Missionary Translations of the Divine Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom into the Languages of the Indigenous Peoples of the Russian Empire Cover Image

Misionárske preklady Liturgie sv. Jána Zlatoústeho do jazykov pôvodných národov Ruského impéria
Missionary Translations of the Divine Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom into the Languages of the Indigenous Peoples of the Russian Empire

Author(s): Katarína Džunková
Subject(s): Christian Theology and Religion, Cultural history, Political history, Comparative Linguistics, Other Christian Denominations, Philology, Sociology of Religion, History of Religion
Published by: Univerzita Palackého v Olomouci
Keywords: Liturgical Translation; Russian Empire; Russian Orthodox Church; Languages of Russia; Nikolay Ilminsky; Komi Language;

Summary/Abstract: The translations of the Divine Liturgy into the languages of the indigenous peoples of the Russian Empire were created by Russian missionaries, primarily in the nineteenth century. Their objective was to prevent a mass exodus from Orthodoxy to Islam or paganism and offer the local population a more comprehensive understanding of Christianity. The article expounds on this phenomenon within the context of the ongoing debate regarding the translation of the liturgy into Russian and other languages. The article en compass the translation of sacred texts into the Komi language by St. Stephen of Perm and addresses the circumstances in the early nineteenth century when emperors issued decrees mandating the translation of the liturgy. A pivotal moment emerged with the missionary principles of the orientalist N. I. Ilminsky in Kazan, advocating for the translation of texts into the vernacular. Ilminsky proposed using solely the Cyrillic alphabet and resorting to borrowings from Church Slavonic when necessary. Slavicism within Christian terminology has been researched in liturgical texts in Abkhazian, Altaic, Buryat, Chuvash, Yakut, Karelian, Komi, Mari, Tatar, and Udmurt. The article also discusses the translation into Komi, highlighting the rivalries among translators in that context.

  • Issue Year: XXVI/2024
  • Issue No: 2
  • Page Range: 81-101
  • Page Count: 21
  • Language: Slovak
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