On footnotes in slavonic liturgical texts: alternative readings in Octoechos at the end of the 19th century
Abstract
The author reports on the history of the introduction of footnotes placed in kavyki in the printed editions of the Church Slavonic Octoechos. The author shows that footnotes placed in kavyki fi rst occur in the Uchebny Oktoikh (Octoechos for Study), printed at the behest of Nikolay Ilminsky at the end of the 19th century as a resource for rural schools, then are reproduced in the liturgical Octoechos printed in Moscow in 1888, from where they make it into modern reprint editions. For each footnote, the author compares the Slavonic text with the Greek text found in various editions of the Greek Parakletike printed in the 17th – 20th centuries. The author off ers a classifi cation of the footnotes, identifying footnotes intended to simplify the vocabulary or syntax of the Slavonic text, footnotes that indicate textual diff erences between the Slavonic and Greek printed editions, and footnotes that resolve various typographical, lexical or syntactical errors of the Slavonic translation. The author is also able to identify some footnotes that introduce new errors into the Slavonic text. In the conclusion, the author off ers practical recommendations concerning the reading of these footnotes in a liturgical setting as well as thoughts on the utility of placing changes to liturgical books in footnotes rather than in the main body of the liturgical text.
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