Рукописна та книжкова спадщина України (Jan 2020)
«Being… weeping is great as it is for dead»: emotionsover death of closed ones in real and ideal dimensions of Middle Ages
Abstract
The aim of this article is to reconstruct the real and ideal component of the emotional world of human of the Ukrainian Middle Ages, namely, the urgency of crying and sadness over the death of the closed ones and the evaluation attitude to them. The methodology of the study includes application of historical-comparative, historical-chronological, historical-systemic, interpretation and iconographic methods. This methodologicalapproach allows, through a detailed analysis of the texts and contexts, to reconstructthe urgency of joyless emotions over the death of the closed ones and the evaluation attitude to such sadness and tears among the Cave community during a certain chronological period (11th - 16th centuries), in connection with the Eastern Christian and Old Russian traditions. The academic novelty is represented by reconstitution of real emotion world of the Middle Age, through identification of one of the most pressing circumstances of sadness and tears. Assessment of such emotions in the environment of the Cave community is revealed. The scientific knowledge about the Kyivan Cave Patericon as a valuable source for the reconstruction of the “real” and “ideal” emotional world of a man of the Old Rus’ age has acquired further development. Conclusions. As a result of the analysis of a large number of sources, it was revealed that the death of the closed ones was one of the most pressing circumstances of sadness and tears in the Ukrainian Middle Ages. The evaluation attitude of the Cave community to such emotions was definitely neutral. This is due to the fact that they did not directly contribute to the salvation of the soul, but did not prevent it. It has been found that death is perceived in two dimensions: as the end of the earthly path of a man and as separation. Accordingly,joyful emotions in such circumstances evidenced the value of life, including as sources of benefits (spiritual and material) to others. The revealed evaluative attitude to the analysed emotions is consistent with the Eastern Christian and Old Russian traditions.
