Gripla - 20.12.2005, Page 35

STYLISTICS AND SOURCES OF THE POSTOLA SÖGUR 33
sanctity of the saint and the power of the God whom he serves). The sagas of
Sts. Paul and Clement are quite similar, even though they are derived from
separate traditions: the vita section of the saga of St. Paul is adapted from the
Acts of the Apostles, and that of St. Clement from the Clementine Recog-
nitions; to each is attached a passio from a different source.
Of the Group C sagas, the sagas of Paul and Clement might prove most useful
in delineating further stylistic links between Icelandic hagiography and the
Íslendingasögur, and several remarks should be made concerning these
particular lives here. In each of these sagas the translator has modified the ac-
counts enough to give the narratives very saga-like qualities, focusing on
dialogue and action, and on the travels and travails of the particular saint.
In Paul’s saga, the number and type of adaptations made to the Bible ac-
count in 645 show clearly that the translator was not attempting to provide a
strict translation of all of the material concerning Paul contained in Acts, but
rather to give as streamlined an account as possible of the major episodes in
Paul’s travels and missionary work, perhaps to allow for a certain ease of
identification of the Acts’ major theme of the strengthening and expansion of
the infant Church through the conversion of Jews and Gentiles, and to high-
light Paul’s persistence in his mission to preach the primary Christian truths of
the resurrection of the dead and the sacrament of penance. Beyond the thema-
tic and doctrinal elements, which would have been of importance for mis-
sionaries preaching to pagan Icelanders, the narrative is comprised of ele-
ments that would have had a broad popular appeal in Iceland, reflecting as
they do certain motifs that are crucial to saga narrative: sea travel, criminal
defense, intrigue and danger (the persistent attacks upon Paul and his often-
times narrow escapes), and dreams and visions predicting the future.
The adaptational practices utilized by the translator of the 645 account not
only allow for the showcasing of these particular features, but also help to
highlight and enhance what might be called the Acts’ saga-like narrative style:
Paul’s mission is narrated through a series of episodic conflicts in which he
either converts or fails to convert particular characters or groups of people or
fights off the accusations of his attackers; between each particular scene of
conflict the narrative is punctuated by descriptions of Paul’s travels from place
to place. Where the intermediary travel-descriptions are given at length, or
where there are extended introductions to particular scenes (for instance, nam-
ing details of locales or Paul’s companions) the Icelandic translator pares them
down or omits them entirely. He also consistently omits names of or details