Melety (Smotritsky): biography. Slavic grammar by Meletius Smotritsky Slavic grammar by Meletius Smotritsky

I period. Maxim the Greek arrives in Moscow Russia, having a general idea of ​​the Athos, South Slavic edition of the Church Slavonic language. Its main task is to correct the liturgical texts from the Greek originals (The Tsvetnaya Triodi of 1525) and to create new translations from the Greek language (Explanatory Psalter of 1522). During this period, Maxim the Greek perceives the Church Slavonic language as an imperfect model of the Greek language, which should be improved, focusing on Greek samples. He is not aware of the specifics of the Russian version of the Church Slavonic language, considering the book language common to all Orthodox Slavs. Correction of errors is achieved by grammatical systematization of the elements from which the text is built. In his epistle, "A disgusting word about book correction," he assesses himself as the only expert in grammar who has the right to correlate the Greek and Church Slavonic languages.

II period. Teaches Greek and creates educational texts, lexical and grammatical compositions; for educational purposes he also translated the Psalter of 1552.

Comes to an understanding of the specifics of the Russian version of the Church Slavonic language. He realizes that mistakes in the Church Slavonic language arise not only because of ignorance of Greek, but also because of the inability to compare and correlate elements of the book and non-book language.

The linguistic attitude of Maxim the Greek can be defined as consistent "Russification" of the Church Slavonic language... In an effort to eliminate variability in one grammatical position, from the variant forms of the Church Slavonic language, Maxim chooses the variant that coincides with Russian. So, he gets rid of archaic, actually bookish constructions and, as a result, brings the book language closer to the spoken language... (text by Remneva, just let something vyaknet !!!)

Lavrenty Zizaniy (Lavrenty Tustanovsky;? - after 1633) - Archpriest, famous Belarusian scientist. Initially, he was a teacher at the Lviv Fraternal School, from where in 1592 he moved to Brest, then to Vilna (now Vilnius), where in 1596 he published the alphabet and Church Slavonic grammar. The grammar of Zizania is one of the first monuments of East Slavic philology. Written by with a conscious focus on Greek and Latin examples. Its purpose was to prove the equal importance of the Church Slavonic language with Greek; descriptive or normative purposes Zizaniy did not pursue(his prescriptions sometimes deviate quite strongly from the real language practice of that time).

Melety Smotrytsky in the world - Maxim Gerasimovich Smotritsky, there is also a mixed form of the name Maxentius; Latin pseudonym Theophilus Ortholog; presumably 1577-1579 or 1572 Smotrych town - December 17 (27), 1633, Orthodox Archbishop of Polotsk; writer, educator.

In the years 1618-1619. - the main philological work "The grammatics of the Slavonic correct Sv'ntaґma" - the basis of Church Slavonic grammatical science for the next two centuries. Consists of the following parts: spelling, etymology, syntax, prosody... Written on the model of Greek grammars, Smotritsky's work reflects the specific phenomena of the Church Slavonic language. He owns establishing a case system characteristic of the Slavic languages ​​(in this Smotritsky was ahead of Western grammarians, who adjusted the cases of living languages ​​to the norms of the Latin language), establishing two conjugations of verbs, definition (not yet entirely accurate) of the type of verbs, etc .; marked extra letters of Slavic writing that she doesn't need. Smotritsky's Grammar also has a section on versification, where instead of syllabic verse it is proposed to use metric verse, as allegedly more characteristic of Slavic speech (in fact, reproducing an authoritative antique sample; Meletius's experiment with artificial metrization of the Church Slavonic language had no consequences). His "Grammar" is replete with many examples to facilitate the assimilation of grammar rules. It was reprinted several times with an approximation to the living Russian language and had a great influence on the development of Russian philology and the teaching of grammar in schools. In the alphabet books of the 17th century. extensive extracts have been made from it. Smotritsky's "grammar" was taken into account by the authors of a number of subsequent Slavic grammars published abroad - Heinrich Wilhelm Ludolph (Oxford, 1696), Ilya Kopievich (Amsterdam, 1706), Pavel Nenadovich (Rymnik, 1755), Stefan Vuyanovsky (Vienna, 1793) and Abraham (Vienna, 1794). Confirmed his participation in the writing of the "Primer of the Slavonic language", published in 1618.

2. The Slavic grammar of Melety Smotritsky, published (multiplied) in Moscow, 1648 (early 7156 December 6, end 7156 February 2). Alexei; Joseph. Lines 19. Font: 10 lines = 78 mm. 388 sheets; their numbering and the signature of notebooks (of which 48.5) are below. In the beginning (l. L. 1-44) - the Preface of the Grammar. At the end - Afterword. Ornament: initials 1; 16 screensavers from 3 boards. Two-color printing: black and red. Era binding: leather-covered boards, brass fasteners. 21.8x17cm.

In 1618-1619, the main philological work of the Eastern Slavs "Arammatics of the Slavic Regular Svntaґma" (Evye, now Vevis near Vilnius) was published - the basis of Church Slavonic grammatical science for the next two centuries, which withstood many reprints, revisions and translations. There, on the shore of the lake with the same name, at the beginning of the 17th century, the estate of the Oginsky princes was located, where in 1618 Bogdan Oginsky founded a printing house that printed Slavic and Polish books. Smotritsky's Grammar is an outstanding monument of Slavic grammatical thought.

