213 Conclusion connection to the divine, and in addition by suggesting that the course of their life is part of God’s plan. The Life of Elias, additionally, shows the monk’s extraordinary abilities by representing travel motivated by prophesies. Finally, travel in search of hesychia and retreat, as emphasised in the Lives of Gregory and Euthymius, but less in the Life of Elias, communicates the concern of the monks for their own spiritual progress. Finally, the fourth way in which (im)mobility and the construction of sainthood are connected concerns metaphorical language use. Although this was not the main focus of the analysis in chapter 4, metaphorical linguistic expressions were equally used by the authors in support of their authorial aims. The hagiographer used linguistic expressions that he found most suitable in specific narrative contexts, based on prevailing metaphorical language and thinking. Chapter 4 mainly stressed that these expressions all drew from the same source domains of travel and immobility to express the target domains of life, politeia, virtue and inner stability, but these findings on conceptual metaphors does not preclude that individual metaphorical expressions were used for discursive ends. That is, the authors used metaphorical language to communicate to the audience the sanctity of their subjects. The passage in which Ignatius adapted the metaphorical language of the psalms in chapter 70 of the Life of Gregory is one example. It not only shows that the conceptual metaphor immobility is inner stability is reflected across time and languages, but in addition reflects the author’s discursive strategy to place the saint in a biblical tradition and to endow his narrative with an authoritative truth.679 The representation of (im)mobility in these Lives is thus integral to the construction of the protagonists’ sainthood. We may conclude, therefore, that all three authors deployed the monks’ frequent travels strategically into the narratives. The differences between the various narratives, particularly regarding the discourses on hesychia and the narrative strategies to emphasise travel motivations, reflect some authorial creativity in the genre of hagiography. Exposing these diverse authorial strategies, the analysis confirmed that sainthood needed to be constructed and to be continuously expressed. For new saints like Gregory, Euthymius and Elias, such construction and promotion was necessary to spread devotion and to keep the cult of these saints alive. The representation of (im)mobility in hagiography played a part in this process.680 Mobility, stability and diverse conceptions of sainthood While this thesis set out to investigate perceptions and representations of (im)mobility, the analysis of the three Lives also revealed insights into additional questions that were not initially the driving force of this research. The analysis revealed diverse conceptualisations 679 See pp. 192-193. 680 More research into the reception and development of these saints’ cults may contribute to our understanding whether the mobility of these monks was an enduring aspect in the construction of their sainthood, or whether the other, more traditional, aspects of models of sainthood gained the upper hand, such as their asceticism or miracle-working powers. C
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTk4NDMw