The Figures of Adam and Eve in the Old Polish Apocrypha of the New Testament

Abstract

This article seeks to analyse excerpts of Old Polish apocryphal texts of the New Testament that refer to the figures of Adam and Eve. Though it might seem that the first parents are marginal characters in the New Testament writings, comparative studies of Old Polish translations and their Latin source text show that they play a significant role in the context of soteriology and exegesis. In the article, selected excerpts from the Old Polish apocrypha have been juxtaposed with translation source texts, followed by an interpretation of decisions made by a given translator regarding the use of the figures of Adam and Eve in a given medieval Polish text. This has provided grounds for creating the Adam – Jesus and Eve – Mary typology and explaining the nature of the first parents’ sin and its role in the work of salvation.