| Abstract [eng] |
The master’s thesis “Moral Upbringing in the First Half of the 19th Century: „Pamokslai vairingose materijose“ by Jurgis Ambraziejus Pabrėža” analyzes the specific nature of J. A. Pabrėža’s sermons and their relationship to the behavioral norms and condemnable customs prevalent in society at the time. Since this collection of sermons had previously been studied only from a linguistic perspective, and not in terms of content or genre development, this thesis aims to reveal the uniqueness and significance of this collection within the tradition of Lithuanian Catholic preaching. It also explores the social relevance of the sermons and highlights Pabrėža’s perspective on the human being. „Pamokslai vairingose materijose“ (“The Sermons on Various Matters”) are examined using the method of sociocritical literary analysis. This method was chosen in light of the dual relationship that the sermon, as a genre, maintains with society. The themes and development of the sermons are shaped by the lifestyle and cultural context of the community in which the clergyman lives and serves, yet the sermons also function as tools for education and are intended to influence and shape societal attitudes and behavior. Pabrėža’s collection clearly reflects the Catholic Church’s catechetical program of the early 19th century, which was influenced by the ideas of Catholic Enlightenment. The Catholic Enlightenment movement promoted concepts that would later be affirmed and fully implemented by the Second Vatican Council, including the belief in a universal calling to holiness. Holiness was thus understood not as a privilege of the elect, but as a way of life offered to every believer. This led to the need to educate all members of the Catholic Church, especially those for whom formal education was typically inaccessible. Sermons were meant to fulfill this educational and moral formation role. In undertaking the task of moral education, Pabrėža structured his sermons in the form of a catechism, using a question-and-answer format. This method resulted in a tightly structured text that clearly presents the preacher’s core ideas. Since these sermons are intended to educate and morally shape believers—particularly by addressing ethical and moral transgressions—the collection is considered not a postil (a series of Gospel-based commentaries), but a set of thematic sermons. In „Pamokslai vairingose materijose“, Pabrėža chooses to educate his audience by analyzing sins and vices. In addressing bodily sins and those of the tongue, he modifies and expands the concepts of morality and immorality. When examining bodily immorality, Pabrėža argues that all sins harm the person on multiple levels: physically (in the case of bodily immorality), in terms of reputation (psychological/social immorality), in interpersonal relationships, and spiritually, affecting the soul as the immortal part of the person. This reveals Pabrėža’s fundamental anthropological view of the human being as responsible not only for oneself but also for others. „Pamokslai vairingose materijose“ by J. A. Pabrėža stand out in the Lithuanian Catholic preaching tradition because he presents himself both as a clergyman and as a folk healer. It is worth noting that, according to the constitutions of the Jesuit order (and thus applicable to the contemporary educational system), a priest could not also be a physician. After the founding of medical studies at the present-day Vilnius University in the 18th century, only laypeople could study and teach medicine. J. A. Pabrėža, as the first prominent figure to serve both as a priest and a folk healer, draws upon his medical knowledge in his sermons. „Pamokslai vairingose materijose“ is the first collection of Lithuanian Catholic sermons to describe the course of illness in detailed and vivid terms. |
