Patristic Allegoric Reminiscence in Marulic\u27s Second Letter to Katarina Obirtica

Nakon što je od splitskih benediktinki jednom zgodom primio na dar ribu, Marko Marulić je uzvratio kao uzdarjem lijepo sročenim pismom poznatim kao Druga poslanica Katarini Obirtića. Ne ostajući samo na kurtoaznoj zahvali, Marulić je sastavio nadasve sadržajnu ćudoredno-duhovnu pouku o potrebi odgoja osjetila, vrlo korisnu osobama posvećenima Bogu u redovničkom staležu kojima je zadaća brižno i budno skrbiti da im zlo preko osjetila ne zarobi dušu. Sržna poruka pisma utemeljena je prvenstveno na svetopisamskim tekstovima, ali i na aluzijama na egzegetska tumačenja svetih otaca, s time da, za razliku od biblijskih, svoje otačke izvore Marulić ne imenuje. Autor u ovom radu prvenstveno propituje dvije slike koje Marulić rabi u prvom dijelu pisma kada govori o značenju osjetila za ljudski život. Prva od njih prispodobljuje pet osjetila petorici kraljeva koje je Jošua (usp. Jš 10) ubio u špilji nakon što ih je porazio u boju, a druga govori o osjetilima kao prozorima duše, pri čemu se poziva na redak iz proroka Jeremije: »Smrt je ušla po vašim prozorima« (9,21). Premda je i u jednom i u drugom slučaju Marulićev govor o odgoju osjetila potkrijepljen svetopisamskim tekstom, ipak se njegovo tumačenje ne temelji samo na biblijskom tekstu. U spomenutim svetopisamskim odlomcima, naime, nigdje se ne spominju osjetila, te se Marulićev postupak, gledano iz perspektive biblijske egzegeze, može činiti vrlo upitnim i proizvoljnim. Raščlambom tekstova prvog dijela Druge poslanice Katarini Obirtića postaje razvidno,međutim, kako su izvor Marulićeve egzegeze prvenstveno spisi velikog ranokršćanskog egzegeta svetog Jeronima, koji se služi gotovo identičnim alegorijskim tumačenjem osjetila, bilo kao kraljeva bilo kao prozora duše. Autor dopušta također mogućnost da su i neke homilije znamenitog aleksandrijskog pisca iz 3. stoljeća Origena mogle imati utjecaja, barem na tekst koji se tiče alegorijskog tumačenja petorice kraljeva. Uočavajući i ističući važnost patrističkih alegorijskih reminiscencija utkanih u Drugu poslanicu Katarini Obirtića, autor pokazuje kako se tek u njihovu svjetlu razumije Marulićev egzegetski postupak.Marko Marulic, after receiving a fish as a gift from a Benedictine nun, sent her a beautifully composed letter as a gift in return - now known as the Second Letter to Katarina Obirtica. Not being just a courteous note of gratitude, Marulic\u27s letter is above all a contextual moral-spiritual message about the need to educate one\u27s senses, being very useful to people living a consecrated life. Marulic\u27s message is based primarily on texts in the Scriptures but also on allusions to exegetic interpretation of the Holy Fathers in that, compared to the Biblical sources, those of the Fathers\u27 are not referred to specifically by name. In this article the author primarily questions two images, interpreted allegorically by Marulic in the first part of his letter when he speaks of the significance of the senses to human life. The first image parables five senses with five kings that Joshua (cf. Jos 10) kills in the cave after he defeats them in battle. The second speaks of the senses as windows of the soul. Even though in both cases Marulic supports his arguments with texts from the Holy Scriptures, nevertheless the Scriptures themselves do not offer any room for such interpretation. The author therefore shows how the sources of Marulic\u27s exegesis is primarily the great early Christian exegetic Jerome who gives an almost identical allegoric interpretation of the senses be they as the king\u27s or as the window of the soul. With regard to allegoric interpretation of events described in the tenth chapter of the Book of Joshua, both Jerome and Marulic interpret Joshua as the ancient figure of Jesus Christ, a true leader who leads the saved people into the Promised Land. With regard to the five kings that Joshua defeated when he entered the Promised Land, both agree that they represent the five senses that need to be defeated in the cave of the bodyin order to rule over them. This proves Jerome\u27s influence on Marulic\u27s exegesis of the said passage. Furthermore, observing the difference in their texts and the similarity with Origen\u27s interpretation of the same event in the Book of Joshua, we cannot exclude the possibility that Origen\u27s preaching about Joshua influenced the allegoric interpretation of the five kings. With regard to the allegoric interpretation of the senses as the window of the soul once again there is an essential coincidence between Jerome and Marulic, confirmed again with the same Biblical text from the Book of the Prophet Jeremiah. It is obvious then that in the background of their explanations, there is an image of man as a city whose soul is a fortress that is constantly being attacked by the enemy trying to occupy the entire city. Convinced that man can only be free if he controls his senses and keeping a good conscience, both have an identical observation of the aim of ascetic preservation of the senses. After proper attention is being directed toward Marulic\u27s exegetic-theological sources of patristic provenance from which, this author from the city of Split in Croatia, adopted many ideas applying to them a dose of personal theological gift, this fact shows all the depth of the contextual moral-spiritual messages directed to Katarina Obirtica as well as any other potential readers. Only contact with its exegetic sources does it become clear where his inspirational style full of symbolism and metaphors comes from with which this work is decorated and full of