Hagiographical Works Research Articles

Житие святого Трифона Вятского как исторический источник сведений о Перми Великой XVI-XVII веков

The article deals with the works of researchers, whose sphere of interest is the biography of the Russian saint, the Monk Tryphon of Vyatka – a monk of the Pyskor Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery, a hermit, the founder of the Dormition Monastery on the Chusovaya River and three monasteries on the Vyatka River. Special attention is paid to the analysis and interpretation of the peculiarities of ethnic history and migration processes that took place in the territory of the Kama region in the 1617th centuries with hagiographic works about Trifon of Vyatka, among which the leading place is occupied by the hagiography of the saint, written by an unknown monk of the Vyatka Trifon Monastery. Based on the saint's hagiography and other written sources, the authors describe his enlightenment activities in the Perm fiefdoms of the Stroganov salt producers, and trace Tryphon's desire to fulfil the ideal of a Godpleasing existence through his enlightenment pilgrimage in the Perm lands. The obtained results of the study of the texts of the hagiography of Tryphon of Vyatka may be of interest in the study, analysis and comparison of various historical stages of the formation of Perm the Great within the Russian state.

Философский диспут vs cостязание в навыках: к методам интерпретации латинской агиографии в древнеисландской «Саге о Клименте»

The Clemens saga is a biography of St. Clement of Rome, compiled in the 1220s from translations of two Latin hagiographical works, the Recogniciones and the Passio Sancti Climentis. The Old Norse author made the translation in accordance with the peculiarities of the “saga” style: he changed the narrative modus, added didactic comments on Latin book culture, and used motifs and elements from Scandinavian folk literature. In addition, the Clemens saga is almost devoid of the philosophical and dogmatic Christian discourses that characterize the Recollections. One of such episodes altered in content is the philosophical contest between Faustinianus and his three sons - Aquila, Nikita and Clement, touching upon important questions of being from a Christian position and refuting epistemological views. In the Clemens saga this plot takes the form of a contest in the Seven Liberal Arts between Faustinianus and Clement, caused by a misunderstanding of the consubstantial nature of the almighty God. Despite the fact that a contest in skills or a duel is a frequent plot in Scandinavian sagas and poetry, comparing their structure and literary motifs with the Clemens saga, we can conclude that the author, interpreting the original, does not rely on examples from his own popular culture. Instead, he turns to Latin secular literature, turning the philosophical disputation into a contest in the Seven Liberal Arts, which are rarely found in the saga corpus. By combining methods of interpretation with reliance on Latin secular and religious or Scandinavian folk literature, the scribe not only influences the structure and style of the text, but also its content.

The Practice of Lenten Solitude in the <em>Lives</em> of Cyril of Scythopolis

In his hagiographical works Cyril of Scythopolis described an annual practice during which a select number of monks would leave their monasteries for the solitude of the surrounding desert for the period of Lent. This article examines the appearance and use of this unique monastic practice within the literary context of late antique Palestinian monasticism. Rather than being widely adopted as some scholarship has suggested, the practice of Lenten solitude was primarily used by the abbots of the Judean Desert as a method to temporarily achieve hesychia, stillness and solitude. Within Cyril’s narratives spiritually advanced monks continually sought more reclusive forms of asceticism for the sake of heyschia by limiting their contact with other individuals by enclosing themselves in a cell or fleeing the region entirely. The administrative and temporal duties expected of monastic leaders prevented their engagement with these practices. I argue that Lenten solitude provided abbots the temporary opportunity to engage with their desired ascetic praxis without abandoning their monastic institutions and positions as leaders. This reveals the continued interplay between institutionalized monasticism, with its connections to the imperial church, and the internally focused ascetic goals of spiritual perfection which remained at the heart of the monastic way of life in sixth-century Palestine.

