Biblical Metaphor Research Articles

Metaphors Realized in Narrative: A New Direction for Biblical Metaphor

ABSTRACTAn insight of Conceptual Metaphor Theory (CMT) is that metaphor is more than a mere literary device; it influences readers through cognitive connections. Yet biblical metaphors have most often been studied in poetic, theological contexts and within linguistic rhetorical devices like “YHWH is my shepherd.” In contrast, some of the most ideologically powerful metaphors are those that shape the Hebrew Bible's prose stories. These metaphors reify cultural constructs and experiences, making them seem “natural.” The study of realized metaphor—metaphor embodied as a literal narrative feature—offers a new pathway for applying CMT to narrative texts, even those without overt linguistic metaphors. This article surveys the history of realized metaphors in literary theory, then provides some brief examples of biblical texts where a CMT approach reveals metaphors embedded in the fabric of the narrative. It concludes with a challenge: how can we extend metaphor theory to the full range of biblical texts, poetry and prose alike, in order to understand how metaphor shapes human perception in the past and the present?

Writing based on the Bible: Rereading García Márquez's Eréndira

La increíble y triste historia de la Cándida Eréndira y de su abuela desalmada (1972) is an important middle grade novel by Marquez, and the biblical metaphors contained in the text have been neglected by critics. By employing Frye’s biblical archetypal criticism, a comparative analysis of the novel and the Bible reveals that Márquez’s text is imbued with central imagery from the metaphorical paradise of the Garden of Eden and the demonic imagery of Sodom and Gomorrah that adheres to the biblical framework of sin-punishment-redemption, which is fundamental to its structure. From the perspectives of imagery, characterization, narrative structure, and theme, the Bible emerges as the primary symbolic source and foundation of the text. Thus, Eréndira can be viewed as an allegory that employs the Bible as a metaphorical model. This analysis reveals the deeper thematic concerns and narrative artistry in Márquez’s work, highlighting the complex interplay between sin and redemption.

THE POETRY BY MYKHAILO OREST: IDEAS AND FIGURATIVE STRUCTURE

The paper explores the structure of Mykhailo Orest’s poetry, delving into its main elements such as concepts of time, forest, silence, and word, as well as the motives of eschatologism and reincarnation. It focuses on the ideological and aesthetic originality of Orest’s poetry, examining his views on the nature of language and the essence of art. The distinctive feature of Orest’s poetry is a metaphor of time that comprises various philosophical meanings, including the eschatological understanding of time as “the world of the night,” the era of “the departure of God,” and “the end of things” as opposed to the concept of “the eternal day.” Orest’s eschatological poetics is rooted in medieval imagery and biblical metaphors. His poetic vision of the Apocalypse combines motives and images of diverse meanings and origins. Orest’s pantheism is seen as growing from romantic aesthetics, primarily the works of German romantics. The poet’s pantheistic ideas find expressive reflection through the cult of the forest, the symbolism of trees, particularly the archetype of the world tree. They are also related to the myth of birth and death, interpreted in Orest’s poetry, and the motive of metamorphosis. Medieval mythology takes a special place in Orest’s poetic world. In particular, the poet reinterprets the myths of Grail, Parsifal, Lohengrin, and Tannhäuser. The creative thought of Mykhailo Orest was constantly in search — a romantic inclination towards the irrational to a conscious interest in the world of things and the establishment of a complex system of relationship with it.

Hortus Conclusus: A Mariological Symbol in Some Quattrocento Annunciations, According to Church Fathers and Medieval Theologians

This paper seeks to interpret the biblical metaphor of the hortus conclusus (closed garden) according to a Mariological projection, as presented iconographically in various Quattrocentro Annunciations. The author bases his interpretations on the exegesis developed by many Latin and Greek-Eastern Church Fathers and theologians, who considered this metaphorical expression of the Song of Songs to symbolize Mary’s virginal divine motherhood and perpetual virginity. Their textual interpretations of this doctrine helps elucidate the Mariological meaning in six Quattrocento paintings that include a more or less explicit “closed garden.” These six paintings present a closed garden as a visual metaphor illustrating the Mariological dogmas unveiled by the Church Fathers and theologians when explaining this biblical metaphor.

