The Parables of Jesus Christ in the “Ladder” of John of Sinai (based on the Russian Translation of Optina Pustyn)

Abstract

The article examines the Gospel parables included in the text of the Ladder by John of Sinai which are the most important symbolic clues to understand the meaning of the book’s fragments. In total, 148 explicit and hidden references to the Gospel parables were revealed in the text of the Ladder. The most frequently occurring parables in the monument are the parables of the good shepherd and the sower. The most important semantic block, on which the imagery of the Ladder is based, is the parables of eschatological character: the parables of the faithful servant, the wedding feast, the ten virgins, the unfruitful fig tree and the vineyard. Of particular importance in the structure and semantics of the text of the Ladder is the parable of the treasure hidden in the field: this treasure refers to the Christian virtues, the main of which is humility. We have not found special ways and techniques of introducing the Gospel text into the text of the Ladder: fragments from the Holy Scriptures are so artfully woven into the fabric of the narrative that discovering them is a challenging philological task. The origins of the semantic depth and imagery of the Ladder as a literary monument lie in its biblical context. The article analyses 14 of the 22 Gospel parables of Jesus Christ. The material for the analysis was the text of the Russian translation of the Ladder, made in the Optina Pustyn, first published in 1862. The article provides examples of the use of these parables in the text of the Ladder.

Keywords

• biblical expression
• bible quotes
• parables of jesus christ
• transations of optina pustyn