Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 14.djvu/68

 SLAVS

46

SLAVS

beginning of the Old Slavonic literature in the ancient do not correspond to facts are often adopted in his-

Kingdom of the Bulgars the Byzantine chronicles of Hamartolos and Malala, which were besides of very little value, were translated into Slavonic. These chronicles give an account of the migrations of the nations from the region of Senaar after the Deluge

torical writings. Among the Slavonic historians and philologists supporting this theory are: Kopitar, August Schlotzer, Safaflk, N. Arcybasef, Fr. Racki, Bielowski, M. Drinov, L. Stur, Ivan P. Filevic, Dm. Samokvasov, M. Leopardov, N. Zako.ski, and J. Pic.

According to this account the Europeans are the de- We have here an interesting proof that a tradition SH, HO TtK-t CTp^illJHO^lS BrS. Tm O^CO B^KO

np{4 CTpdH^ CTt^lA TpJOiSU.

^AtonJi A' "* o'epdTMTcA nii]j.M^ K& cftJMi T.'MHj.tis, ovMusdiis nificTu osoiw ptlKti nrpstiu'iAi*

Oli/MH Hh Itltf ApTt BfKf H^Ui'K, W cffi-

rw nnumi\ia troj riu, h lu npTO<i<i Cri»ky

l^pTRIA TROfriU, H OpUUH RO CfKf OtTHTH Ntltli,

H?Kf rop-fi CO OiJitm'k C'kA'*'", " 3A'£ H^m^ h«-

KM4Hr11UJ CnpfKMKrtAH; H CnO^OKH AfpfKflRHOHS TROfK) pi^KOW npfnOA^TH H^lVnTi nptlHtTOf T-^dO TRO(, H "(ftTNbfO KpORk, H Hrt^H RC^rMTi <IfOAt/HT».

Ta«i ovAJpAiT* nf'pcH Tpii^KAW, rAjroA*.

EfKf, mHrlOCTMR'K kJ^^H ^"fe TpilUMOaib.

Cyrillic Missal of Greek Rite

A page from the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, containing the Prayers of Adoration

just before Communion

Bcendants of Japhet, who journeyed from Senaar by way of Asia Minor to the Balkans; there they divided into various nations and spread in various directions. Consequently the Slavonic reader of these chniniclcs would believe that the starting point of the minraticms of the Slavs also was the Balkans and flie rct;iiiii of the lower Danube. Becau.se the historical auliicnil ics place the ancient tribe of the Illyrians in lliis region, it was necessary to make this tribe also Slavonic. In the later battles of the Shivs fur tlie maintenance of their language in the Liturgy tliis opinion was very convenient, as appeal could be made for the Slavonic claims to the authority of St. Jerome and even of St. Paul. Opinions which are widely current yet which

deeply rooted and extending over many centuries and found in nearly all of the early native historical au- thorities does not agree with historical fact.

At present most .-icholars are of the opinion that the original home of trie Slavs in Soutli-eastern Europe must be sought between the X'istula and the Dneiper. The reasons for tliis belief are: the testimimy of the oldest accoimts of the Slavs, given as already men- tioned by Pliny, Tacitus, and Ptolemy; further the close relationship between the Slavs and the Lettish tribes, pointing to the fact that originally the Slavs lived close to the Letts and Lithuanians; then various indications jiroving that the Slavs must have been originally neighbours of the Finnish and Turanian