Генезис образов посева и жатвы в батальном тексте рубежа XVIII-XIX века

<p>The article deals with visual metaphors representing military events by analogy with labor actions related to the cultivation of the land and the harvest. The purpose of the study is to identify the literary genesis, semantic component and artistic potential of the images of the battle field and the battle in the battle text of the turn of the 18<sup>th</sup>-19<sup>th</sup> century. The material for the study was the works from the «Collection of Poems relating to the unforgettable year 1812», the poetic imagery of which is studied in comparison with biblical metaphors, the tradition of the Old Russian military narrative, classical batalistics. It is determined that, like the Old Russian military story, landscape details are included in the course of military events in the works from the «Collection...», that is why natural images form a significant layer of metaphorics of battle works, endow the poetic text with additional meanings through visual symbolism. It is proved that the visual metaphor with the core «field» and the images associated with it function in the «Collection...» as symbols and emblems associated with the expression of the opposition of war and peace, a visible representation of the victory won. The most frequent plant images in the battle text are fields symbolically associated with life, and gardens allegorically representing the world as paradise. The novelty of the research is seen in the expansion of ideas about the poetics of the visual in Russian literature by considering the mechanisms of visualization of the artistic image in the battle text of the early 19<sup>th</sup> century.</p>

BIBLICAL METAPHORS IN LEONARD COHEN’S SONG LYRICS

This article delves into Leonard Cohen’s use of biblical metaphors, particularly in his song “Hallelujah”. Authored by Dr. Irina Biskub and student Valentyna Tsap from Uzhhorod National University, the study focuses on Cohen’s biography, emphasizing the impact of his love life, religious imagery, and biblical references on his creativity.
 The scientific problem addressed centres on interpreting metaphors in Cohen’s songs, aiming to unveil the intricate tapestry of metaphorical language and deepen understanding of themes like love, redemption, and despair. The research contributes to musical analysis, literature, cultural studies, and theology, fostering interdisciplinary discourse on the convergence of art and spirituality.
 Referencing previous studies exploring Cohen’s use of biblical metaphors, the article distinguishes itself with a profound analysis, emphasizing the importance of metaphors in understanding various facets of Cohen’s work. The authors explore Cohen’s complex love life, highlighting its impact on his music and writing, drawing inspiration from personal experiences.
 The article provides an overview of Cohen’s musical career, emphasizing introspective themes resonating with a dedicated fan base. Cohen’s live performances, known for intimacy and emotional depth, contributed to his legendary status in the music industry.
 The central focus is on Cohen’s “Hallelujah”, analyzing its thematic depth and biblical references. The article explores the song’s historical context, drawing parallels to the Jewish experience and Cohen’s personal struggles with faith. It questions whether “Hallelujah” can be considered a Christian song, considering Cohen’s Jewish background. The analysis suggests that, despite biblical allusions, Cohen’s lyrics may not align strictly with a Christian interpretation.
 Concluding, the article summarizes Cohen’s significant contributions to music and literature, emphasizing the enduring impact on new generations. It calls for further research into the intricate use of biblical motifs in Cohen’s songwriting, exploring implications for understanding spirituality, love, and the human experience in his creative legacy. The text is now condensed to 214 words.

The biblical metaphors of sin: a cognitive-semantic perspective on the English version of the Bible

The biblical metaphors of sin: a cognitive-semantic perspective on the English version of the Bible

The Biblical Metaphor of “Governing as Shepherding” and Catholic Biopolitics in Medieval Icelandic Contexts

This paper studies the Old Icelandic use of the Biblical conceptual metaphor of “governing as shepherding”, based on projecting patterns of the practices of shepherding on the notion of governing. It examines the transfer of this conceptual metaphor to Old Icelandic literature through the reception of Christian literature, the frequency and chronology of occurrences of the linguistic realizations of this conceptual metaphor in different textual genres and periods of Old Icelandic literature, and the possible lineages of texts’ transmission that might have enabled the cultural transfer of this conceptual metaphor from Latin to Old Icelandic. On the theoretical basis of Michel Foucault’s governmentality theory, the emergence of the discourse of pastoral power over human life in Old Icelandic literature is correlated with the development of specific biopolitical practices of governance regarding the protection of human life applied by the Catholic Church in medieval Iceland.

