WAR DISCOURSE OF THE SECOND HALF OF THE 17TH CENTURY: OLD UKRAINIAN SERMON
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17721/2520-6397.2025.2.10Keywords:
war discourse, Old Ukrainian sermon of the 17th century, Antoniy Radyvylovskyi, communicative situation, discursive practicesAbstract
Background. Analysis of historical experience is necessary for understanding the factors contributing to the emergence of war in the modern world, as well as for predicting the directions of development of socio-cultural processes. Sermon, as the dominant genre of the Old Ukrainian language of the 17th century, has an interpretative nature, since its content is formed on the basis of the Holy Scripture. At the same time, it remains relatively free due to the presence of a subjective component. However, its analytical and exegetical nature sets certain limitations for individual evaluation in military discourse.
Methods. The article applied the discursive method of analysis. Genre as a discursive form is determined taking into account the features of the communicative situation or context, as well as the nature of the discursive structure. The main characteristics of the sermon genre include its participants (believers, priest, flock and the Absolute), conditions (functioning of the Church as an auxiliary institution), communicative sphere (religious issues), as well as the symbolic content of communication (verbal and non-verbal means), etc. War discourse encompasses the use of language and social interaction as a mediating tool in the resolution, course, and conclusion of armed political conflict.
Results. In war discourse, the religious worldview is based on the belief that peace is a clear manifestation of divine grace, while war, on the contrary, is perceived as a sign of God's wrath and punishment sent to sinners. A war sermon is designed to unite the audience not only as the flock of the Church of Christ (which is typical of a holiday or Sunday sermon), but also as a socio-political community. Using verbal and non-verbal means, the narrator appears as a leader who addresses the audience with a call to arms aimed at mobilizing forces against a common enemy. War sermons differ from holiday sermons in their motivational guidance, that is, they are not limited to dogmatic explanations but are motivational in nature.
Conclusions. It has been proven that the discursive practices of the second half of the 17th century remain relevant today, since war sermons by their nature always connect military conflicts with divine providence, while rethinking the opposition "good – evil" in a modern context.
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LIST OF CONVENTIONAL ABBREVIATIONS FOR SOURCE NAMES
Вінець – Radyvylovskyi, А. The crown of Christ. Manuscript of CNLV, Ш. Ф. 308. 560 п. Т. ІІ.
Огородок – Radyvylovskyi, А. The garden of Virgin Mary. Manuscript of CNLV, Ш. Ф. 308. 560 п. Т. І.
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