Иудейская тема в позднеантичной галльской литературной традиции

The article examines the question of how and why the topic of Jews was raised in the Gallic Christian literature of the VI–VII centuries, what image of Jews in the minds of readers was formed by stories whose heroes were Jews, what forms of relations between Christians and Jewish people were consolidated on the basis of literary examples. The main sources are the works of Gregory of Tours, Venantius Fortunatus, as well as anonymous hagiographic works of the VII century. The article is written within the framework of intellectual and new cultural history, in order to obtain adequate conclusions, the authors analyze the language and textual features of narratives. The article shows that the Jewish theme was not independent in either the historical or hagiographic literature of late Antique Gaul, while addressing it allowed late Antique authors to give the reader an understanding of what place Jews occupy in Christian society, and what are the boundaries of relations with them. In particular, it is shown that the Jews were perceived within the framework of the history of Salvation as "sheep of another fold", a source of tension. The sense of danger emanating from them was reinforced in the minds of readers thanks to the anti-Jewish rhetoric. Jews in the eyes of the reader of late Antiquity should have been associated with unbelief, deception, disobedience; they should have caused physical rejection and disgust, they are associated with darkness, blood, and a stench emanates from them. At the same time, since these "others" within the framework of the history of Salvation should become part of the Lord's fold, late Antique literature actively uses the image of a worthy shepherd who devotes himself to preaching the Gospel to Jews and who, by the power of words or miracles, brings them into the bosom of the Church.

The role of Acharya Madhva’s pilgrimages for the Mādhvas of Udupi

In Hinduism, pilgrimage (Sanskrit: तीर्थयात्रा, tīrtha-yātrā) is a fundamental element in the lives of devotees. Pilgrimage as an integral part of religious life is used by the followers of Hinduism as a process which promotes spiritual progress. There are many places of pilgrimage in India, as it has very rich spiritual traditions. For Mādhvas of Udupi, tīrtha-yātrās is also an undivisible part of their spiritual life. There are a few academic works (e. g. B. N. K. Sharma “The Philosophy of Madhvacharya” and “History of the Dvaita School of Vedanta and its Literature”, Vasudeva Rao “Living traditions in Contemporary Context: The Madhva Matha of Udupi”) about the ethnographic peculiarities of the Mādhva Vaiṣṇava Sampradaya , such as the description of pilgrimage practice in Madhva tradition. Acharya Madhva’s pilgrimages to Badrinath and other holy places were discussed historically by scholars, but there isn’t study on its influence and role in religious culture for the Mādhvas of Udupi. For this article the study of Narayana Panditacharya’s hagiographic work called "Madhva Vijaya" which is about the life of Madhvācārya gives an opportunity to comprehend the peculiarities of the pilgrimage practice of Madhva and it’s cultural aspects for Mādhvas of Udupi.

Правовые реалии золотоордынского Крыма глазами иностранных современников

The article is an analysis of specific status of the Crimea as a part of the Golden Horde and as it was reflected in the contemporary sources: notes of travelers, diplomats, merchants, missionaries, etc., correspondence of rulers, historical chronicles and hagiographic works based the information of eye-witnesses. Despite of the fact that the Crimean Peninsula was an integral part of the Golden Horde, its specific position, including the structure of population, international trade relations and the interest of the foreign states, caused the series of specific features in the legal regulations of different groups of inhabitants. The system of authorities in Crimea, taking into account the position of some cities (such as Sudak or Caffa), is observed as well as religious policy of khans towards different confessions, specific taxes and duties. The author finds out that although the Crimean Peninsula was completely in the field of the Golden Horde political and legal regulations, khans needed to take into consideration its strategic position, national and confessional structure of the population and these peculiarities were reflected in the Crimean legal realities.

Identity Markers in the Georgian Narrative Sources of the Middle Centuries (Historical-Anthropological Analysis)

The Article deals with the issue of revealing the identity definingmarkers in the Georgian narrative sources of the middle centuries(“The Life of Georgians” and hagiographic works). Main characteristics,considered to be important according to the Georgianhistorical material from the points of view of determining “us”group belonging and identifying distinctness of one ethnicity fromthe other ones, have been highlighted. The point of view statingthat the identified markers are in compliance with the attributiveand interactive paradigms of ethnicity, has been expressed.

Огляд джерел до історії францисканських місій на Русі в ХІІІ – першій третині XV ст.