Melety Smotrytsky (in the world - Maxim Gerasimovich Smotrytsky, there is also a mixed form of the name Maxentius, the pseudonym Theophilus Ortolog; born 1577-1578, the town of Smotrych or Kamenets-Podolsky - December 17 (27), 1633 (Derman) - Archbishop of Polotsk; writer , activist of enlightenment. Actively advocated joining the Orthodox Church, located on the Ukrainian lands, to the union; proposals were rebuffed by the circles united around Bishop Isaiah (Kopinsky) of Przemysl. language, a participant in the editing and publication of the "Ostrog Bible" Ivan Fedorov. Melety received his primary education at the Ostrog school from his father and Greek Cyril Lukaris (in the future also the rector of the Ostrog school, and later the Patriarch of Constantinople), where he got the opportunity to perfectly master the Church Slavonic and Greek languages After the death of Smotritsky's father, Prince Konstantin Ostrozhs cue sent a capable young man for further training at the Jesuit Vilnius Academy (this happened, according to various sources, in 1594 or 1601; the first option is considered more reliable); then Smotritsky traveled a lot abroad, attended lectures at various universities, especially at the Protestant Leipzig, Wittenberg and Nuremberg universities. Probably abroad, he received his doctorate in medicine. When he returned, he settled with Prince B. Solomeretskiy near Minsk. Smotritsky often traveled to Minsk, fought against the union, as a result of which many Uniates returned to Orthodoxy and an Orthodox brotherhood was founded in Minsk. Around 1608 he moved to Vilna, was a member of the Vilna brotherhood, anonymously published the treatise "Αντίγραφη" ("Answer"); probably taught at a fraternal school. He took an active part in the national and religious struggle. Under the pseudonym Theophilus Ortolog in 1610, he published his most famous work "Θρηνος" ("Lament"), like most of Smotritsky's other polemical works - in Polish. In this essay, the author castigates the bishops who have gone over to the union, calls on them to think again, but also criticizes the negligence and abuse of the Orthodox clergy; in polemics with Catholics, Smotritsky acts as an encyclopedically educated person of his time, quotes or mentions more than 140 authors - not only the Church Fathers, but also many ancient and Renaissance scholars and writers. With this work, Smotritsky gained immense popularity among the Orthodox; as he himself wrote, some contemporaries considered this book equal to the works of John Chrysostom and were ready to shed blood and soul for it. Criticism of both the Catholic and Orthodox hierarchies, the demonstration of religious and national persecutions of the people of Little Russia and Belarus, and most importantly, the call for active protection of their rights were very worried about the Polish royal authorities. Sigismund III in 1610 forbade the sale and purchase of the books of the Vilna brotherhood under the threat of a fine of 5000 gold pieces; the king ordered the local authorities to confiscate the brotherly printing house, to take and burn the books, and to arrest the typesetters and proofreaders, which was done. The editor and proofreader Leonty Karpovich ended up in jail; Smotritsky managed to avoid arrest. There is very little information about the life and work of Smotritsky after the royal repressions. He probably returned to Little Russia; maybe he lived for some time in Ostrog and taught at the school there. Smotritsky is considered one of the first rectors of the Kiev fraternal school, organized in 1615-1616, where he taught Church Slavonic and Latin. Then he returned to Vilna, where he lived in the Holy Spirit Monastery. Under pressure or even at the categorical demand of the Vilna brotherhood, which could not remain indifferent to Smotritsky's contacts with the Uniates, he accepted monasticism under the name of Meletius. In 1616, his translation into the Little Russian language of the "Teaching Gospel ... of our Father Callistus" was published.

