Apoftegmaty Ojców Pustyni. O pamięci oralnej w zapisanych tekstach

The paper analyzes selected apophthegms that are part of two collections: alphabetical and systematic. These texts had initially circulated in oral transmission between 330–460 AD and were written down in the mid-fifth century. In this form they are available up until today. The purpose of the analysis at hand is to try to find traces of oral transmission in the apophthegms, which has been attempted by considering the rather rich literature on oral cultures and oral transmission. The studies by E. A. Havelock, J. Goody, and W. B. Ong have proven most useful here. Oral memory in the recorded apophthegms was discerned at the level of the text itself, its form, structure, composition, the subject matter taken up, the importance of the spiritual guide, etc.