laws they should observe in their mortal life

Summary

Introduction

The four-sense model of biblical hermeneutics played an important role in the development of Ukrainian baroque literature. Allegorical, moral and anagogical method of interpreting the Bible, it mainly appealed to the spiritual sense of the Scripture which was hidden behind verbal signs, considering it to be the closest one to absolute truth. This model has been partially studied by many Ukrainian and foreign literary critics with various methodological and ideological stances such as B. This model has been partially studied by many Ukrainian and foreign literary critics with various methodological and ideological stances such as B. Krysa (1997), Z. Lanovyk (2006), N. Levchenko (2018a, 2018b, 2019a, 2019b); O. Liamprekht (2006, 2007, 2016); O. Matushek (2000, 2013); V. Sulyma (1998, 2006); M. Sulyma (2006), D. Chyzhevskyi (1934, 1991, 2003); L. Ushkalov (1993, 1994, 1997, 1998 а, 1998 b, 1999 а, 1999 b, 2011, 2014, 2016), etc

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Conclusion