"Grammar"consists of the following parts: spelling, etymology, syntax, prosody. Written on the model of Greek grammars, Smotritsky's work reflects the specific phenomena of the Church Slavonic language. He owns the establishment of the case system characteristic of the Slavic languages ​​(in this Smotritsky was ahead of Western grammarians, who adjusted the cases of living languages ​​to the norms of the Latin language), the establishment of two verb conjugations, the definition (not yet quite accurate) of the type of verbs, etc .; the extra letters of the Slavic writing, which it does not need, are marked. Smotritsky's Grammar also has a section on versification, where instead of syllabic verse, it is proposed to use metric verse, as supposedly more characteristic of Slavic speech (in reality, reproducing an authoritative antique sample; Meletius's experiment with artificial metrization of the Church Slavonic language had no consequences). His "Grammar" is full of many examples to facilitate the assimilation of grammar rules. It was reprinted several times (Vilno, 1629; Kremenets, 1638, 1648; Moscow, 1648, 1721, with an approximation to the living Russian language and additional articles on the benefits of studying grammar) and had a great influence on the development of Russian philology and the teaching of grammar in schools. In the 17th century alphabet books, extensive extracts are made from it. Smotritsky's "grammar" was taken into account by the authors of a number of subsequent Slavic grammars published abroad - Heinrich Wilhelm Ludolph (Oxford, 1696), Ilya Kopievich (Amsterdam, 1706), Pavel Nenadovich (Rymnik, 1755), Stefan Vuyanovsky (Vienna, 1793) and Abraham (Vienna, 1794). Smotritsky emphasized the need for conscious assimilation of educational material - "with the mind, mind the word." They put forward 5 levels of training: "see, heed, understand, consider, remember." Some researchers mention a dictionary allegedly compiled by Smotrytsky at about the same time, but no confirmation has been found for this information. Information about the Greek grammar of Smotritsky (allegedly published in 1615 in Cologne) is equally doubtful. However, his participation in writing the "Primer of the Slavic language", published in 1618 in the same Evye, was confirmed. The back of the title page of the Grammar of 1619 is decorated with the coat of arms of Bohdan Oginsky, and the book itself is dedication
Patriarch Timothy of Constantinople and Archimandrite of the Vilna Monastery Leonty Karpovich. The Moscow edition of 1648 is the fourth in a row. Printed at the behest of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich and with the blessing of his spiritual father, Moscow Patriarch Joseph, it appeared anonymously, in "edited" form, supplemented by linguistic discourses attributed to Maxim the Greek. The main text is preceded by a rather extensive preface, which contains maxims about the benefits of grammar, the need to read the Holy Scriptures, as well as the "psychic admonitions" of the church fathers. "Grammar" is divided into four parts: spelling, etymology, syntax and prosody, representing a new system of stress in versification. “These four parts are taught to Chesoma. Spelling teaches the right to write, and the voice in the speech directly strike. Etymology teaches utterances in their own part to accurately exalt. Syntax teaches words more difficult to articulate. Prosodia teaches with a meter, or a measure of the number of verses of slagati. " Originally designed to counter the increasing Polonization of the western region, Smotritsky's book played an important role in the cultural development of Russia. Before the appearance in 1755 of "Russian grammar" by M.V. Lomonosov, it was the main textbook of the Church Slavonic language. For several decades, literate people have been studying the "Slavic Grammar" "for the benefit of verb and writing." But to be honest, Melety Smotritsky's Slavic grammar was written in an incomprehensible language. It took a lot of patience and even courage to overcome it. It was tricky to comprehend "the well-known art of verb and writing teaching" from it. "What is the stress of the voice?" - could read a Russian person and puzzled over the answer: "There are utterances by the prosody of the upper sign." Or: "What is punctuation words?" "There are speeches, and by the drawing of different banners in the construction, division." But it was still possible to figure it out. And it was a serious book containing, among other things, the rules as "by the meter or the measure of the number of verses of slugati." And this prosody of the philologist-innovator also often did not arouse sympathy among his contemporaries and immediate descendants. The famous poet of the 18th century V.K. Trediakovsky in his article "On the ancient, middle and new Russian poem" wrote in this regard: "It is not known whether he did not like the rhyme method or so he was in love with the ancient Greek and Latin method of versification, which made up his own, for our poems, completely Greek and therefore Latin. But since this praiseworthy diligence of Smotritsky, however, our learned spiritual people did not accept this composition of his poems, he remained only in his grammar to show the descendants of the example, and they were sometimes more affirmed on rhyme verses of an average composition, bringing them into some working order and the sample of Polish poetry ".

