MOSCOW BIBLE OF 1663: FORMATION OF THE PRINCIPLES OF THE BOOK CORRECTION

In: Vestnik Moskovskogo Universiteta: naučnyj žurnal = Moscow State University bulletin. Serija 9, Filologija, Heft 1, S. 24-36

Abstract

This article traces the forming process of the linguistic principles of
Moscow Printing Yard editors, which guided them in preparing the publication of
the Moscow ("First printed") Bible of 1663 on the basis of the text of the Ostrog
Bible of 1581. Results of the comparative analysis of spelling and grammatical corrections in the Psalter, the Four Gospels and in the Book of Genesis are presented.
It was found out that the degree of imperative corrections made to the language of
the Book of Genesis turned out to be significantly lower than in the Psalter and
Gospel texts. Optional corrections of the plural dative and accusative cases of valid
participle in the Book of Genesis are observed, contradictive and inconsistent corrections in functions of the letter zelo, digraph îÓ and ligature ó, è-octal and
1-decimal take place. Spelling matching of lexical homonyms язык as 'body part,
speech' (γλώσσα) and as 'people, tribe' (ἔθνος) was not implemented based on the
principle of antistich. It indicates the defects of correction work in relation to these
linguistic elements at the very beginning of work on the Moscow Bible. An indicator
that the Biblical work took place in several stages, and its criteria were developed
and approved directly during the preparation of the Biblical codex for publication,
is the presence of grammatical corrections in the Book of Genesis made in glosses
(correction of the aorist to the perfect on second person singular), i.e. asynchronous
with respect to corrections, the results which are refl ected in the main body of the
text.