Conceptual Blending in Early Christian Discourse: A Cognitive Linguistic Analysis of Pastoral Metaphors in Patristic Literature

by Aleksander Gomola

Overview

Cognitive linguists and biblical and patristic scholars have recently given more attention to the presence of conceptual blends in early Christian texts, yet there has been so far no comprehensive study of the general role of conceptual blending as a generator of novel meanings in early Christianity as a religious system with its own identity. This monograph points in that direction and is a cognitive linguistic exploration of pastoral metaphors in a wide range of patristic texts, presenting them as variants of THE CHURCH IS A FLOCK network.

Such metaphors or blends, rooted in the Bible, were used by Patristic writers to conceptualize a great number of particular notions that were constitutive for the early church, including the responsibilities of the clergy and the laity, morality and penance, church unity, baptism and soteriology. This study shows how these blends became indispensable building blocks of a new religious system and explains the role of conceptual blending in this process. The book is addressed to biblical and patristic scholars interested in a new, unifying perspective for various strands of early Christian thought and to cognitive linguists interested in the role of conceptual integration in religious language.

Produced with the support of the Faculty of Philology, Jagiellonian University in Kraków, Poland.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9783110582048
Publisher:	De Gruyter
Publication date:	03/19/2018
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	242
File size:	7 MB
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Alexander Gomola, Jagiellonen-Universität, Krakau, Polen.
Aleksander Gomola, Jagiellonian University, Cracow, Poland.

Table of Contents

List of Tables x

List of Figures x

Abbreviations xi

Introduction 1

Overview 3

1 The aim and theoretical framework of this monograph 6

1.1 The aim and scope of this monograph 6

1.2 Conceptual Blending Theory 10

1.2.1 How blending works 11

1.2.2 Vital relations 16

1.2.3 Conceptual networks 17

Mirror networks 17

Single-scope networks 18

Double-scope networks 20

1.2.4 Conceptual integration beyond language 22

Material anchors 22

Blending in rituals 25

1.3 Folk models 27

2 Conceptual blending in biblical exegesis 31

2.1 Mirror networks 32

2.2 Single-scope networks 37

2.3 Double-scope networks 40

2.4 From conceptual networks to stable cultural metaphors 43

3 The cultural background of the image of the church as a flock 45

3.1 Conceptual blends for the church 45

3.2 The cultural-experiential basis of the image of the church as a flock 47

3.3 Shepherding experience and shepherding imagery in the Bible 50

3.3.1 The Hebrew Bible 51

3.3.2 The New Testament 53

3.4 The folk model of shepherding 58

4 A taxonomy of blends which constitute the Image of the church as a flock in early Christian discourse 60

4.1 The Flock of the Church is the Flock of Israel 62

4.2 Shepherds are the Shepherd 65

4.3 The Church is God's Flock 67

5 The Flock of the Church is the Flock of Israel (FCFI) 71

6 Shepherds are the Shepherd (SAS) 75

6.1 The SAS blend as the conceptual basis for the authority of members of the clergy 75

6.2 Members of the clergy, as good shepherds, should be ready to die for their flocks 80

6.3 "The true shepherd" vs "a hireling" 84

7 The The Church is God's Flock (CGF) blend in the New Testament and shepherding imagery in The Shepherd of Hermas 87

7.1 The CGF blend in Luke 12:32 and Eph 4:11 87

7.2 The CGF blend in Acts 20:28-30 89

7.3 The CGF blend in 1 Peter 5:2-4 91

7.4 Shepherding imagery in The Shepherd of Hermas 94

8 The CGF blend as a conceptual instrument in early church life and practice 96

8.1 The clergy and laity as shepherds and sheep 97

8.1.1 The CGF blend as the conceptual basis of clerical authority 99

8.1.2 The CGF blend as the conceptual framework of John Chrysostom's Six Books on the Priesthood 103

8.1.3 The GCF blend in selected church orders: Didascalia Apostolorum, Apostolic Constitutions and The Apostolic Tradition 105

8.1.4 The Bishops are Rams blend 108

8.2 The Teaching is feeding sheep blend 112

8.3 The The Lost Sheep and A Straying Sheep blends 121

8.3.1 The The Lost Sheep blend 123

8.3.2 The A Straying Sheep blend 130

8.4 The Beware Of The Wolf blend 132

8.5 The Wolves Are Turned Into Sheep blend 140

8.6 The Beware Of Dogs and the Bishops Are Dogs blends 144

8.7 The a sick sheep blend 150

9 The The Church is God's Flock blend as a conceptual instrument in early church liturgy and theology 157

9.1 The CGF blend as the conceptual basis for baptismal liturgy and theology 157

9.1.1 The Baptism Is Branding Sheep blend 157

9.1.2 The Baptism Is Washing Sheep blend 168

9.1.3 Shorn sheep in Song 4:2 as Christians receiving baptism 169

9.1.4 Material anchors of the CGF blend in the context of baptism 179

9.2 God's flock is one flock - the CGF blend as a conceptual instrument in propagating church unity 181

9.3 The The Lost Sheep Is Humanity blend 186

Conclusion 194

Appendix 200

Bibliography 203

Primary Sources 203

Secondary Sources 207

Index of Subjects 219

Index of Ancient and Medieval Sources 224

Index of Biblical Sources and Pseudepigrapha 228

Editorial Reviews

"Eine nicht nur im englischen Sprachraum beachtenswerte Studie."
Notker Baumann in: Theologische Revue 115.6 (2019), 52

From the Publisher