In 1620-1621, Patriarch Theophanes of Jerusalem stayed in Little Russia and Belarus: almost all the episcopal sees there passed into union, and new hierarchs had to be erected. Theophanes sent out letters in which he advised to elect candidates and send them to him. The Vilensky candidate (Archimandrite of the Holy Spiritual Monastery L. Karpovich) was ill, so Smotrytsky was assigned to go to Kiev; his patriarch appointed him archbishop of Polotsk, bishop of Vitebsk and Mstislavl (these departments were occupied by the Uniate Josaphat Kuntsevich since 1618). At the end of 1620, after the death of Leonty Karpovich, Smotritsky was elected archimandrite of the Holy Spirit Monastery. During this period, he launched an active work to defend Orthodoxy and new bishops, against union; preached in Vilna churches, in squares, in the town hall, sent his ambassadors with letters and books to cities, towns, farms and magnate castles ... The patron saint of the union, King Sigismund III, did not approve new Orthodox bishops and metropolitan. The royal government condemned the actions of Theophanes, declared him a Turkish spy, and ordered the bishops to be seized and brought to justice. Against Smotritsky, Sigismund issued three letters in 1621, declaring him an impostor, an enemy of the state, an insult to the majesty and instigator, and ordering him to be arrested. A pogrom of the Orthodox was organized in Vilna. Smotritsky, in response, published a number of anti-Uniate works in which he defends the restoration of the Orthodox hierarchy, refutes Catholic-Uniate accusations, shows the arbitrariness of the royal authorities and the persecution of the Ukrainian and Belarusian population, who defended their rights and dignity: "Verificatia niewinności ..." ("Justification of innocence ...", Vilna, 1621), "Obrona Verificatiey ..." ("Defense of" Justification "...", Vilna, 1621), "Elenchus pism uszczypliwych ..." ("Exposing poisonous scriptures ...", Vilna, 1622), etc. Together with Metropolitan Boretsky Smotrytsky in 1623 he went to the Diet in Warsaw, where they unsuccessfully tried to get the approval of new Orthodox bishops. In the fall of 1623, the revolted population of Vitebsk killed the Uniate Archbishop Iosaphat Kuntsevich. With the blessing of Pope Urban VIII, the royal authorities cruelly dealt with the rebels, while Smotritsky was accused of being their spiritual accomplice. Because of this, he decided to go outside the borders of the Commonwealth and at the beginning of 1624 went to the Middle East, before stopping in Kiev. He visited Constantinople, visited Egypt and Palestine; through Constantinople in 1626 he returned to Kiev. As Smotritsky later admitted in a letter to Prince Khreptovich, the trip was connected with the plans of the union, about which he did not dare to tell the patriarch. Smotritsky wanted to receive a letter from the patriarch limiting the autonomy of the stauropegian brotherhoods, and indeed brought it. When Smotritsky returned, the Orthodox greeted him with caution, even with hostility. Archimandrite of the Kiev-Pechersk Monastery Zakhariya Kopystensky did not accept Smotrytsky and insisted that other monasteries do the same; the reason was the brought letters and rumors about his inclination to union. Only thanks to the efforts of I. Boretsky (also accused of inclination to union), he was accepted by the Mezhyhirsky Monastery. In order to dispel suspicions, Boretsky and Smotritsky in the spring of 1626 "before many clergy, the gentry, the nobility, the mayors, the raits, the ecclesiastical brotherhood and the whole embassy showed their singing signs more clearly before all innocence and loyalty ..." ... Smotritsky found himself in a difficult situation: it was impossible to return to his Vilensky monastery after bringing the letters, but in Kiev he was greeted unfavorably. He turns to Prince Janusz Zaslavsky to get an empty seat as archimandrite of the Derman monastery in Volyn, who was then under the patronage of Alexander, the son of Janusz. This act turned out to be fatal in the life of Smotritsky. At the instigation of the Uniate Metropolitan of Rutsk, Zaslavsky agreed to this, but on condition that Smotritsky would join the union. After some hesitation, Smotritsky agreed. But they did not completely believe him and demanded written confirmation of his conversion to Uniatism. In June 1627, Smotrytsky became a Uniate. At the same time, he asked that until receiving answers from Rome it be kept secret, so that he retained the title of archbishop, etc. The real reasons for this transition are interpreted in different ways. During 1628-1629, he published several books, in which he justifies his actions, agitates for union, criticizes the works of Orthodox polemicists, including his past views, concerns primarily purely theological issues. Smotritsky's activities in favor of the union suffered a complete collapse. On his initiative, in the fall of 1627, a council was convened in Kiev, at which he promised to prepare his catechism for publication, but asked first to allow him to publish his reflections on the differences between the Orthodox and Catholic churches; in February 1628, at a cathedral in Gorodok in Volyn, he already argued that the western and eastern churches do not diverge in basic provisions, so that their reconciliation is possible. To discuss his proposals, it was decided to convene a new council, for which Smotrytsky was to prepare a statement of his views. But instead, he wrote "Apology", in which he accused the Orthodox of various heresies and urged them to join Catholicism; the book was published without the sanction of the metropolitan. It was printed by Uniate K. Sakovich. Smotritsky's behavior and his book caused outrage. Five bishops, many lower clergy, laity, and Cossacks came to the new council in August 1628. Smotritsky was not allowed to attend the meetings until he renounced Apology; he tried to resist, but after learning that the people gathered at the Mikhailovsky Monastery threatened with reprisals if his Uniatism was opened, he publicly renounced the book, signed an act cursing it, and trampled its sheets with their feet in front of the audience. To appease the people, the council issued a district charter so that Smotritsky and other hierarchs would no longer be suspected of Uniatism. But Meletius unexpectedly returned to the Derman monastery, wrote and published a book "Protestatia" directed against the cathedral, where he openly opposed Orthodoxy, explained his former renunciation of union by blackmail, and asked the king to convene a new council to reconcile the churches. The council was convened in 1629 in Lvov, but the Orthodox refused to participate in it. Having found himself in the circle of people with whom he had fought all his life, abandoned by his old friends, sick Meletius, remaining in Derman, did not write or publish anything else. He also died there and was buried on December 17 (27), 1633 in the Derman monastery. Meletius was not completely consistent, but with his activity, pedagogical work, the fruit of which was the Church Slavonic "Grammar", Smotritsky made an invaluable great contribution to the culture of the Eastern Slavs.

Some of the oldest editions owned by the Scientific Library of the Moscow State Pedagogical University are educational editions of the early 18th century, which were used by both children and adults who wished to get an education sooner or later. This is "Grammar" by Melety Smotritsky (1648) and "Arithmetic" by Leonty Magnitsky (1714)... Mikhail Vasilyevich Lomonosov called these books "the gates of his learning."

The title page of the copy of "Grammar" kept in our library has been lost, but according to a number of signs it can be attributed to the 18th century.

IN 1618 – 1619 biennium Melety Smotritsky created his main philological work - the basis of Church Slavonic grammatical science for the next two centuries, which withstood many reprints, revisions and translations - “Grammar in the Reigning Great City of Moscow, in the summer from the creation of the world 7229, from Christmas in the flesh of God the word 1714, indict 14 months of fevruaria ". [rice. one ].

"Grammar" consists of four parts: spelling, etymology, syntax, prosody. As introductory articles, it included the "Preface on the Benefits of Grammar and Philosophical Teachings" by Maxim the Greek, and "A Word on the Benefits of Literacy" by the Kiev scholar Metropolitan Peter Mohyla. At the end of the book there are questions and answers of Maxim the Greek about grammar, rhetoric and philosophy, as well as two articles by an unknown author with examples of grammatical analysis of sentences.

