Borrowings from the Works of Gregory Tsamblak in the Epistle of Misael to the Pope Sixtus IV

Abstract

Since the beginning of the 20th century, the Eulogy to the Fathers of the Council of Constance by Metropolitan Gregory Tsamblak has been pointed out as a source of inspiration and imitation for the authors of the Epistle of Misael.

The purpose of this study was to inverstigate the dependence of the latter on the writings of the Metropolitan of Kyiv.

Methods. The methods of textology were applied, including content analysis, text comparison, etc.

Scientific novelty. For the first time the reference was made to the borrowings from the Eulogy to Euthymius of Tarnovo in the Epistle of Misael.

Conclusions. Previous research always attempted to link the Epistle of Misael to the Eulogy to the Fathers of the Council of Constance by Metropolitan Gregory Tsamblak and (less) to his speech to Pope Martin V. When comparing the Eulogy to Euthymius of Tarnovo and the Epistle of Misael, a complex of 9 fragments was identified, which came from two parts of the eulogy and were included into Misael’s letter. Most of the fragments were taken as direct quotations, with some changes determined by the specifics of the new work. All borrowings were compactly integrated into chapters XIII–XV 3, which was typical for the approach of the letter writers, who similarly integrated fragments from the canon prayer for a sick person into the chapter XX 6.