Eugenia Vorobeva

Thesis Title: Apostolic Suffering in the Flesh and in the Narrative: Dismembering the ‘Body’ of Andreas saga postola I

Supervisor: Dr. Siân Grønlie 

My dissertation focuses on the earliest extant version of the vernacular life of St Andrew known as Andreas saga postola I which survives in two manuscripts from the thirteenth century and is a close translation of the Pseudo-Abdian De gestis beati Andreae Apostoli combined with the anonymous Passio sancti Andreae.The overall aim of this thesis is a study of the linguistic strategies and symbolism in Andreas saga postola I which takes into account its translated nature and yet sees it as a work in its own right, characterized by stylistic and structural originality. As Andreas saga contains “the longest, most detailed and dramatic” account of the apostle’s martyrdom amongst the earliest translated saints’ lives, it is only appropriate that this study’s particular focus is the narrative representation of suffering and torment through which the nature of grace and apostolic service are revealed.