BOOKMEN, SCRIBES & LITERATES

Between the ninth and eleventh centuries, East-Central and Eastern Europe became the domain of the Arpads, the Piasts, the Přemyslid, and the Rurikids. These dynasties ushered in periods of political change, which were accompanied by conversions to Christianity. With Christianization, we can observe the development of writing, which was closely related to the Church.

By Adrian Jusupović

The Church offered motivation for the development of writing. Whereas the writing of Western Europe is associated primarily with Latin, the writing of medieval Kyivan Rus is associated with the Cyrillic alphabet. Key sources from Rusian scriptoria include Nestor's Tale of Bygone Years (from the first half of the twelfth century), which refers to Rus history; Hilarion's Sermon on Law and Grace, which refers to Volodimir the Great (from the eleventh century); the Ostromir Gospels (the oldest dated East Slavic book, created by deacon Gregory for Ostromir, posadnik or mayor of Novgorod); the Russkaya Pravda, which was the legal code of Kyivan Rus (beginning of the twelfth century); and others. Who created these works and where remains a topic open to research. Bookmen versus scribes First, we know that bookmen (Knizhnik/кънижьникъ), scribes, and…

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Medieval World (Digital) - 1 Issue, Issue 2 - 2022

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