Against the glare. On Yulia Krylova’s Against the White Background [Na fone belogo

A review of the first book by the Moscow-based poet Yulia Krylova, Against the White Background [Na fone belogo] (2022). The critic considers the book’s principal motifs in the context of Biblical metaphors and decodes hidden meanings of Krylova’s ‘messages.’ Along with Brodsky, Mandelstam and other celebrities traditionally referenced by modern poets, they are addressed to Krylova’s contemporary fellow poets. Also discussed is the mixed critical reception of Krylova’s lyrical collection: while some reviewers emphasise its metaphysical quality, others notice Krylova’s extensive use of such hallmarks of modern lifestyle as a 3G network and friends’ and lovers’ online profiles, etc. Batalov argues, however, that Krylova’s unique style results from an unconventional approach to combining modern realia with metaphysical phenomena: not only does it pair the minutiae of quotidian existence with metaphysical and Biblical elements; it shows them to complement each other like two different languages used to describe the same phenomenon.

Newborn Babies and Nursing Jesus (1 Peter 2:2-3): The Petrine Metaphor’s Disruption of Patriarchal Renderings of God and the Child

In 1 Peter 2 the author utilizes a curious metaphor: “Like newborn infants, long for the pure, spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow into salvation–if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good” (2.2-3). When this metaphor is disentangled from Pauline and patriarchal assumptions, it can be recognized on its own terms. This article demonstrates that here, despite repetitive obfuscation, the author invites Jesus communities to imagine themselves as newborn babies who nurse from Christ Jesus. Significant implications unfold from this first-century metaphor. While stubbornly resisted for centuries, the implications of the biblical metaphor of nursing from Jesus continue to flow with provocative challenge and sustenance.

Gastronomic Aesthetics of a French Catholic Missionary during the Japanese Occupation of Malaya

Much has been written about British accounts of colonial Malaya from the perspective of travellers, explorers, novelists, historians and many more. Much also exists on the Malaysian responses to life under the Japanese Occupation. Yet there is a lacuna on scholarship on other European communities that existed alongside the British in Malaya. This paper traces the French oeuvre of the Japanese Occupation of Malaya, especially within the context of food and religiosity. Focusing on a diary written by a French Catholic missionary in Malaya during the Japanese Occupation, it interrogates the aspect of Catholic gastronomic aesthetics through the concepts of the imaginary of incorporation as well as biblical metaphors of commensality. In so doing, the paper presents a different and novel angle to existing conversations on European networks of knowledge production on colonial Malaya, especially within the context of food and colonialism, revealing that not all frameworks of the operations of European colonialism are the same. It also significantly intervenes into and alters the vestiges of a colonial palate that has heretofore remained predominantly British through the foregrounding of a French Catholic cultural perspective that perceptibly adds its own distinct flavour.

Biblical Metaphors and Symbols in the Eurasian Articles of P. N. Savitsky (1921-1922)

Biblical Metaphors and Symbols in the Eurasian Articles of P. N. Savitsky (1921-1922)

Hortus Conclusus—A Mariological Metaphor in Some Renaissance Paintings of the Annunciation in the Light of Medieval Liturgical Hymns

This article seeks to shed light on the doctrinal meanings of the closed garden included in some Renaissance paintings of the Annunciation. To justify the iconographic interpretations that we will give of these paintings, we will base them on the analysis of many medieval liturgical hymns that poetically designate the Virgin Mary through the metaphorical expression hortus conclusus (closed garden) with which the Husband or Bridegroom requisites the Wife or Bride in the Song of Songs. We will divide our article into two parts as a strategy for analysis. First, we will analyze an extensive series of fragments of liturgical hymns that repeatedly praise Mary through this biblical metaphor. In the second part, we will examine some artistic representations of the Annunciation that, in the Italian Renaissance, depict a closed garden in the scene. From this double comparative analysis, textual and iconic, we will conclude that, in direct and essential correlation, those hymnic texts and those paintings clearly illustrate that the hortus conclusus is an eloquent symbol of the virginal divine motherhood of Mary and her perpetual virginity, as well as the excellence and fullness of her supernatural virtues and privileges.

