Old Testament Saints in Menologia of Cyrillic Early Printed Tetraevangelia

Abstract

This artile examines Old Testament saints present in menologia of cyrillic early printed Tetraevangelia, i.e., books issued in the 16th–18th centuries. Only twenty-seven Old Testament figures mentioned by name and three groups of saints can be found in the fixed liturgical calendar of cyrillic early printed Tetraevangelia. Three prophets, Elisseus, Elias and Daniel, together with the Three Holy Youths, as well as Forefathers, Fathers and Seven Maccabean Martyr Brothers, are present in all cyrillic early printed Tetraevangelia. Prophet Malachi is missing in all Lviv and the fourth Vilnius editions, while two prophets, Jeremiah and Moses, are absent in all eleven South Slavonic cyrillic early printed Tetraevangelia. Six minor prophets, together with Samuel and Righteous Job, were introduced with the inclusion of the full menologion in the Moscow cyrillic early printed Tetraevangelion issued in 1653. Four prophets (Isaiah, Sophonias, Nahum and Micah) can be found in some editions printed before 1653. Six other Old Testament figures, Solomonia and Eleazar, Jonah, Zachariah, Ezekiel and Jesus of Navi, were introduced into Moscow cyrillic early printed Tetraevangelia issued in the 1680s. The last four saints occurred for the last time in 1694. The results obtained in this research have proven that liturgical tradition reflected in menologia of cyrillic early printed Tetraevangelia was not homogeneous nor stable but was subject to change. Old Testament saints are present in menologia of cyrillic early printed Tetraevangelia, but they are overshadowed by New Testament and other figures commemorated by the Orthodox Church.