Vestnik Pravoslavnogo Svâto-Tihonovskogo Gumanitarnogo Universiteta: Seriâ III. Filologiâ (Dec 2023)
Аnonymous Sogita about Abraham and Isaac (5th cent.)
Abstract
The publication presents a translation from the Syriac language of the anonymous Sogita about Abraham and Isaac (V century). The introductory article discusses the issue of the peculiarities of the Syriac versification, characterizes the sogita as a liturgical exegetical genre, as well. In addition, the influence of the Jewish tradition on the structure-forming principles of the Sogita genre is traced, which was manifested in its dependence on the principles of narrative exegesis. A characteristic feature of the latter is the obligatory reconstruction of the plot details and characteristics of the characters missing in the biblical narrative as a way to set the text the right perspective of understanding. In turn, the mutual influence of Christian Syriac and Byzantine literatures is reflected not only in the set of ideas, but also in the choice of means of rhetorical expressiveness for church preaching. The poetic form and dialogues between biblical heroes among the Syrians were mandatory for almost all homiletic genres (sogita, madrash, memra) from the very beginning of their existence. Among the Byzantines, dramatic homilies began to appear only in the fifth century, and the rhythmized prose of sermons, facilitating the transition from the ancient metrical versification to the syllabic, gradually acquired a new poetic form for the Greeks. In the comments to the sogita, there are collections of interpretations of a particular problem that have developed in all three traditions: Syrian, Byzantine, and Jewish, which makes it possible to clearly understand how the same exegetical methods worked to justify solutions that differ from each other.
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