Orsha Gospel of 13th сentury: to the issue of Rostov localization

Abstract

Our work aims to research the Ukrainian Cyrillic Orshan Gospel of the 13th century according to the original. (V.I. Vernadskyi National Library of Ukraine, Institute of Manuscript, f. 301, No. 555 P). Conduct historiographic, archeographic and paleographic research on the localization of the book, in connection with the latest Russian version of the manuscript of the Rostov origin, based on the attribution to the Spassky Gospel of the 13th century. (Yaroslavl State Museum-Reserve, No. 15690). Methodology. The research uses historiographical, paleographical and source-based methods of analysis, which will contribute to the solution of the stated problem. Scientific novelty. The paleographic attribution of the writing was carried out in relation to the non/Rostov localization of the manuscript. The Rostov origin of the book is denied. It has been established that the manuscript is written in the Church Slavonic language of the ancient Ukrainian edition, and it is likely that it originated from the Kyiv princely scriptorium. Conclusions. The Orsha Gospel is aprakos complete, written in the last quarter of the 13th century, charter letter on parchment, probably in Kyiv. The conducted research confirms the manuscript belonging to the Kyiv writing school; its protograph was a chronologically much earlier codex (up to the middle of the 12th century) of the Kyiv origin. The Orsha Gospel is a written monument of the Church Slavonic language of the Old Ukrainian (=Old Rus) Kyiv edition. There are no obvious paleographical and orthographical signs to localize the monument to the Rostov script. This is evidenced by the annotated analysis of the Orsha Gospel regarding its belonging to the Rostov codices, directly to the Spassky Gospel of the 13th century. Further study of the book will provide more localizing arguments.