The purpose of the article is the historical and archeographic analysis of the main group of written sources for the study of Franciscan missions in Rus` in the 13th – the fi rst third of the 15th century. Th e research methodology involves the application of the principles of scientifi c objectivity and historicism, a civilizational approach and non-legalism, which made it possible to study the problem without ideological or religious bias. During the studies, general scientifi c methods were used: logical, structural, classifi cation, statistics, as well as special meth- ods of historical science: comparative, systematic, chronological. Th e scientifi c novelty consists in the source-scientifi c analysis of a group of written monuments in order to reproduce as fully as possible the missionary activity of the Order of Friars Minor (lat. Ordo Fratrum Minorum, hereinaft er – OFM), refl ected in the political, social, economic and cultural life of Rus` in the 13th – the fi rst third of the 15th centuries . Conclusions. Th e source base of the research consists of a complex of various types, mostly published documents, which will require a comprehensive critical analysis in the future. Th e main body of sources of the proposed topic are archival and published documents, conventionally divided into act and narrative. Most of the act materials were published in archeographic publications of the 18th – 21st centuries. Th ese are mainly documents of a church and secular nature, narratives of minorites and “non-minorites” origin. Among descriptive sources, numerous Franciscan annals, chronicles, geographical, biographical and hagiographical works should be singled out, on the pages of which information about Rus` came through the empirical experience of the authors or people close to them. A signifi cant number of sources from the 16th to the 17th century, which oft en leaned towards the “tradi- tion of the order,” should be critically examined. Despite the considerable number of diverse archeographical publications outlined in this source-based review, it is worth noting that similar studies on the history of Franciscan missionary work in Rus` of the 13th – the fi rst third of the 15th centuries. need constant heuristic attention and critical analysis, taking into account the well-known “traditions” and “legends” of the order.

Incest and the Maintenance of Episcopal Consensus in the Vita s. Albini

Abstract: Usually dated among the earliest of Venantius Fortunatus's hagiographical works, the Vita s. Albini describes a dispute between Bishop Albinus of Angers and his episcopal colleagues at an ecclesiastical council. At the council, the saintly bishop was forced to lift an order of excommunication that he had placed upon an unnamed layperson guilty of incest. While modern scholars occasionally have attempted to identify this event with known Gallo-Frankish councils of the mid-sixth century, the information supplied by the Vita does not, in fact, support a secure identification, leaving open the possibility that the confrontation took place at an otherwise-unknown council ca. 536/7–42. Further complicating previous efforts to contextualize the dispute has been a general neglect of the narrative's compositional context. Writing in the aftermath of a case of royal incest that occurred in late 567 c.e., Fortunatus seems to have had this specific case in mind in composing his narrative, utilizing a conflict by then safely in the past as a literary device to address a current and controversial problem: the pressure exerted by secular elites to divert bishops from their corporate moral imperatives. The hagiographer cast Albinus himself in a role analogous to that of Bishop Germanus of Paris, who recently had risked martyrdom in excommunicating King Charibert I, following a failed conciliar effort to convince the king to end his uncanonical marriage. Fortunatus thus explored through Albinus's experiences the real difficulties facing bishops who were expected as a consequence of their membership in a common ordo to serve as spiritual counselors to the powerful.

ЧУДО, МАГИЯ И РАННЕЕ ХРИСТИАНСТВО

The article describes the continuity between pagan and Christian views on miracle and magic and examines the dialogue about miracles that unfolded between them in the 2nd – 3rd centuries. The author explores such issues as the ancient Greek or Roman and Jewish traditions concerning sorcerers, the terms for describing miracle workers and sorcerers, evidence from early Christian literature of miracles in the Apostolic period and later, the role of miracles in the spreading of Christianity, and the controversy between Christians and pagans, especially Origen and Celsus, about the nature of the miracles performed by Christ and his followers. Special attention is paid to miracles in hagiographic works. They can be found in a number of texts, and their character — omens of imminent death, visions, the gift of the ability to endure torture — is “non-public”, which distinguishes them from what can be seen in the ancient writings or in apocryphal Acts of the Apostles. We believe that the appeal to miracles is more typical of texts addressed to an external pagan audience rather than to a Christian one.