Modeled after Greek grammars, Smotritsky's work still reflects specific phenomena
Church Slavonic language. He owns the establishment of the case system characteristic of the Slavic languages ​​(in this Smotritsky was ahead of Western grammarians, who adjusted the cases of living languages ​​to the norms of the Latin language), the establishment of two verb conjugations, the definition (not yet quite accurate) of the type of verbs, etc.; the extra letters of the Slavic writing, which it does not need, are marked. Smotritsky was the first to introduce the letter "g" and legalize the use of the letter "y"; established the rules for the lettering of vowels and consonants, the use of capital letters, separating signs, transfer rules; identified eight parts of speech - pronoun, verb, name, participle, etc .; described the declension of adjectives and numbers.

Also, "Grammar" contains a section on versification, where instead of syllabic verse it is proposed to use metric verse, as supposedly more characteristic of Slavic speech (in fact, reproducing an authoritative antique sample; Meletius's experiment with artificial metrization of the Church Slavonic language had no consequences). His "Grammar" is full of many examples to facilitate the assimilation of grammar rules. It was reprinted several times (Vilno, 1629; Kremenets, 1638, 1648; Moscow, 1648, 1721, with an approximation to the living Russian language and additional articles on the benefits of studying grammar) and had a great influence on the development of Russian philology and the teaching of grammar in schools. Smotritsky's "Grammar" formed the basis for a number of subsequent Slavic grammars published abroad - Wilhelm Ludolph (Oxford, 1696), Ilya Kopievich (Amsterdam, 1706), Pavel Nenadovich (Rymnik, 1755), Stefan Vuyanovsky (Vienna, 1793) and Abraham Mrazovich (Vienna, 1794).

Smotritsky emphasized the need for conscious assimilation of educational material - "with the mind, mind the word." They put forward 5 levels of training: "see, heed, understand, consider, remember."

Melety Smotritsky made a great contribution to the culture of the Eastern Slavs: in the 18th - first half of the 19th centuries. his "Grammar" became a model for Serbian, Croatian, Romanian and Bulgarian grammars.

Curriculum Vitae.

Melety (in the world Maxim) Smotrytsky was born around 1577 in Ukraine in the village of Smotrych, Khmelnitsky region.

He received his primary education at the Ostrog school from his father (Ukrainian writer Gerasim Smotrytsky, the first rector of the Ostrog school, an expert in Church Slavonic and a participant in editing and publishing the Ostrog Bible, Ivan Fedorov) and the Greek Cyril Lukaris (in the future also the rector of the Ostrog school, and later the Patriarch of Constantinople ), where he got the opportunity to perfectly master the Church Slavonic and Greek languages. After the death of his father, Prince Konstantin Ostrozhsky sent a capable young man for further training at the Jesuit Vilna Academy (according to various sources, this happened either in 1594 or in 1601). Then Meletios traveled a lot abroad, attended lectures at various Protestant universities in Leipzig, Wittenberg and Nuremberg. Abroad, he received his doctorate in medicine. Returning, Smotritsky settled in the possession of Prince Solomeretsky near Minsk.

His entire church and writing career developed in the context of religious, cultural and national polemics that took place in Belarus, Ukraine, Lithuania and Poland in the first decades of the 17th century. He actively participated in the national-religious struggle: he fought against the union, as a result of which many Uniates returned to Orthodoxy and an Orthodox brotherhood was founded in Minsk.

Around 1608, he moved to Vilna, was a member of the Vilna brotherhood of St. Spirit, in the printing house of which he anonymously published the treatise "ίντίγραφη" ("Answer"), probably also taught there in a fraternal school. Under the pseudonym Theophilus Ortholog in 1610, he published his work "Θρηνος" ("Lament") in Polish, which he used in all his polemical writings. In the work, the author calls on the bishops who have gone over to the union to think better, but also criticizes the negligence and abuse of the Orthodox clergy; in polemics with Catholics, Smotritsky acts as an encyclopedically educated person of his time, quotes or mentions more than 140 authors - not only the Church Fathers, but also many scientists and writers of antiquity and the Renaissance. With this work, Smotritsky gained immense popularity among the Orthodox (as he himself wrote, some contemporaries considered this book to be equal to the works of John Chrysostom and were ready to shed blood and soul for it), but also caused the alarm of the Polish king Sigismund III, who in 1610 forbade selling and to buy books from the Vilna brotherhood under the threat of a fine of 5,000 gold, and ordered the local authorities to confiscate the printing house, take and burn the books, and arrest the printer and the author. The book's publisher Leonty Karpovich was sent to prison, while Smotritsky managed to escape punishment.

Between 1617 and 1619 Smotritsky became a monk at the Vilna monastery of St. Spirit under the name Meletius, and later was ordained to the rank of archbishop.

In 1628, Archbishop Melety left Kiev and openly declared himself a Uniate and completely submitted to the leadership of the Jesuits. At the end of his life, he found himself in the circle of people with whom he fought all his life, and until the end of his days remained in the Derman monastery, without writing or publishing anything else. He also died there and was buried on December 17 (27), 1633.

Smotritsky combined many talents: a philologist, a Belarusian and Ukrainian polemicist, a public-political and church leader, an Orthodox Archbishop of Polotsk (since 1620), a Uniate archbishop of the Hieropolitan and an archimandrite of the monastery in Derman. He also went down in the history of linguistics as a polyglot and the author of several textbooks (although the authorship of some of them is questioned, for example, the grammar of the Greek language published in 1615 in Cologne or the "Lexicon" (dictionary) of Church Slavonic published in 1617-1620) and Greek).

