Slavic Scriptures

Book excerpt: 'Slavic Scriptures' traces the development of the Church Slavonic Version of the Christian Bible, a version still in active use today by the Russian Orthodox Church and considered authoriatative by other Slavic Orthodox churches as well, from the very earliest translations by missionaries to the Slavs in the ninth century, through to the Slavic Bible controversies of the late twentieth century. It focusses particular attention on the work of the Byzantine saints Cyril and Methodius, the continuation of their initiatives in medieval Bulgaria, and the completion of their efforts in medieval and Enlightenment Russia. It provides basic information on Christian scriptures in general, and an extensive bibliography of works in a variety of languages, including English, which treat Church Slavonic Bible matters. The text of the study is aimed at a general readership interested in biblical issues as a whole, and particularly among the Slavs, while the apparatus explores scholarly ramifications and controversies of concern to those specializing in Slavic and biblical studies.