The Figurative Expressions Employed in the Gəʿəz Acts of St Mark the Evangelist: The Medium Recension in Focus

Abstract

Saint Mark the Evangelist, whose vita is supposed to be composed in Greek and translated into Gəʿəz in the 4th century, is one of the most venerated foreign Saints in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. This article explores the figurative expressions employed in the Gəʿəz version of the Acts of St. Mark the Evangelist, one of the first hagiographic texts within the Ethiopian Orthodox Church tradition. The figurative expressions employed in the manuscripts (Mss), which narrate the combat and martyrdom of St Mark the Evangelist, are analyzed well. Through a close literary and philological analysis, the study identifies and categorizes various figurative devices such as metaphors, similes, allegories, hyperbole and personification that enrich the narrative and literary depth of the text. The hagiographic text (Gädlä Marəqos) is currently preserved in seven Mss, which are said to be the product of 19th and 20th centuries. The main sources of the data are theses witnesses located in different Churches, Monasteries and libraries. When analyzing these figurative expressions, a special attention is given to how these devices use in the composition of the Vita of St. Mark, considering the spiritual authority, the portrayal of his miracles, and the expression of divine-human interaction. By situating the text within its broader linguistic and cultural context, the study contributes to the growing field of Ge’ez literary criticism and deepens our understanding of the early Ethiopian Christian tradition.