The Slavic Apostle in the handwritten tradition: a review of Russian studies of Cyril and Methodius translation of Biblical books

Abstract

The article analyzes the research of the Slavic translations of the Apostle, dating back to the holy brothers Cyril and Methodius, who laid the foundation of Slavic written culture. The main attention is paid to the contributions of scholars of the 19th — early 20th centuries to the study ofthese translations, as well as modern research that focuses on textological analysis and reconstruction of protographs of biblical texts. Undoubtedly, the original Slavic translation of the liturgical Apostle underwent changes in various cultural and linguistic contexts. The study of these transformations is of great importance for understanding and continuing the mission of the holy brothers Cyril and Methodius at the present stage, and preserving the Church Slavonic language as a liturgical language in the Russian Orthodox Church.