[Fragment of the Czech Church Slavonic Translation of The Forty Homilies on the Gospels by Pope Gregory the Great in the So-Called Rumyantsev Manuscript (No. 436)]

Abstract: The so-called Rumyantsev Manuscript (No. 436) dates back to the early 16th century and is housed within the manuscript collections (ф. 256 Собрание рукописных книг Н. П. Румянцева, No 436) of the Russian State Library (Российская государственная библиотека, РГБ) in Moscow. The Russian Church Slavonic manuscript represents the “Torzhestvennik” (минейный Торжественник), which contains homiletic-exegetical texts for various feasts, as well as hagiographical texts arranged according to the liturgical calendar (from September to August). The mentioned manuscript is renowned in the fields of Slavic studies and medieval studies because it contains the famous recording of the text of the First Old Church Slavonic Legend of St. Wenceslas (The Life of St. Wenceslas) in its South Russian (Vostokov’s) version. In the Rumyantsev Manuscript (No. 436), we have recently identified another text of West Slavic (Czech Church Slavonic) origin, represented by a fragment of the Old Church Slavonic translation of the Latin Forty Homilies on the Gospels by Pope Gregory the Great (XL homiliarum in Evangelia libri duo). The mentioned translation (i.e. Besědy na evangelije) was created in the early medieval Bohemia during the 11th century, most likely in the Sázava Monastery. The aim of the study is to highlight the mentioned textual fragment, make its material accessible through an edition and provide its basic textological characteristics. The newly recorded text of the Besědy na evangelije, written in the manuscript on fol. 167a 7 – 167b 22, dated January 25th, represents a substantial part of the 2nd chapter of the 23rd homily. Textual analysis has demonstrated the relative antiquity of the text fragment, its affiliation to the “Pogodin” textual line, and a significant textual affinity to the wording represented by the oldest relatively complete manuscript, the Pogodin manuscript from the 13th century. As a result of the text’s development in the Russian environment, specific textual features of the manuscript appear, representing partial changes in word order, morphology, or lexicon, as well as instances of text abbreviation or expansion. The existence of the text of the Besědy na evangelije in the Rumyantsev Manuscript (No. 436) is another piece of evidence of the importance and popularity of Gregory the Great as a theologian and teacher in the East Slavic environment. His thoughts and teachings had an impact on the theology and spiritual life of the East Slavic countries and contributed to the shaping of their Christian identity.

Authors: Čajka, František

DOI: 10.17846/CL.2024.17.1.47-63

Publication order reference: PhDr. František Čajka, Ph.D.; The Faculty of Education UJEP, Department of Czech Language and Literature, Králova výšina 7, 400 96 Ústí nad Labem, Czech Republic; email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; ORCID ID: 0000-0002-5739-8449, SCOPUS Author ID: 55837796600

Source: Konštatínove listy, 2024, vol.: 17, issue: 1, pages: 47-63 (PDF file)

Keywords: FORTY GOSPEL HOMILIES BY POPE GREGORY THE GREAT, CZECH CHURCH SLAVONIC TRANSLATION FROM LATIN, CHURCH SLAVONIC IN BOHEMIA, RUMYANTSEV MANUSCRIPT NO. 436

Language: CZECH

Recommended Citation:

Čajka, František. 2024. Fragment českocírkevněslovanského překladu Čtyřiceti homilií na evangelia papeže Řehoře Velikého v tzv. Rumjancevském rukopisu (č. 436) [Fragment of the Czech Church Slavonic Translation of the Forty Homilies on the Gospels by Pope Gregory the Great in the So-Called Rumyantsev Manuscript (No. 436)]. In Konštantínove listy [Constantine’s Letters] 17/1, 47-63.