Translated Literature
In the study of old Russian literature, the phrase translated literature
usually refers to the body of writing which was translated, mainly from
Greek, into the old church Slavic language in the late-9th and 10th centuries.
The work of translation was carried out in the south Slavic lands, mainly
in Macedonia and Bulgaria.
The activity of translation was conducted by churchmen, often with the patronage
of secular rulers. The translations were intended to serve the church in
the conduct of its daily business and in the pursuit of its spiritual goals.
For this reason, the translated literature consists almost exclusively of
works of an ecclesiastical or religious character. The main categories of
translated works include: service books (guides to the conduct of church
services); selections from scripture (for reading the Old Testament and
New Testament lessons in church, and for reciting the Psalm(s) appointed
for a particular service); apocrypal works (stories or legends of a quasi-Biblical
character); hagiographies (the lives of saints); chronicles (historical
accounts arranged year-by-year but with events always assigned a religious
explanation and significance); and homiletic works (sermons and other writings
of a theological character). Only a small number of non-ecclesiastical works
made their way into the translated literature.
The significance of the translated literature for the development of old
Russian literature was enormous. We need to remember that prior to the coming
of Christianity (and, along with it, literacy), literature was completely
unknown in Rus'. The early Russian writers had no tradition of literature
to draw upon. In order to write they had no choice but to follow the example
shown to them in the translated literature. As a result, the style and themes
of old Russian literature reflect very closely the style and themes of the
Greek literature upon which the translated literature was based.
For further discussion of the translated literature consult Terras' "History
of Russian Literature," Chizhevsky's "A History of Russian Literature
from the End of the Tenth Century to the Baroque," or Fennell's "History
of Old Russian Literature."