Smotritsky's "Grammar" is an outstanding monument of Slavic grammatical thought, the basis of Church Slavonic grammatical science for the next two centuries, which withstood many reprints, revisions and translations, was first published in 1619 in the city of Evye. She had a great influence on the development of Russian philology and the teaching of grammar in schools. Written on the model of Greek grammars, Smotritsky's work reflects the specific phenomena of the Church Slavonic language.

The son of the Ukrainian polemicist writer Gerasim Smotrytsky, the first rector of the Ostroh school, an expert in Church Slavonic, a participant in the editing and publication of the Ostrog Bible, Ivan Fedorov, Smotritsky emphasized the need for conscious assimilation of educational material - "understand the words with your mind ...". They were put forward five stages of training: "see, heed, understand, consider, remember." That is why "Grammar" is full of many examples to facilitate the assimilation of grammar rules. It consists of the following parts: spelling, etymology, syntax, prosody. The work establishes a system of cases characteristic of Slavic languages, two conjugations of verbs, a definition (not yet quite accurate) of verb species, etc .; extra letters of Slavic writing are marked, which it does not need, there is a section on versification, where instead of syllabic verse it is proposed to use metric, as supposedly more characteristic of Slavic speech.

At first, he actively opposed the accession of the Orthodox Church, located on the Chervona-Russian lands, to the union, but towards the end of his life he switched to opposite positions; the proposals were rebuffed by the circles united around the Bishop of Przemysl Isaiah (Kopinsky).

Biography

early years

The son of the Orthodox polemicist writer Gerasim Smotritsky, the first rector of the Ostroh school, an expert in Church Slavonic, a participant in the editing and publication of the Ostrog Bible, Ivan Fedorov.

Melety received his primary education at the Ostrog school from his father and Greek Cyril Lukaris (in the future also the rector of the Ostrog school, and later the Patriarch of Constantinople), where he got the opportunity to perfectly master the Church Slavonic and Greek languages. After the death of Smotritsky's father, Prince Konstantin Ostrozhsky sent a capable young man for further training at the Jesuit Vilna Academy (this happened, according to various sources, in 1594 or 1601; the first version is considered more reliable); then Smotritsky traveled a lot abroad, attended lectures at various universities, especially at the Protestant Leipzig, Wittenberg and Nuremberg universities. Probably abroad, he received his doctorate in medicine. When he returned, he settled with Prince B. Solomeretskiy near Minsk. Smotritsky often traveled to Minsk, fought against the union, as a result of which many Uniates returned to Orthodoxy and an Orthodox brotherhood was founded in Minsk. Around 1608 he moved to Vilna, was a member of the Vilna brotherhood, anonymously published the treatise "Αντίγραφη" ("Answer"); probably taught at a fraternal school. He took an active part in the national and religious struggle. Under a pseudonym Theophilus Ortholog in 1610 he published his most famous work "Θρηνος" ("Lamentation"), like most of Smotritsky's other polemical works - in Polish. In this essay, the author castigates the bishops who have gone over to the union, calls on them to think again, but also criticizes the negligence and abuse of the Orthodox clergy; in polemics with Catholics, Smotritsky acts as an encyclopedically educated person of his time, quotes or mentions more than 140 authors - not only the Church Fathers, but also many ancient and Renaissance scholars and writers. With this work, Smotritsky gained immense popularity among the Orthodox; as he himself wrote, some contemporaries considered this book equal to the works of John Chrysostom and were ready to shed blood and soul for it.

Criticism of both the Catholic and Orthodox hierarchies, the demonstration of religious and national persecution of the Orthodox people of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, and most importantly, the call for active protection of their rights, were very worried about the Polish royal authorities. Sigismund III in 1610 forbade the sale and purchase of the books of the Vilna brotherhood under the threat of a fine of 5000 gold pieces; the king ordered the local authorities to confiscate the brotherly printing house, to take and burn the books, and to arrest the typesetters and proofreaders, which was done. The editor and proofreader Leonty Karpovich ended up in jail; Smotritsky managed to avoid arrest.

There is very little information about the life and work of Smotrytsky after the royal repressions. He probably returned to Little Russia; maybe he lived for some time in Ostrog and taught at the school there. Smotritsky is considered one of the first rectors of the Kiev fraternal school, organized in 1615-1616, where he taught Church Slavonic and Latin. Then he returned to Vilna, where he lived in the Holy Spirit Monastery. Under pressure or even at the categorical demand of the Vilna brotherhood, which could not remain indifferent to Smotritsky's contacts with the Uniates, he accepted monasticism under the name of Meletius. In 1616, his translation into the Old Ukrainian language of the "Teaching Gospel ... of our Father Callistus" was published.

