The Kiev-Pechersk Paterik is a literary monument of a rare fate: the formation and editing of a collection of works about the history of the monastery and its ascetics pass through the entire time space of ancient Russian literature. The prehistory of Patericon is connected with the beginning of the Christianization of Russia and the emergence of monasticism. It is reflected in the chronicle Word about the first chernoriztsy of the Caves, the lives of the founders of the Kiev-Pechersk Monastery, Anthony and Theodosius (XI-early XX century). As a collection containing the works of Bishop Simon of Vladimir-Suzdal and the Kiev-Pechersk monk Polycarp, the Patericon was formed by the end of the 30s of the XIII century, on the eve of the fall of Kiev under the blows of the Mongol-Tatar hordes. The further history of the monument, which survived during the Golden Horde yoke, knew two periods of intensive work on its text - the XV and XVII centuries, when about ten editions were created, while the XVI century accounted for most of the lists of works identified in the archives. Researchers of Patericon (historians, literary critics, linguists) agree that the collection, "polished by time, like a stone by water", is a certain standard that allows us to judge the general level of development of the artistic culture of Ancient Russia.
The system of names as an essential attribute of text organization in a work of the ensemble type, such as the Kiev-Pechersk Paterik, has developed over a number of centuries. Unlike the literature of modern times, the volume and nature of titles depended not so much on the author's will as on the perception of the monument text by scribes and editors. Observations on a particular fact of the history of the work (the formation of the system of names) will help scientists to trace how the structure of the Patericon was improved, to develop and justify the general scheme of relations between the lists and editions of the monument.
For a long time, p ...
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