The Conversion of the Saint - A Traditional Hagiographic Element in the Structure of the Life of Saint Constantine-Cyril
The Conversion of the Saint - A Traditional Hagiographic Element in the Structure of the Life of Saint Constantine-Cyril

Summary/Abstract: The present paper addresses two episodes in the Life of Saint Constantine-Cyril - Constantine's famous dream and his choice of Divine Wisdom and the story of the falcon hunt. My point of departure in the analysis is the idea that the Life of Saint Constantine-Cyril represents a complex coherent work of literature rooted in traditional Byzantine hagiography and rhetoric in general. In following the Byzantine tradition, the leading theological concept of sainthood and saint is realized in the narrative structure of the Life in the form of a consistent chronological account of the saint's life. The two episodes from Constantine-Cyril's childhood are examined in their mutual interconnection and ideological complexity and are defined as a traditional structural element, topos, reflecting the Conversion of the saint during his earthly life.

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