Das sei ferne!

Summary The dialogical exchange with a fictitious opponent is the main feature of the so-called Cynic-Stoic Diatribe, a mode of exposition that was developed in Ancient Greek and Roman literature. In Greek diatribe, the formula μὴ γένοιτο ‘far from it’ is used to reject the views of the fictitious opponent. The Apostle Paul, whose writings exhibit many features of diatribe, makes ample use of this formula. In the Church Slavonic translation of the New Testament, μὴ γένοιτο appears as да не бѫдетъ or (less often) не бѫди. In the Fourth (Athonitic) redaction of this translation, да не бѫдетъ is used throughout. This text served as the basis for the first printed edition of the second part of the New Testament, the Apostolos (Vilna, 1525). The editor, Franciscus Skorina, tried – albeit in a very inconsistent manner – to modernize the text. He either retained the diatribal formula да не бѫдетъ or replaced it by то не естъ, да не будеть сеє при насъ, никако, да не будеть то, да не будемъ, никакоже and николиже. This diversity arose independently of the Czech Bible of Venice (1506), which was the second main source of Skorina’s Bible translations. The use of the 1st person plural (при насъ, да не будемъ) reflects similar forms in the preceding context of Paul’s Letter to the Romans.