Der Schatten des Heiligen Geistes. Metaphorologische Erkundungsgänge durch mittelalterliche Textwelten

Abstract

How can we speak of the transcendental God with the limited possibilities of language? In religious texts of the Middle Ages the verb-metaphor overshadow and the noun-metaphor cloud are frequently used to describe the force and being of the Holy Spirit. In the Annunciation scene, Mary is depicted as being overshadowed by God’s Spirit (Lk. 1,35). In addition, based on patristic exegesis, mediaeval preachers identify the cloud on mount Tabor with the Holy Spirit (Mt. 17,5). This paper discusses both metaphors with regard to their historical development and literary significance. While the first part analyses the semantics of (to) overshadow concerning the presentation of the Annunciation scene in the Middle High German Marienleben, the second part focuses on the integration and transformation of the cloud-metaphor in mediaeval sermons on Pentecost. The investigation of the history of these two metaphors provides references to aspects of religious belief which are otherwise difficult to trace due to their ties to culture and their historical alterity.