HOMILETIC STRATEGIES AND RHETORICAL FEATURES OF THE SERMONS OF BISHOP IRINEJ FALKOVSKY IN THE ST. MICHAEL’S GOLDEN-DOMED MONASTERY

Abstract

The article is devoted to a comprehensive study of the homiletic strategies and rhetorical features of the sermons of Bishop Irenaeus Falkovsky during his tenure as abbot of the St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Monastery (1807–1811, 1813–1823). Based on manuscript collections preserved in the holdings of the Institute of Manuscripts of the Vernadsky National Library of Ukraine, the article analyzes the genre specifics, structural composition, and theological-communicative approaches in the preacher’s activity. It outlines the thematic range to which Irenaeus devoted the greatest attention, in particular the cycle of 186 short didactic homilies on the eternal divine retributions, which constitutes the largest and best-preserved corpus of his legacy. The key features of his rhetoric are identified: carefully selected biblical texts, a logically constructed “introduction” as an opening element, systematic use of patristic quotations and biblical parallels, as well as a clear thematic focus, sometimes polemical, aimed at refuting Protestant denials of the eternity of punishments. Special attention to editing and improving the texts is noted: a comparison of early and late versions of the sermons shows a deepening of exegetical analysis, an expansion of historical reminiscences, and an intensification of emotionally expressed exhortations. Examples from sermons for feasts and saints’ days demonstrate both restrained, logical forms of presentation and emotionally rich, vivid passages, which refute a one-sided assessment of Bishop Irenaeus’s style. The article introduces new source materials into scholarly circulation and offers a theological-rhetorical analysis of the sermons, whose significance transcends their own time, actualizing them as part of the heritage of Ukrainian Orthodox homiletics of the early 19th century.