References to Scripture in the Old Polish History of the Three Kings. Quotations, Allusions, Echoes

Abstract

The article analyzes the references to Scripture in Historyja trzech kroli (History of the Three Kings), an Old Polish apocryphal work preserved in a copy from 1544. The references to the Bible are divided into quotations, allusions and echoes. Quotations were introduced either by reference to a particular location or author of the biblical text, or to an unspecified “prophet” or “evangelist.” Sometimes they were not signaled in any way. Then the quotation could only be identified by recognizing the passage to which it refers. Allusions to the Old and New Testaments mostly consisted of references to characters, places, and events, without quoting the text of Scripture itself. The featured echoes most often consisted of narrative parallelisms between the story of the Wise Men from the East and the first Church. References to Scripture in the apocryphal work served to emphasize typology and create parallelisms between biblical history and the story of the three kings. The text emphasizes the role of the Gentiles in salvation history while belittling the role of Israelites.