EVENTS ON THE RIVER SIT’ (1238) IN THE CONTEXT OF THE RUSSIAN RULERS’ BEHAVIOR DURING THE INVASION OF BATU KHAN

Th e article examines the actions of grand prince Yuri Vsevolodo-vich of Vladimir on the river Sit’ and their descriptions in the early narrative of the chronicles about the invasion of Batu Khan. Th e aim of the study is to recon-struct the historical context in which prince Yuri and other rulers of Russian lands acted during the events of 1237–1241, and to reveal the attitude of the authors of chronicles and hagiographic works of the late 13th and early 14th centuries to the princes’ fl ight from the Tartars. Th e scholarly novelty of the research consists in the complex use of statistical and axiological methods. Th e author concludes that almost half of total number of Russian princes (18 out of 37) mentioned in the early narrative of the chronicles about the invasion either defi nitely escaped from the Tatars, or did so with a high probability. Th is allows us to believe the interpre-tation in the older version of the Novgorod First Chronicle, according to which Yuri Vsevolodovich also escaped from the Tatars and thus ended up on the River Sit’, where he was killed. Most likely, the princes’ fl ight itself was not a compromising circumstance in the eyes of their nearest descendants. Quite the contrary, the suc-cessful escape was perceived as God’s intercession and was extolled in every pos-sible way. However, Yuri’s case was special: unlike the overwhelming majority of princes who fl ed, he perished. As a result, the author of the Laurentian Chronicle, who set out to write a eulogy to the grand prince, had to create a rather contradic-tory picture of events, according to which Yuri Vsevolodovich allegedly was not going to escape, but, on the contrary, he was preparing to withstand the enemy on the river Sit’. And he revealed himself not as an experienced and courageous warrior, but as a martyr who, like saints Boris and Gleb, was ready for sacrifi cial slaughter and, like “new Job”, to meekly face the trials that came upon him.

La Vie de Sabas le Jeune et la Vie de Christophe et Macaire par Oreste de Jérusalem •

AbstractBased on the stratigraphic analysis of MS Vat. Gr. 2072, the oldest manuscript of the hagiographical works of the Jerusalem patriarch Orestes (the Life of Sabas the Younger and the Lives of Christopher and Macarius), this article focuses on the complex genesis of these hagiographies in the context of Orestes' biography, as well as in the broader framework of the relationship between Constantinople, the Caliphate, the Papacy, and Ottonian Rome in the 10th and 11th centuries.

The Early Patronage of the Cult of SS. Boris and Gleb

Abstract This paper examines the patronage of the cult of SS. Boris and Gleb through the reign of Volodimir Monomakh (r. 1113–1125) by using textual criticism, memory studies, and works on medieval Christian materiality. It revisits the chronology of the main texts on SS. Boris and Gleb (the Primary Chronicle, two hagiographical tales and Nestor’s Lesson concerning the life and murder of the saints); the Primary Chronicle contaminated the hagiographical works that were written under Monomakh. This textual analysis offers a new perspective on the patronage of the cult. There were many factors that stimulated the emergence of the cult in the 1070s, including the threat of nomadic raids, inter-princely conflicts, and the aspirations of clerical communities to enhance their spiritual glory, augment their wealth, and address issues of historical memory. The promotion of the cult was therefore a collective effort of the princely and clerical elites. Among the clerical promoters of the cult were the metropolitan’s see, monastic communities, and the local clergy in Smolensk and Vyshhorod. The patronage of the cult crossed institutional boundaries as different groups of patrons promoted their interests during the commemoration of the royal martyrs. Royalty sponsored the building and decoration of churches dedicated to the saints. The metropolitan’s see initiated the gathering of information on miracles performed by the saints, organised their liturgical commemoration, and used the cult for mediating princely politics. The cult was also affected by a revision of the memory of Iaroslav Volodimirovich (r. 1019–1054) during the reign of his grandson Volodimir Monomakh. As part of this revision, monastic hagiographers created stories about Iaroslav establishing and patronising the cult of the saints. The myth of Iaroslav’s patronage validated Monomakh’s commemorative activities and appealed to other descendants of Iaroslav as potential sponsors of the cult.

