Saint Anne as the Ideal Wife and Mother in Ancient
and Old Polish Apocryphal Literature Cover Image

Święta Anna - ideał żony i matki w starożytnym i staropolskim piśmiennictwie apokryficznym
Saint Anne as the Ideal Wife and Mother in Ancient and Old Polish Apocryphal Literature

Author(s): Małgorzata Wojtowicz
Subject(s): Studies of Literature
Published by: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Warmińsko-Mazurskiego w Olsztynie
Keywords: St. Anne; ancient apocryphal literature; Old Polish apocryphal literature; wife; mother

Summary/Abstract: The article consists of the comparative analysis of chosen apocrypha originating from the Modern Era (the Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew and the Protevangelium of James) and the Old Polish times (the Life of Saint Anne Jan's from Koszyczek, The History of Saint Anne Mikołaj's of Wilkowieck and some initial fragments from The Przemysl Meditation).The aim of the analysis is the way of the presentation of Saint Anne (the mother of Virgin Mary) in selected literary texts. In the course of the analysis the story of the heroine, which is created from five cited literary works, is also reminded. Great emphasis is put on the family genealogy of the saint and the prefigured behaviour of its individual family members. The goal of the study is to show that Saint Anne plays mainly a moralistic role in the apocrypha. Sheembodies a model of an ideal wife and mother which is particularly recommended in the old Jewish and old Polish communities. In the article there are also many examples of the behaviour of the characters, which are also placed in a historical context and the Bible. What is more, there are some references to hagiographical studies. In the end the conclusions based on the analysis emphasise the role of such presentations for Christian society.

  • Issue Year: 2016
  • Issue No: 4
  • Page Range: 87-98
  • Page Count: 12
  • Language: Polish
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