ATHANASIUS OF ALEXANDRIA

Uncommon Definite Forms of Possessive Adjectives in the Old Bulgarian Translation of Athanasius of Alexandria’s Orations Against the Arians

Татяна Славова. Необичайни сложни форми на притежателни прилага­телни в старобългарския превод на Словата против арианите от Атанасий Александрийски

  • Summary/Abstract

    The article discusses the uncommon definite forms (with pronominal declension) of the possessive adjectives formed with -ов-, -ь and -ии/-ьи in the Old Bulgarian translation of Athanasius of Alexandriaʼs Orations Against the Arians, carried out by Konstantin of Preslav in 906. The translation survives only in Russian manuscripts ranging from the 15th to the 18th centuries. The Russian origin of the manuscripts raises the following question: have the definite forms of the possessive adjectives discussed here been the result of the spreading of the manuscripts in a Russian environment? Although rare, definite forms of possessive adjectives ending in -ов-, -ь and -ии/-ьи have been found in Old Bulgarian and Middle Bulgarian texts. This means that although uncommon, these forms were part of the Old Bulgarian language and the bishop Konstantin of Preslav could have used this declension model. The author argues that the uncommon definite forms of the possessive adjectives божии, отьчь, дѹховъ, съпасовъ, хрьстовъ are part of the translation strategy of bishop Konstantin of Preslav to distinguish between God the Father, God the Son, the Holy Spirit, and Christ the Saviour, on the one hand, and created beings, on the other hand.


The origin of the literal translation of Athanasius of Alexandria’s “Orationes contra Arianos” in the manuscript of Gavrilo Stefanović Venclović’s ‘Razglagolnik istinogo života’

Оригиналът на литертурния превод на Orationes contra Arianos от Атанасий Александрийски според ръкописа на Razglagolnik istinogo života’ на Гаврило Стефанович Венцлович

  • Summary/Abstract

    The author compares the marginal glosses in the book of Epifanij Slavinetskij’s Sbornik perevodov, 1665, with the text of Athanasius’ Third Oration against the Arians in Gavrilo Venclović’s Razglagolnik, 1734. The marginal glosses in Epifanij’s Russian Version are taken from a South Slavonic manuscript that has a common origin with the protograph of Venclović. The Orationes contra Arianos in Razglagolnik are written in South Slavonic koine and their source has the features of an Athonite translation related to the Council of Ferrara-Florence and the disputes over the filioque.


Biblical Quotations in the Athonite Translation of the Homilies Against the Aryans by St. Atanasios of Alexandria

  • Summary/Abstract
    The article is devoted to the Athonite translation of the Orations against the Arians by Athanasius of Alexandria, preserved in the so-called Ragagolnik of Epiphanius Slavinetsky. Late copy of the translation is saved in a manuscript from the Synodal collection 112 (No.360). from the 17th century, State Historical Museum, Moscow. The author makes observations on the language in a manuscript from the Pogodin collection 968, the Russian National Library, St. Petersburg and No.360 from the GIM confirms the general genesis of the copies in MS No. 360 and it. Biblical quotations testify that the translation from Mount Athos was made directly from the Greek language, without reference to the canonical books of the 10th century, but in accordance with the orthographic and grammatical standards of the Hesychastic Reform in 14th century. The translator knows and uses the translation of Konstantin of Preslav, but the similarities between the Old Bulgarian and the Athonite translations are mostly in the quotations of the New Testament. The differences between the Russian and Serbian versions are mainly due to the corrections made by Epiphanius Slavinetsky or the reference to Epiphanius of a protograph of another Greek tradition used on Mount Athos.

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