Религиозная концептосфера современного политического дискурса в Латинской Америке

This article analyses the use of religious connotations in the political discourse of Latin America. The study of such cases confirms the hypothesis that two simultaneous processes are taking place: politicization of the Catholic Church and clericalization of politics in the region. The paper aimed to scrutinize the use of elements of religious discourse as a tool for suggestive and manipulative influence on the voters within the political discourse. Empathy and speech manipulation in the considered examples are based on the use of presuppositional knowledge, which includes the religious aspect. Appeals to the religious feelings of the addressees of a discursive message through biblical metaphors, allusions and quotations are explained by the religious and ethnic specificity of the region. Linguistic and, more broadly, discursive means, together with the extralinguistic design of political speeches, change the authorship of the statement, assigning it to higher powers, thereby making the voter vulnerable to political suggestion. There is a growing interest in the study of verbal and extralinguistic means of manipulation used during election campaigns today. Due to the large amount of information, circumstances of communication and characteristics of its participants, we need to turn to the discourse approach determining the vector of speech development of a political figure.

Моделирование специфики эмоционального восприятия интернет-текстов на рус-ском языке русско-тувинскими билингвами в сопоставлении с русскими монолингвами : опыт экспериментального исследования

This article analyses the use of religious connotations in the political discourse of Latin America. The study of such cases confirms the hypothesis that two simultaneous processes are taking place: politicization of the Catholic Church and clericalization of politics in the region. The paper aimed to scrutinize the use of elements of religious discourse as a tool for suggestive and manipulative influence on the voters within the political discourse. Empathy and speech manipulation in the considered examples are based on the use of presuppositional knowledge, which includes the religious aspect. Appeals to the religious feelings of the addressees of a discursive message through biblical metaphors, allusions and quotations are explained by the religious and ethnic specificity of the region. Linguistic and, more broadly, discursive means, together with the extralinguistic design of political speeches, change the authorship of the statement, assigning it to higher powers, thereby making the voter vulnerable to political suggestion. There is a growing interest in the study of verbal and extralinguistic means of manipulation used during election campaigns today. Due to the large amount of information, circumstances of communication and characteristics of its participants, we need to turn to the discourse approach determining the vector of speech development of a political figure.

Articulating the atonement: Methodology and metaphor in atonement theology

AbstractDoctrines of the atonement have tended either to elevate the status of one biblical metaphor or to gather together various metaphors into a unified concept or chorus of equal metaphors. The purpose of this article is to shed light on how the biblical metaphors function, using by way of reference the contrasting interpretations of Charles Hodge and Joel Green, who tend towards opposing theories of language based on naïve realism and idealism respectively. Drawing on the work of Colin Gunton, I recommend a mediating approach based on a critical realist theory of language which aims to steer a middle course between rationalism and relativism. Such an approach, which values the epistemic and revelatory potential of metaphors, is facilitated by a more integrative theological method with respect to scripture, reason, tradition and experience.

A repentant sinner: representing the self in Nikephoros Ouranos’ catanyctic alphabet

For Byzantines, catanyctic poetry offered a rich source of models for self-representation. In this paper I analyse the poetic strategies and literary motifs through which Nikephoros Ouranos (tenth–eleventh century) shaped the self in his catanyctic alphabet. In particular, I will focus on the intertextual strategies employed by Ouranos in order to model the catanyctic self, such as the identification with scriptural sinners, and the presence of biblical metaphors.

