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The Figure of Antichrist in the De institutione
Ivan Bodrožić
Sažetak
In this article the author analyses Marulić’s concept of the Antichrist, Christ’s historical and eschatological adversary, in the De institutione, in which in Book 6 he dedicates four chapters to the topic as part of the discussions of the last things (de novissimis). While the givens of the scriptures are used, at the same time Marulić shows in this argument that he is very familiar with the church’s theological traditions. Hence in the first part of the text the author first of all puts for-ward the most essential contents of Marulić’s discussion of Antichrist, articulating his analysis in several key places: the appearance of two prophets as warning of the events of the Apocalypse, the Antichrist’s persecution of the prophets and all those who believe in God, the origin of the Antichrist, Antichrist’s familial connection with Satan, Antichrist’s seduction of the faithful to the worship of idols, the attempt to imitate the Christ of the paschal mystery, the waning of the Antichrist’s power, Antichrist’s downfall and death.
Item by item, the author then analyses the contents mentioned, showing that this is largely a matter of traditional doctrine, which was present in the writings of the church writers from the earliest times, although Marulić does not invoke or refer to any specific document. After references to such sources of the early centuries in which all the key ideas dealt with in the De institutione are reflected, it is clear that this theological matter of the doctrine of the Antichrist was so settled in Marulić’s time that he has no need to state whence he adopted a given idea.
Only in one place, speaking of Antichrist’s attempt to imitate the paschal mystery of Christ, does Marulić point out that this is not his own idea, referring instead to flsome people who think in this way«. In a detailed analysis of the Patristic and medieval texts that speak of the Antichrist, the author manages to show, which is in fact the core of this study, is that Marulić’s unnamed source is the Dominican James of Benevento (at work in the second half of the 13th century). The Beneventan, in his treatise De adventu Antichristi, offered Marulić several considerations, which can be seen from the identical assumption, the use of the same key concepts, the same scriptural references and the marshalling of the arguments. It is then pointed out that this is a pseudo-Thomist work, which dispels any doubt about how Marulić might possibly have arrived at the work of such a minor theologian.
Starting from the certainty that James was indeed the source to which Marulić referred, the author then from the new perspective puts forward some of the mentioned items of Marulić’s doctrine, proving that the Dominican author might have provided several other interpretations to the Split author, although not even after a detailed textual analysis, in spite of some similarities, is it possible to be totally certain about any further dependence of De institutione on De adventu Antichristi.
Everything that has been said leads to the conclusion that Marulić was very familiar indeed with the material concerning which he wrote and, although he had at his disposal a great many items from theological tradition, he nevertheless interpreted the figure and role of Antichrist independently, from his own personal experience of the scriptural texts to which he showed himself a reliable witness. Everything that he took over from the rich sources of church tradition, Marulić used according to the purpose and manner of his writing, articulating his arguments with total security, not allowing himself to be thrall to others’ ideas, scholarly or theological methods or literary forms. The amount of material and all the other elements are proof of Marulić’s theological training, and, at the same time, to do with the coming of the Antichrist and the last judgement, an indicator that he stood firmly on the basis of the gospels, never allowing himself to speculate about the time when it was to happen, also showing himself thus to be very sober as compared with the many preachers and writers of his time. Hence, in the opinion of this author, this part of the De institutione is a call upon the church to be lastingly faithful to its Bridegroom until it arrives with him into the chambers of eternal life.
Ključne riječi
Hrčak ID:
11877
URI
Datum izdavanja:
22.4.2007.
Posjeta: 1.894 *