A Talismanic Text in Russia: The Dream of the Theotokos Rusya’da Tılsımlı Bir Metin: Theotokos’un Rüyası
Ankara Universitesi Ilahiyat Fakultesi Dergisi, cilt.66, sa.2, ss.1127-1152, 2025 (Scopus, TRDizin)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Cilt numarası: 66 Sayı: 2
- Basım Tarihi: 2025
- Doi Numarası: 10.33227/auifd.1616695
- Dergi Adı: Ankara Universitesi Ilahiyat Fakultesi Dergisi
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Scopus, ATLA Religion Database, Central & Eastern European Academic Source (CEEAS), Index Islamicus, Directory of Open Access Journals, TR DİZİN (ULAKBİM)
- Sayfa Sayıları: ss.1127-1152
- Anahtar Kelimeler: Apocrypha, Christianity, History of Religions, Russia, Theotokos
- Ankara Yıldırım Beyazıt Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
The text called The Dream of the Theotokos is a Christian apocryphal. It is known in various countries of Europe, both Catholic and Orthodox. According to research, the text was transmitted from Italy to Russia in the 17th century. The Dream of the Theotokos consists of two parts. In the first part, Mary tells of a dream in which she sees Jesus' arrest, trial, crucifixion, death, and resurrection. Jesus says that the dream told by Mary was true. The cross, the focus of the text, is the central theme of the Christian faith. Because Jesus died on the cross to atone for people's sins. The narration of the crucifixion from Mary's perspective and the use of more emotional and sincere language made the text more effective for Russian Christians. The text generally has a narrative parallel to the crucifixion story told in the canonical Gospels. However, there are also influences of different sources or traces of the old beliefs of Russians in the text. In the second part, it is explained what will happen to those who read this text, write it down, copy it, listen to it, carry it on their clothes and bodies, or keep it in their homes. Positive things are promised if these are done, and the penalties that will be suffered if these are not done are stated. The Dream of the Theotokos is in the genre of prose, spiritual verse/hymn, and incantation/amulet; it has been passed down from generation to generation in written and verbal form. While the text was copied or transferred, some changes were made, so that many different texts exist today. The aim of this article is to explain the place of the Dream of the Theotokos in Russian Christianity. Thus, it is aimed to contribute to the field by looking at Russian Christianity through a source other than the official church discourse.