ІНТЕРТЕКСТУАЛЬНІСТЬ ЯК ДЖЕРЕЛО ЕМОЦІОНАЛІЗАЦІЇ ДИСКУРСУ ТА МОВНИХ ІННОВАЦІЙ

The article is focused on the pragmatic potential of intertextuality in news headlines on the Russian-Ukrainian war in Ukrainian religious media, based on the materials of the websites "Religious Information Service of Ukraine", "Catholic Observer", "Religious Truth", "Spiritual Front of Ukraine", published from the end of February to the beginning of May 2022. It has been established that intertext in the headlines enhances the emotionality of the communicative message in order to shape the intended emotional reaction of the audience to Russian aggression. Intertextual units perform the function of polarizing discourse, increasing the effect of the negative image of the aggressor country and its church leaders, on the one hand, and positive representation of the Ukrainian people in its struggle for freedom, on the other hand. Common sources of intertextuality in religious media are the Bible, historical events, figures and phenomena, works of art, mythological creatures, slogans and mythologemes, the relationship with which emotionalizes communication and enhances the persuasive influence on the recipient by stimulating predictable associations with the source text or symbol. In covering Russian aggression, religious media speakers use biblical apocalyptic images and metaphors, allusions to the suffering of Jesus Christ, the stories of Cain and Abel, David and Goliath. Intertextual units that are originally political slogans or ideologemes, such as the "Russian world" and "protection of the Orthodox", are reappropriated in Ukrainian religious media discourse with the purpose of their discrediting. The article also explores the potential of intertextuality in the field of neologization. Some intertextual phenomena from the fields of fiction and history have given rise to linguistic innovations, such as "orcs" and "ruscism", thus revealing a productive way of neologism formation based on intertextual connections with previous texts and cultural phenomena. The article outlines further prospects of the study of emotional reaction of the religious media addressee to intertext-featuring headlines with the involvement of experimental psycholinguistic and corpus methods.

Парадоксы советского дискурса 30-х годов: от библейской метафоры к идеологеме вождя

The study first raised the question of using biblical metaphors in the process of establishing Soviet ideology and creating a cult of the leader of the Soviet people. Authors tested the story “Blizzard” by Georgian writer Shalva Dadiani in the context of Georgian cultural mentality and studied the ideology function of the biblical metaphor “The Pillar of Light” in the discourse of Georgian Soviet prose. An analysis of the text proved that in Georgian culture, the basic concepts-metaphors of Christian Doctrine were an effective weapon of Soviet propaganda. At Bible the “The Pillar of Fire”, “The Pillar of Cloud” and “The Pillar of Light” are theophany – the manifestations of the presence of the God. The biblical metaphor transformed into an ideology representation of the Soviet Leader and in the text of the Shalva Dadiani this is an allegory of the New Messiah – Stalin. As a result, with the help of biblical metaphors were formed a new ideological concept (the Soviet leader is the Messiah of the New Doctrine) and the new metaphorical model of Soviet reality. Thus, by transferring the basic values of the traditional Christian conceptual sphere to the Soviet ideological one, a new ideological concept is created and a new metaphorical model of Soviet reality is formed. This achieved a double goal: the inviolability of the Soviet ideologeme was confirmed on an emotional level, and at the same time the respect and trust in the Church that had been carried for many generations was undermined – it was transferred to the new teaching and its adherents.

Rediscovering a Biblical and Early Patristic View of Atonement through Orthodox–Evangelical Dialogue

One of the most effective ways to discover (or rediscover) truth is through dialogue. I believe that both Orthodox and Evangelicals have something important to offer for a reconstruction of a holistic biblical concept of atonement. Orthodox theology has an important perspective to offer, which is not well-known in Western theology—an ontological perspective on atonement. However, Orthodox theologians have lacked assertiveness, clarity, and comprehensiveness in their presentation of this view, especially in connection with biblical texts. In Protestant theology, we can find many critiques of inadequate existing views as well as in-depth biblical study of separate atonement ideas, but what is lacking is a holistic concept of atonement that would be able to harmoniously integrate various biblical atonement metaphors and also faithfully reflect the early patristic view. I believe that an ontological perspective on atonement combined with the integration of key biblical atonement ideas and metaphors can bring us back to the heart of the apostolic and early church gospel message. Several issues have hindered accomplishing such a project in the past. I will point to these problems and show some possible solutions. Finally, I will present the ontological perspective and show how it can integrate various biblical atonement metaphors.