Предсказания и факти в едно известие от Беляковския летопис

The article examines a short extensive report in the 16th-century Belyakovets’ Chronicle (NLCM 309), which combines prophesies and facts. The information, which has not been a subject of a special study so far, tells of an eclipse and a comet as harbingers of the death of Prince Lazar Hrebeljanović in the battle of Kosovo. Some of the information is contained in other short chronicles but the prophesy is not derived from them. The note uses hagiographic works as a source, including the Lives of Lazar Hrebeljanović and of Stefan Lazarević. The supplement shows the attitude of the writer, who seeks to enrich the text and looks for the reasons for the described events. It is also a testimony to the dynamics of the Bulgarian-Serbian literary relations and to the respect for the Serbian saints, conceived as martyrs for the faith.

STEFAN PRVOVENČANI: PRVI SRPSKI KRALj I DRUGI SRPSKI BIOGRAF U RECEPTIVNOJ MISLI XX VEKA

In literary studies during the 20th century, special attention was paid to biographies, as the most important group of Serbian old literature. Old Serbian biographies, apart from belonging to hagiographic works, can be viewed as historic, which makes them the main monuments of the past. They contain data from both world and Serbian history, which is a valuable material for literary and artistic creativity. The literary work of the first Serbian king and the second Serbian biographer was studied in literary critiques of the 20th century. The character of the king, as well as his literary work, were established through the studies of literary critics who dealt with the king’s life and work: Pavle Popović, who was only interested in the king’s Life of Saint Simeon; Đorđe Trifunović and Dimitrije Bogdanović, who analyzed the king’s legal texts; Milan Kašanin, who noticed the ideological elements in Stefan’s description of his father’s life.

Concerning the Time of Creation of the Life of Antonius the Roman

The article analyzes the literary sources for the early East Slavic hagiographical works devoted to St. Antonius the Roman (†1147). The task of the study is to establish the relationships between the Life of Antonius the Roman, known in editions A and B, and the Panegyric of Antonius the Roman, also in two editions, in order to define the time of their creation. As a result of the study, it was found that the following works have the common sources: the preface to the Life in the edition A and the Panegyric in the edition A (the Panegyric of Sergius of Radonezh by Epiphanius the Wise), the Life in the edition A and the Life in the edition B (the Spiritual testament of Antonius the Roman), the Life in the edition A and the Panegyric in the edition B (the Panegyric of Philippus the Apostle), the Life in the edition B and the Panegyric in the edition B (the Life of Zosimas and Sabbatius of Solovki). On the basis of common sources of different works of the cycle and dating of the Panegyric in edition A to 1581–1582 and the Panegyric in edition B to 1582–1584, it is concluded that both the editions of the Life belong to the same author of the XVIth century,whose name is unknown for us.

К вопросу о теме бедности и достатка в позднесредневековом суфизме (по сведениям агиографического произведения «Ламахат мин нафахат ал-кудс» («Отблески от дуновения святости»)

t. The theme “the Muslim mystic and material wealth” is the most discussed in late medieval Maverannahr hagiographies of Muslim saints (manakib). From the first centuries of the emergence of Sufism, this theme, due to the spread of the excessive practice of asceticism among Muslim mystics, acquires a special sounding. In the initial period of Sufism's history, the cult of asceticism and disdain for material prosperity and family well-being acquired a special dimension among Sufis. However, throughout the Middle Ages, for various reasons and circumstances, Sufism gradually loses its inner spiritual charge, and such above-mentioned “spiritual feats” also lose their former significance. Although, in the late medieval period under our study Muslim mysticism to some extent still retained its original impulses (not only in theory, but also in practice), but in general its former spiritual and intellectual potential was already lost. This new phenomenon is revealed in particular in Sufism's attitude to the question of “poverty and material wealth,” where some Sufi sheikhs possessed enormous material wealth and had ways of passing it on to their descendants and cronies. In parallel, during this period, another part of Sufis strictly observing the fundamental canons of Sufism practiced austere methods of ascetic life. The sourcebook of this study is a Muslim hagiographic work “Lamahat min nafahat al-kuds” (“Reflections from the Blow of Sanctity”). The author of the work is Muhammad Alim as-Siddiqi al-Alawi, otherwise known as Alim Sheikh Azizan. He was born in Tashkent District in 1564 and died in Samarqand in 1632. Alim Sheikh Azizan was a follower of a particular branch of the Naqshbandiyya order called Jahriya-sultaniyya, the founder of which is considered to be Ahmad Yasevi. The work was written in Samarqand in 1622 and is dedicated to the biography of sheikhs of the Jahriyya brotherhood such as Sheikh Jamal ad-Din, Sheikh Khudoydad, Sheikh Vali, and others. This work consists of two parts: the first is devoted to the essence of the Jahriyah brotherhood; the second covers the biographies of Mawerannahr sheikhs from the 12th-16th centuries. The manuscript from the collection of the National Library of Tajikistan (Inventory No. 1629) is used in this work. The list is full and consists of 231 folios. Another copy of this work (Inventory no. 571) is stored in the same library and is dated 1623. The same library keeps another copy of this work (Inventory No. 571) dated 1673. The subject of the present study is the question of the relation between faqr (poverty in the economic dimension) and material wealth in Sufi perception and in Sufi practice.

