Inspiracje biblijne we wczesnej poezji Symeona z Połocka

Barbara Kozak

Olsztyn

Abstrakt

The culture of Baroque nurtured reflection upon the human predicament and human relal-
tions with God. Many literary texts of the period delved into the obscurity of human destiny, death
and the Last Judgement, calling for prudency and christian obedience. For those reasons the Bible
was the primary inspiration and constituted the canon of intellectual discourse. Biblical texts,
particularly the Old Testament writings, were also potent sources of poetical stimuli for Baroque
authors. The Gospels in turn were considered sacred, Jesus and Holy Mary untouchable by the
vulgarity of poetic creations. Gospel themes appeared in the poetic writngs of the Baroque only to
spread and emphasise the importance of christian ethics as illustrated by the birth, martyrdom and
death of Jesus.
Motifs and threads of the Gospels are also evident in the early works of Symeon of Polock
which exemplifies a deeply religious character of his poetry.