Cedrus libani: in the Bible, the Homily de Christo et Antichristo by Hippolytus of Rome and in the Parabiblical Slavonic Sources

Cedrus libani: в Библията, в Хомилията за Христос и Антихриста от Иполит Римски и в парабиблейски славянски източници

Scripta & e-Scripta vol. 25, 2025
  • Author(s):
  • Subject(s): Scripta //
  • Published by: Institute for Literature BAS
  • Print ISSN: 1312-238X
  • Summary/Abstract:

    The article examines the emergence and semantic uses of the cedar, and more specifically the ‘Lebanese’ one, not only as a separate tree species but also as a specific ‘topos’, used in a Biblical context not only in St. Prophet Isaiah, with more than one meaning and even separate thematic spheres, while in medieval Bulgarian literature its ideological and semantic uses expanded and it became part of the ‘Christ tree.’ The reasons for this are rooted in its Old Testament Biblical use, and later, a purposeful attempt was made not only to explain it in more detail but also to attribute to it an even more substantial meaning. The ‘Lebanese cedar’ finds its place in early interpretive literature because it is one of the symbols of the presence and power of God. The ‘topos’ also finds wide application in parabiblical literature that goes beyond or adds to the previously expected qualities and properties of the cedar. Some facts and hypotheses will be presented to the Bulgarian reader for the first time.


  • Page Range: 361-392
    No. of Pages: 32
    Language: English
    Year: 2025
    Issue No:: Scripta & e-Scripta vol. 25, 2025

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  • Ivan I. Iliev

    Assist. Prof., PhD Sofia St Kliment Okhridski University, Bulgaria
    Description

    Ivan I. Iliev has received a PhD from the Institute of Literature, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, and is now an Assistant Professor at the Department of Bible Studies, Faculty of Theology, Sofia University ‘St. Kliment Ohridski’. He has a degree in Classical Philology and a Master’s degree in Old Church Slavonic from Sofia University. Ivan I. Iliev has been on specializations in Italy, Austria, Russia and Germany. He has taught Classical Studies and Pharmacology at the same university. His interests include manuscript studies, Russian literature, herbology, dendrology, eschatology and apocalypticism, Slavic studies, Classical Latin, medieval history and literature, textual criticism, and etymology. E-mail: ian­_ilye@ abv.bg; ORCHID ID: 0000-0002-1582-1835; Researcher ID (Web of Science): JKJ-2621-2023

  • SUBJECT: Scripta //