"Grammar"

In the years 1618-1619, the main philological work "The grammatics of the Slavic correct Sv'ntaґma" (Evye, now Vevis near Vilnius) was published - the basis of Church Slavonic grammatical science for the next two centuries, which withstood many reprints, revisions and translations. Smotritsky's Grammar is an outstanding monument of Slavic grammatical thought. It consists of the following parts: spelling, etymology, syntax, prosody. Written on the model of Greek grammars, Smotritsky's work reflects the specific phenomena of the Church Slavonic language. He owns the establishment of the case system characteristic of the Slavic languages ​​(in this Smotritsky was ahead of Western grammarians, who adjusted the cases of living languages ​​to the norms of the Latin language), the establishment of two verb conjugations, the definition (not yet quite accurate) of the type of verbs, etc .; the extra letters of the Slavic writing, which it does not need, are marked. Smotritsky's Grammar also has a section on versification, where instead of syllabic verse it is proposed to use metric verse, as allegedly more characteristic of Slavic speech (in fact, reproducing an authoritative antique sample; Meletius's experiment with artificial metrization of the Church Slavonic language had no consequences). His "Grammar" is replete with many examples to facilitate the assimilation of grammar rules. It was reprinted several times (Vilno, 1629; Kremenets, 1638, 1648; Moscow, 1648, 1721, with an approximation to the living Russian language and additional articles on the benefits of studying grammar) and had a great influence on the development of Russian philology and the teaching of grammar in schools. In the alphabet books of the 17th century. extensive extracts have been made from it. Smotritsky's "grammar" was taken into account by the authors of a number of subsequent Slavic grammars published abroad - Heinrich Wilhelm Ludolph (Oxford, 1696), Ilya Kopievich (Amsterdam, 1706), Pavel Nenadovich (Rymnik, 1755), Stefan Vuyanovsky (Vienna, 1793) and Abraham (Vienna, 1794).

Smotritsky emphasized the need for conscious assimilation of educational material - "with the mind, mind the word." They put forward 5 levels of training: "see, heed, understand, consider, remember."

Some researchers mention a dictionary allegedly compiled by Smotrytsky at about the same time, but no confirmation has been found for this information. Information about the Greek grammar of Smotritsky (allegedly published in 1615 in Cologne) is equally doubtful. However, his participation in writing the "Primer of the Slavic language", published in 1618 in the same Evye, was confirmed.

Struggle against union (1620-1623)

In 1620-1621, Patriarch Theophanes of Jerusalem stayed in Ukraine and Belarus: almost all the Orthodox bishops there went over to Uniatism, and the Orthodox church hierarchy had to be restored. Theophanes sent out letters in which he advised to elect candidates and send them to Kiev. The Vilna candidate was originally the archimandrite of the Holy Spiritual Monastery Leonty Karpovich, but because of his illness, Smotritsky was assigned to go to Kiev. It was Patriarch Theophanes who made him Archbishop of Polotsk, Bishop of Vitebsk and Mstislavl. However, Smotritsky did not receive any real church power: since 1618, all the named departments were occupied by the Uniate Josaphat Kuntsevich, supported by the government of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

At the end of 1620, after the death of Leonty Karpovich, Smotritsky was elected archimandrite of the Holy Spirit Monastery. During this period, he launched an active work to protect Orthodoxy and new bishops: he spoke with sermons in Vilna churches, in squares, in the town hall, sent out his ambassadors with letters and books to cities, towns, farms and magnate castles ...

As expected, the patron saint of the union, King Sigismund III, did not approve new Orthodox bishops and metropolitan. The government of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth condemned the actions of Patriarch Theophanes, declared him a Turkish spy, and ordered the newly appointed bishops to be seized and brought to justice. Against Smotritsky, Sigismund issued three letters in 1621, declaring him an impostor, an enemy of the state, an insult to the majesty and an instigator, who should be arrested. A pogrom of the Orthodox was organized in Vilna.

Smotritsky, in response, published a number of anti-Uniate works in which he defended the restoration of the Orthodox hierarchy, refuted Catholic-Uniate accusations, talked about the arbitrariness of the royal authorities, about the persecution of Orthodox Rusyns who defended their rights and customs: "Suplicacia" (petition, pleading) "Verificatia niewinności ... "(" Justification of innocence ... ", Vilna, 1621)," Obrona Verificatiey ... "(" Defense of the "Justification" ... ", Vilna, 1621)," Elenchus pism uszczypliwych ... "(" Exposing poisonous scriptures ... ", Vilna, 1622) and others. In 1623, Smotritsky, together with Metropolitan Boretsky, traveled to the Diet in Warsaw, where they unsuccessfully tried to get the approval of new Orthodox bishops.

In the fall of 1623, the revolted population of Vitebsk killed the Uniate Archbishop Iosaphat Kuntsevich. With the blessing of Pope Urban VIII, the royal authorities cruelly dealt with the rebels, while Smotritsky was accused of being their spiritual accomplice. Probably, this was one of the reasons that prompted Smotrytsky to leave the territory of the Commonwealth for a while.

Journey to the East (1624-1626)

At the beginning of 1624, Smotrytsky went to Kiev, and then to the Middle East. He visited Constantinople, visited Egypt and Palestine; in 1626 he returned to Kiev through Constantinople.

The main openly declared goal of Smotritsky's travel was to receive a letter from the patriarch limiting the autonomy of the stauropegian brotherhoods, and he really brought such a letter. Later, in a letter to Prince Khreptovich, Smotritsky claimed that he intended to propose to the patriarch a plan for the introduction of the union, but he did not dare to do so.

In Kiev, Smotrytsky was greeted with caution, even with hostility. Archimandrite of the Kiev-Pechersk Monastery Zakhariya Kopystensky did not accept him and insisted that other monasteries do the same. The reason was the letters brought by Smotrytsky and rumors about his inclination to union. Only thanks to the efforts of I. Boretsky (also accused of adherence to the union), Smotritsky was accepted by the Mezhigorsky monastery. In order to dispel the suspicions of the Orthodox, Boretsky and Smotritsky in the spring of 1626 "before many clergy, the gentry, the nobility, the mayors, the paradise, the church brothers and the whole embassy showed their singing signs more clearly before all innocence and loyalty ...", as the Pechersk archimandrite Peter Mohyla wrote later in a special letter.

