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Vol. 94 (2000): Our Past

Articles

Biblical threads in the legend of "Tempore illo", a legend on the life of St Wojciech (Adalbert)

  • Dagmara Wójcik
DOI: https://doi.org/10.52204/np.2000.94.5-46  [Google Scholar]
Published: 2000-12-30

Abstract

This study attempts to identify and explicate the Biblical allusions that are part of the text of Tempore illo, a legend on the life of St Wojciech (Adalbert). It was written in Poland (possibly at Gniezno), most probably in the second half of the 12th century. This vita is of crucial importance for the martyr saint's hagiography: its influence can be traced in all subsequent represen­tations of St Wojciech's character. Its author drew on earlier sources (the late 10th-century and early 11th century Vitae by Jan Canaparius and Bruno of Querfurt) as well as local traditions.A close analysis of the text of Tempore illo has revealed at least 52 Biblical allusions of various kinds. They appear explicitly or implicitly in the form of quotations, Biblical references, interpretations, typologies, descriptions, or broad formulas. By far the largest number of borrowings comes from the New Testament, especially from the Gospels. Next on the list of favourite reference sites are the Book of Psalms and St. Paul's Epistles. The theological conception and the universal topoi of the legend are likewise firmly rooted in the Bible. In fact, the influence of Bible is so pervasive that it would be hard to find in the text a single episode without scriptural antecedents. While the characterization of St Wojciech depends on a great many motifs and topoi, his individuality is almost wholly absorbed into the hagiographic formula based on the Bible. The extent of the author’s dependence on that formula can be explained by reference to the spiritual needs of his audiences, his desire to follow closely the literary conventions of the genre, and the scarcity of data on Wojciech's life. The assimilation of the literary text of the legend to the Bible proceeds along two lines, external (formal) and internal (conceptual). Whereas the formal analogies — notably the Biblical phraseology which the author uses probably without being fully aware of it — are a product of memory, the legend’s conceptual patterning appears to be a conscious imitation of the Bib­lical model. The purpose of the latter is to demonstrate both St Wojciech’s sanctity and the divine appreciation of his virtues. It seems that research into the indebtedness of Polish medieval hagiography to the Bible is off to a new start.

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