BIBLICAL METAPHORS IN LETTERS OF LEV OF OPTINA

This article presents the first analysis of tropes in the letters of the first Elder Lev (Nagolkin) of Optina Pustyn Monastery (Opta’s hermitage) ? i. e. proverbs, allusions, allegories periphrasis and metaphors. Elder Lev most frequently used such tropes as "the storm of temptations", "the heart field", "happy harvest", "rags of the passions", "the marriage of the soul", "verbal sheep", "soldier of Christ", "spiritual milk", "the mind’s wolf", "a log of pride". One special thing about these tropes is that they blend together several biblical quotations and the Gospel images. Both simple and extended metaphors are used, and all the metaphors in the letters of St. Lev of Optina have a special function: they actualize biblical events, describe symbolically the inner world of a person and show the way to the salvation of the soul. It is typical of the Elder to use his own unique tropes, which are very different from the traditional poetic images of the Russian literature of the 19th century.