On August 29 the Rivne region marked the 450th anniversary of the creation of the Peresopnytsia Gospels, the Primordial Book, a symbol of Ukrainian statehood, on which presidents take an oath of allegiance to the Ukrainian people.
It will be right to say, without going deep into historical details, that the Peresopnytsia Gospels is one of the symbols of Ukraine’s European culture. On the one hand, this book was brought forth by the common European tendencies of translating the Holy Scriptures into living vernacular languages. On the other hand, it is an incarnation of Ukrainian identity – for the same reason because it was written in a language that ordinary Ukrainians of those times spoke.
After all the troubles that had fallen to its lot, the Primordial Book proves today that Ukraine is part of the European cultural habitat with its “cult of the book.”
With this in view, it seems to be a right and well-timed decision to mark the 450th anniversary of the creation of this relic on a nationwide scale.
This jubilee has breathed some life into the almost God-forsaken village of Peresopnytsia, the Primordial Book’s birthplace: it is now supplied with cooking gas, has better roads and a new cultural and archeological center – a tourist attraction indeed. It is important that the president supported this event. But still…
It so happened that among those on the celebration list were officials of all ranks and hues, but some people, without whom the Peresopnytsia Gospel’s comeback to Ukraine would perhaps have been impossible, were totally forgotten. Why was the name of Ivan Mazepa, thanks to whom this book has survived, not mentioned at least once? If this celebration was not window dressing, how did it come about that this Gospel’s facsimile edition was published in Ukraine a few years ago at the Moscow Patriarchate’s expense and initiative?
We can agree with one of our experts (see his viewpoint below) that this relic might have played a much broader and deeper role than being put out at Verkhovna Rada inaugurations once in five years. Were the presidents who put their hand on this book aware of the high responsibility that this imposed on them? I mean, of course, if it is not just a piece of window dressing.
COMMENTARIES
Petro KRALIUK, Doctor of Sciences (Philosophy); Pro-Rector for Research, National University of Ostroh Academy; writer:
“We do not seem to have understood that the Peresopnytsia Gospels is a national sacred object. This oeuvre emerged in Volhynia. The Book of Veles must have come from that place, too. The Gospels was commissioned by Anastasia Zaslavska whose family line was rooted in Volhynian Polissia. The scribe, who played the chief role in the creation of this memorable object, was Lemkivshchyna-born Mykhailo Vasylevych. Ivan Mazepa and Taras Shevchenko – national symbols for many Ukrainians – used to hold the Gospels in their hands. And not only that… The Gospels traveled across Ukraine from west to east. There were some abortive attempts to take it out of Ukraine.
“This memorable object arouses mystical awe even today. Those who touched the Primordial Book felt some unusual warmth. And it is no mere chance that this memento became the book on which presidents of Ukraine take the oath of office. I only wonder if they were aware of taking an oath on a very uncommon relic.
“It is sad that the current jubilee of the Primordial Book is so bureaucratized. It is sad that, in the heat of anniversary celebrations, no one recalled the writer Yevhen Shmorhun who drew the attention of many people to the Peresopnytsia Gospels back in 1989 and thanks to whom a Primordial Book commemorative sign was put up at Peresopnytsia. It is in fact thanks to Shmorhun that the Ukrainian public at large came to know about the Peresopnytsia Gospels. It is sad that the still Ukrainians have a very vague idea of the Peresopnytsia Gospels and that most of the places linked to this memento remain forgotten.
“It is sad indeed…
“But let us be optimistic. We really have an uncommon memento which other peoples can only dream of.”
Mykola TYMOSHYK, Doctor of Sciences (Linguistics); Professor, Kyiv Taras Shevchenko University; author of the textbook The History of Publishing:
“The exceptional importance of the Peresopnytsia Gospels seems to be recognized even at the governmental level. But it is, unfortunately, a mere formality. The book is brought to the Verkhovna Rada once in five years, and presidents pretend to take an oath of allegiance to the Ukrainian people. Honoring the Peresopnytsia Gospels thus comes to an end, as does everything associated with the content and history of its creation and existence. And what is going on in our state seems to be out of context. But if governmental officials were really keeping this book in esteem, it could greatly serve the cause of Ukraine’s renaissance.
“Why is the Peresopnytsia Gospels precious to the Ukrainians? First of all, it is the first complete Bible written in the standard Ukrainian language of that time. It proves that the still-forming literary Ukrainian language differed from Russian even at that period of time.
“Besides, this book is of paramount importance in the context of Ukrainian national renaissance and, particularly, the revival of the Ukrainian church. The Peresopnytsia Gospels means our roots, sources, and ethnic identity. Given the present-day plight of the Ukrainian language, this book is of exceptional value.
“Naukova Dumka has made several attempts to republish this hand-written masterpiece. Things would go as far as the make-up stage and then grind to a halt due to a financial crunch. But the Peresopnytsia Gospels was republished a few years ago by the Moscow Patriarchate. The state was not involved in this publication which cost a pretty penny. I welcome the intention of the Moscow Patriarchate to revive the book in this country, but all this looks paradoxical. It is common knowledge that the official policy of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Ukrainian branch comprises, among other things, a ban on praying in the Ukrainian language. Therefore, in the context of Moscow Patriarchate activities and the current overall situation in the Ukrainian state, the Peresopnytsia Bible is not a factor of nation and state development. Rather, on the contrary… Some Internet sources are saying that the Kyiv Patriarchate will be allowed to take part in the book’s 450th anniversary celebrations.
“It is good that the Peresopnytsia Gospels has already been included in textbooks: for example, there is a chapter on the Gospels in my History of Publishing. Yes, we are focusing on our roots and on the fact that it was typical of the people who lived on this land as long ago as the 15th century to speak the Ukrainian language.
“Incidentally, another interesting fact is connected with the Peresopnytsia Gospels. It has survived also thanks to Ivan Mazepa. He found it and handed over to Pereiaslav-Khmelnytsky. This is also paradoxical. On the one hand, presidents take an oath on a book that Mazepa saved, but, on the other, just recall the ‘battles’ over the monument to this hetman in Poltava or the naming of a Kyiv street after him. This inconsistency and dishonesty towards our own history does not allow this book to work effectively for the cause of Ukrainian renaissance.”
