<삼국유사>란 표제가 말해주듯 一然이 승려의 전기나 설화집을 염두에 두고 찬술에 임한 것으로 여겨지지는 않지만 앞서 등장한 <梁高僧傳>의 체재와 서술방식, 찬술의식들을 의식, 모방하여 새로운 사서쓰기에 도달했음을 알리는 징표들이 곳곳에서 도출되고 있음을 주목할 필요가 있는 것이다. 그렇다고 해서 <삼국유사>의 출현 의의가 퇴색된다고 보기는 어렵다. 승전양식과 구비 전승물조차 과감하게 사료로 편입시킨 점은 대단한 결단으로 꼽을만하며 그로부터 또 하나의 역사 기술방법론이 구안되었다 해도 과언이 아니다. <삼국유사>가 <梁高僧傳>을 서사적 전거로 참고하여 산출된 것이기는 하나 僧史를 넘어 일반사로 그 서사적 지평을 확장한 찬술체임을 분명히 인식할 필요가 있다.The purpose of this study is to make clear the nature and essence of Samgugyusa (三國遺事) - a chronicle about the Three States (Goguryeo, Baekje and Silla) in ancient days of Korea - as a discourse. There have been a wider variety of discussions posed concerning this chronicle than any other comparable ones, because it indicated no hint about author and motive of writing, but there is not yet any consensus of opinions about it. Looking straight at the above question, this study sought to find out historical foundation of Samgugyusa in Goseungjeon (高僧傳) authored by Hyegyo (慧皎), a monk in the era of China's Yang dynasty.
First of all, the similarity of Samgugyusa to Goseungjeon in the aspect of makeup and composition form makes it inevitable to examine similarities and differences between these two works. It was already known that there is a similarity in composition method, that is, classifying virtues of monks who authored chronicles into 10 categories. However, the similarities in form are not enough to convincingly suggest that Samgugyusa came originally from Goseungjeon. Therefore, since it was urgently demanded to compare Samgugyusa with Goseungjeon in the aspect of content, this study sought to intensively highlight the trend of these two chronicles toward mystic writing and spotlight their ways of historical materialization. As a result, this study could find out that the viewpoint and narrative focus of Goseungjeon about any surreal and incomprehensible world beyond any rational perspectives had been handed down to Samgugyusa.
In a little further details, however, it is unreasonable to conclude that monk Ilyeon bore historical life stories of monks in his mind to author Samgugyusa, but it is justifiable to view that he actively borrowed descriptive form and system and the sense of authorship from Goseungjeon, so he could devise a brand new historical chronicle that was not existent in his days. It is reasonable to say that Samgugyusa is a chronicle in pursuit of general history about the Three States on the foundation of monks' life stories. But unfortunately, it is not too much to say that the real intent of Ilyeon who admitted the importance of narrative historical record as another ground to complement history has been disregarded so far among Korean historical scholars. Although Samgugyusa is a product in reference to Goseungjeon as narrative authority, it is necessary to clearly recognize that it is a discourse that extended narrative sphere into general history beyond biography of monks.