Conversion to Uniatism (1627)

Smotritsky's situation remained difficult: after the spread of slanderous rumors among the Orthodox parishioners, it seemed impossible to return to the Vilna Svyatodukhovsky monastery. Wanting to get an empty seat for the archimandrite of the Derman monastery in Volyn, Smotrytsky turned for help to Prince Janush Zaslavsky, whose son Alexander was the patron saint of the named monastery. At the instigation of the Uniate Metropolitan of Rutsky, Janusz Zaslavsky agreed to provide Smotrytsky with a vacant position on the condition that he joins the union. After some hesitation, Smotritsky was forced to agree, but they did not believe him and demanded written confirmation. In June 1627, Smotritsky officially became a Uniate. At the same time, he asked that until receiving answers from Rome this should be kept secret and that the title of archbishop remained with him. The real reasons for the actions of Smotritsky associated with the transition to Uniatism are interpreted in different ways.

Later years (1628-1633)

In the fall of 1627, on the initiative of Smotritsky, a council was convened in Kiev, at which he promised to prepare his catechism for publication, but asked first to allow him to publish his reflections on the differences between the Orthodox and Catholic churches. In February 1628, at a cathedral in the town of Gorodok in Volyn, Smotritsky already argued that the Western and Eastern churches do not diverge in basic provisions, so that their reconciliation is possible. To discuss his proposals, it was decided to convene a new council, for which Smotrytsky was to prepare a statement of his views. But instead, he wrote "Apology", in which he accused the Orthodox of various heresies and urged them to join Catholicism. The book was published without the sanction of the Metropolitan, it was printed by Uniate K. Sakovich.

Smotritsky's behavior and his book aroused popular indignation. Five bishops came to the new council in August 1628; there were many lower clergy, laity, Cossacks. Smotritsky was not allowed to attend the meetings until he renounced Apology. At first he tried to object, but the people gathered at the Mikhailovsky Monastery threatened him with reprisals, which would become inevitable if his Uniatism was opened. In fear, Smotritsky publicly renounced the book, signing an act cursing it, and trampling its sheets with his feet in the face of the audience.

To appease the people, the council issued a district charter so that Smotritsky and other hierarchs would no longer be suspected of Uniatism. But Smotritsky, returning to the Derman monastery, wrote and published the book “Protestatia” directed against the cathedral, where he openly opposed Orthodoxy, explained his renunciation of union by blackmail and asked the king to convene a new council to reconcile the churches. The council was convened in 1629 in Lvov, but the Orthodox refused to participate in it.

The Ostrog Chronicler contains the following record: "1629. Melety Smotrytsky, archbishop of Polotsk, being Orthodox for the archimandrite of the Derman monastery, retreated to the eastern churches and became a blasphemer on the eastern saint church. Then he concealed his heresy and cursed his letter and fired and trampled on the Pechersk monastery during the service of God and at the cathedral. Then the packs lied to the holy spirit, and there was a blasphemy against the holy church and the patriarchs, and the praise of the papal, klamets, against the holy ones. And I will die in such wickedness of my " .

Having found himself in the circle of people with whom he had fought all his life, abandoned by his old friends, the ailing Smotritsky, remaining in Derman, did not write or publish anything else.

He died and was buried on December 17 (27), 1633 in the Derman monastery.

Artworks

• "Θρηνος to iest Lament iedyney S. powszechney apostolskiey Wschodniey Cerkwie ..." - Wilno, 1610.
• "The grammatics of the Slavic correct Sv'ntaґma ..." Evye, 1619. Reprint: Kiev: Naukova Dumka, 1979. Internet version (scanned).
• Apologia. - Lviv, 1628.
• Verificatia niewinności // ASWR. - Part 1. - T. 7.
• The lament of the poor for the pitiful repose of the holy-loving and in both the goodness of the rich husband in Boz, the great lord Father Leonty Karpovich, the archmandrite of the community at the Church of the Descent of the Holy Spirit of the Brotherhood of the Ukrainian Vilensky Memorial Greek Orthodox Brotherhood. - K., 1988.
• Collected works of Meletij Smortyc'kyj / Harvard Library of Early Ukrainian Literature: Texts: Volume I. Cambridge (Massachusetts): Harvard University, 1987. ISBN 0-916458-20-2
• V. V. Nimchuk Kiev-Mohyla Academy and development of ukr. linguistics XVII-XIX cent. // The role of the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy in the cultural unity of the words of the peoples. - K., 1988.
• Nichik V.M., Litvinov V.D., Stratiy Ya.M. Humanistic and Reform Ideas in Ukraine. - K., 1991.
• Osinsky A.S. Melety Smotrytsky, Archbishop of Polotsk. - К., 1912.
• E. Melety Smotrytsky. - Minsk, 1966.
• A. M. Tsirulnikov History of Education in Portraits and Documents: A Textbook for Students of Pedagogical Institutions. - M., 2001.
• Yaremenko P.K. Meletiy Smotrytsky. Life and creativity. - K., 1986.
• Frick D. Meletij Smotryc'kyj. Cambridge, Mass., 1995.