AN UNKNOWN OLD RUSSIAN TRANSLATED EXEGETICAL WRITING (CATENA ON THE PSALMS)

The paper introduces a hitherto uninvestigated piece of Slavic translated literature: a catena on the Psalms, preserved in six copies of 15th-16th century (including three copies as parts of Metropolitan Macarius’ Great Menaion Reader). The exact Greek archetype of the piece is unknown; the original volume of the translation is also unclear since surviving copies break off after Ps. 76 or in the middle of Ps. 84. The catena consists of fragments of four writings: Commentary on the Psalms by Theodoret of Cyrrhus (CPG 6202), On the Titles of the Psalms and Great Commentary on the Psalms by Hesychius of Jerusalem (CPG 6552, 6554), Brief Commentary on the Psalms by Pseudo-Hesychius (CPG 6553). Notably, the Great Commentary is presented by a nearly complete text of the exegesis of Ps. 51–84, which obviously should be considered in investigations of this important tractate, since its Greek original has been preserved only in few fragmentary copies. Analysis of the text demonstrates that the catena was translated by Russian bookmen in the late 11th or early 12th century. Its language is similar to that of other Old Russian translated exegetical writings, first and foremost to the Commentary on the Gospels by Theophylact of Bulgaria (of Ohrid) and to the Apostolos with Commentaries.