Ivan I. Iliev
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
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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.
Subject: Scripta