Exampla from Michael Radau’s Rhetoric in the Works of Antoni Radyvylovskyi

Abstract

The paper aims at identifying textual borrowings from Michael Radau’s Orator Extemporaneus in sermons by a prominent Ukrainian 17 th-century author Antonii Radyvylovskyi. In the article, comparative method and textological analysis, together with culture-historical approach, are applied. Orator Extemporaneus is a textbook on rhetoric first published in 1650; since thenit became a popular reading among European scholars and students. Likewise, the book was well known and highly valued throughout the Kyivan intellectual communityof that time. Radyvylovskyi, apparently, became acquainted with Radau’s rhetoric duringhis studies in the Kyiv Mohyla collegium. Afterwards, as a main preacher in the Kyivan Cave Monastery, he had to compose sermons making them vivid and engaging for the audience. Researchers defined a number of text sources used by Radyvylovskyias a treasury of fascinating stories and other exampla (examples) to illustrate his homilies and enrich them with different curiosities. Our analysis reveals that some of such exampla in Radyvylovskyi’s sermons are very similar to those included into Orator Extemporaneus.The article contains a table that presents comparison of eight fragments from the homiletic texts of Radyvylovskyi with the appropriate quotations from Radau’s work. So, it is most likely that the Ukrainian author adopted imagery and stories, adducedin Radau’s rhetoric, for his own needs. Radyvylovskyi translated exampla from Latinand put them into his preaching. They are usually could be defined as historical anecdotesor could be connected with heraldic tradition and emblematic literature. Therefore, this study demonstrates that Orator Extemporaneus is one of the sources whence Radyvylovskyi borrowed exampla for his sermons to make them more fascinating forhis congregation.

Keywords

• sermon, borrowing, exampla, michael radau, antonii radyvylovskyi.