The Saga of Bishop Thorlak Thorhallsson as a Literary Monument of Christianity in Iceland in the late 12th century

Abstract

The article deals with one of the first monuments of Christian literature in Iceland — ​the Saga of Bishop Thorlak Thorhallsson (1133–1193), which presents a pious image of the most famous medieval hierarch in this country. In his biography, realistic techniques of depicting reality, characteristic of “family” sagas, or “sagas of Icelanders” (Íslendinga sögur), are combined with techniques of depicting early Christian saints in continental hagiography, rich in biblical allusions. The differences between the A and B redactions in which this saga has come down to us are revealed: while the A redaction places emphasis on Thorlak’s ascetic lifestyle and his care for his flock, the B redaction describes in more detail his conflict with local leaders who did not want to follow God’s commandments. Along with the description of the Icelandic bishop’s lifestyle, the interpretation of his relations with the secular and ecclesiastical elite of Norway, where he was ordained, is of interest in the context of negative phenomena in the doctrine and politics of the Roman Catholic Church of the 12th century. The ideal features of a worthy pastor, as depicted in the saga, reveal the peculiarities of the real situation of the episcopate and clergy in medieval Iceland. For the first time, the translation of the Saga of Bishop Thorlak in redaction A (chapters 9–19) from Old Icelandic into Russian is published.