Oxymoron in early Christian and Byzantine texts

The article gives an overview of the cases of using the oxymoron in the works of Tertullian, Clement of Alexandria, Pseudo-Dionysius, saint Simeon The New Theologian. We are not talking about oxymoronic predicative expressions, usually expressing theological ideas (e. g., “the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen”), but about related primarily to the field of stylistics oxymoronic phrases (e. g., "foolish wisdom"), the analysis of which will allow in general to identify corresponding changes in Christian texts, beginning with the New Testament and ending with the Byzantine. The comparison of the most famous examples of such oxymorons shows how the purpose of this figure of thought changed in the works of these authors. Christian texts were not the first in which it was used: some (biblical "blessed are they that mourn" and Tertullian "it is certain, for it is impossible") paradoxes can be found parallels in ancient literature. Both in the New Testament texts and in the artless writings of "the Apostolic Fathers" there are practically no oxymorons as a rhetorical device. In writings by Clement of Alexandria, one of the first ecclesiastical writers who paid much attention to the beauty of the syllable, oxymorons are already found along with theologically filled ("carnal spirit") and "etymological" ("lawless laws") oxymorons. The first ones we meet in "Areopagitica" ("Word unspeakable") and in later works: if for the earlier authors oxymorons were mostly a rhetorical tool, in the Byzantine era they, like oxymoran predicative expressions have become a way to express dogmatically important provisions. First of all it concerns the apophatic description of the Divine.