Abstract:

This essay traces the varying implications of the word-concept conversion from the early Reformation to its use in John Donne’s poems and sermons, in a sermon by Lancelot Andrewes, and in John Milton’s Paradise Lost. Conversion is by definition a turning, usually a turning to or toward something, although also a turning back or even around, like a top. Historically, the English word derives from the Latin verb vertere, meaning “to turn,” and over time it develops a wide range of sociocultural applications. Its religious application—a redirecting, renewal, or reconfiguration of faith—is the most familiar. Another common word in the Renaissance that also means “turn” is trope, which refers to a figure of speech, such as metaphor. Like a trope (or turn), a conversion (or turn) involves a change, a shift, or a movement from one thing to another. Not surprisingly, given this intertwined background, controversies about the figurative or literal interpretation of the words with which Christ instituted the Eucharist in the Bible were at the very heart of religious conversion in England and on the Continent during the Reformation. Evident in these controversies is the changing perception of matter itself, of the material world, and of its relation to spirit. In Donne’s, Andrewes’s, and Milton’s writings, the persistence of religious tradition is equally evident, along with its radical appropriation to other meanings.

摘要：

本文探讨了单词概念转换从早期的宗教改革到在约翰·多恩的诗歌和布道，在兰斯洛特·安德鲁斯（Lancelot Andrewes）的布道以及在约翰·弥尔顿的《失乐园》（Paradise Lost）中使用的各种含义。根据定义，转换是转折，通常是转折或转折，尽管也转折甚至转折，如顶部。从历史上看，英语单词源自拉丁语动词vertere，意思是“转身”，随着时间的推移，它发展了广泛的社会文化应用。它的宗教应用（信念的重新定向，更新或重新配置）是最熟悉的。在文艺复兴时期另一种常见的词，也意味着“转”是比喻，指的是一种修辞格，例如隐喻。像比喻（或反过来），一个转换（或反过来）涉及的变化，移位，或者从一件事到另一个的运动。毫不奇怪，在这种相互交织的背景下，有关基督在圣经中建立圣体圣事的词语的比喻或字面解释的争议，是英格兰和宗教改革期间在宗教信仰转变的核心。这些争议中显而易见的是，人们对物质本身，物质世界及其与精神的关系的看法正在发生变化。在多恩（Donne），安德鲁斯（Andrewes）和弥尔顿（Milton）的著作中，宗教传统的持久性以及对其他含义的激进占有同样明显。