The Gubernator – the Realistic and Symbolic Turn of the Sea Problems by the Fathers of the Church

Juliusz Jundziłł

Abstract

In the Christian literature and art the sea symbolism is very strongly marked. One of the motives is the steersman — captain (gubernator, kybenetes). In this article the author shows the relationships between the Fathers’ of the Church knowledge about the gubernator’s real duties on the ship and his duty in the metaphors and in the theological and moralistic constructions. The Fathers’s of the Church knowledge of gubernator’s duties on the ship and the helm construction is exhaustive. They consider that the gubernator is not only the steersman but the captain, too. But in reality many gubernator’s duties were done by his assistants. The considerable dependence of the sources of the voyage and the ship’s company’s safety on gubernator’s competence was used in allegory ship - church. It seems that the Fathers of the Church didn’t stop thinking of sea realities, so the patrologists ought to appreciate the value of their writings.