Тема сердце (дил) и духовное сердце (калб) в позднемавераннахрской агиографической традиции

The concepts of heart (dil) and spiritual heart (kalb) are important in the anthropological worldview of Sufism. The heart is a place of love (ishq). Divine love (ishq-i illohi) becomes the source where other paths and choices in a person's life begin. At the same time, it is the source of both sinful and pure thoughts. The heart serves as a cognitive tool. A person's search for truth and self-knowledge of his spiritual essence is carried out through hearts. With the dominance of sensory cognition in a person, there is a contradictory connection between the heart (dil, ishk) and the mind (acl). Sufis in most cases relied more on sensory cognition, on the dictates and inclinations of the heart than of the mind. The source base of the research was such Muslim hagiographic works (manakib) as “Jama'ul-makamat”, dedicated to the biography of the leader of the Transoxiana Naqshbandi brotherhood Khojagi Ahmad Kosoni (died in 1542), “Saadiya”, dedicated to the biography of the Juybar (Bukhara) Khojas, "Lamahat min nafahat al-uns", dedicated to the famous Jahrit Sufis, in in particular, the biography of Sheikh Khudoydod Azizon (died in 1533). The subject of the study is the analysis of the concept of the heart, its place and interpretation in the Sufi worldview. This concept is studied purely within the framework of the Muslim hagiographic tradition, based on the perception of the authors of the manakibs of this issue.The purpose of the study is to reveal the meaning of the concept of “heart”, “spiritual heart” in the Sufi worldview and its relationship with other elements of being.

The Essence and Purpose of Intertext in Hagiographic Works Translated by Euthymius the Athonite

The Essence and Purpose of Intertext in Hagiographic Works Translated by Euthymius the Athonite

THE PROBLEM OF THE HAGIOGRAPHIC CANON IN THE LIFE OF ALEXANDER OSHEVENSKY

The Life of Alexander Oshevensky is a compiled hagiographic work based on borrowings from a wide range of sources, which, due to this fact, can serve as convenient material for the study of the hagiographic canon as a problem of historical poetics. Fundamentally new in the work is the source-based approach to the problem, rooted in the belief that the establishment of direct sources used by the hagiographer is, in the absence of other evidence, practically the only way to solve it. The work on identifying literary sources of the Life of Alexander Oshevensky, begun by Ivan Yakhontov (1881), was more successful when it concerned the action and the plot, and far less successful when it concerned rhetorical digressions. The article examines the textual and artistic features of those fragments of the Life of Alexander Oshevensky, which, according to the assumption of researchers, were borrowed from the Life of Euphrosynus of Pskov, the Life of Isidorus of Rostov (the Tverdislov) and the Life of Antonius the Roman. As a result of the analysis, it was found that the direct source of these fragments were other literary monuments, namely the Life of Demetrius Prilutsky in the Menologian edition and the Life of Zosimus and Sabbatius of Solovki in the First Stylistic edition. The sources were determined using the methods of textual analysis, structural analysis and comparative analysis of a recurring motif in different hagiographic works. In addition, the article introduces into scientific circulation a previously unnamed source of the Life of Alexander Oshevensky, namely, the Life of Paulus of Obnora.