Title Zum Problem der Kohärenz der Komposition im Muspilli /
Translation of Title On the composition of Muspilli: the problem of its coherence.
Translation of Title Muspillio kompozicijos koherentiškumo problematika.
Authors Burov, Aleksej
DOI 10.15388/Litera.2015.4.9801
Full Text Download
Is Part of Literatūra.. Vilnius : Vilniaus universitetas. 2015, T. 57, nr. 4, p. 7-16.. ISSN 0258-0802
Keywords [eng] Muspilli ; coherence of the composition ; apocalyptic literature
Abstract [eng] The current study focuses on the ninth-century masterpiece of eschatological literature Muspilli. The text written in Old High German is characterized by the heterogeneity of form and content, which raises a number of questions concerning its composition. Lines 37-62 clearly differ from lines 1-36 and 63-103 in their content, inconsistency in alliteration and spelling. The compositional peculiarities of the text have been viewed from two perspectives. Some scholars maintain that Muspilli consists of two separate texts. The first text refers to the soulʼs fate after death, while the second illustrates the end of the world and the Last Judgement (Feifalik 1858; Baesecke 1918; Haug 1977). Other scholars point out the features of interpolation (Müllenhof 1864; Schneider 1962; Minis 1966). These interpretations derive from the formal analysis of Muspilli. Carola Gottzmannʼs article “Das “Muspilli” im theologischen Kontext seiner Zeit” published in 2002 sheds new light on the compositional coherence of this text. The scholar stresses the importance of interpreting not only its form but also compositional motivation. She argues that the co-occurrence of different levels of the eschatological event within the same text can be justified by the concept of two resurrections developed by Aurelius Augustine. According to Carola Gottzmann, lines 1-36 and 63-103 illustrate the so called first resurrection, while lines 37-62 refer to the second resurrection. However, an analysis of Augustineʼs concept of two resurrections suggests that the assumption above is not well-founded. Augustine does not conceptualize the first resurrection as a postmortal event but as a personʼs spiritual conversion. Due to this fundamental difference, the first resurrection cannot be identified with the event illustrated in Muspilli in lines 1-36 and 63-103. The current study shows that both parts of the text refer to events beyond linear time and the relationship between the events should not necessarily be based on the relation earlier/later or past/present/future. Therefore, the integration of the individual judgement with the universal judgement does not interrupt the compositional coherence of the text and can be illustrated as a single event.
Published Vilnius : Vilniaus universitetas
Type Journal article
Language German
Publication date 2015