Enina Apostle
Encyclopedia
The Enina Apostle or Enina Apostolos is a 10th or 11th-century Old Bulgarian
Cyrillic
manuscript. Discovered in a poor condition in 1960 during restoration work in the central Bulgarian village of Enina, the partially preserved parchment
manuscript is housed in the SS. Cyril and Methodius National Library
in Sofia
. It is the oldest Cyrillic manuscript currently part of a Bulgarian collection.
, and is administratively part of Stara Zagora Province
. The manuscript was initially in a very poor condition, with only 39 sheets and sheet fragments extant, and practically not a single sheet preserved in its entirety.
From its discovery to 1964 the Enina Apostle was housed in the Kazanlak Museum. In 1964, the manuscrpipt was transferred to the SS. Cyril and Methodius National Library
in the capital Sofia
, where it has been housed ever since, catalogued under signature #1144. The Enina Apostle is part of the library's collection of 1,500 Slavic manuscripts. Among these, it is of utmost importance because of its antiquity, as well as its palaeographic
and linguistic
features. In December 2010, a commemorative plaque
dedicated to the Enina Apostle was installed in the courtyard of the Church of Saint Paraskeva in honour of the 50th anniversary of the manuscript's discovery.
in the 10th–11th century, which makes it the oldest Cyrillic manuscript currently part of a Bulgarian collection. The sheets are 19.5 by 15.5 cm (7.7 by 6.1 in) in size. The copy was done by a single person in cursive handwriting using dark brown ink. Sheets 6a and 38a feature decorative ornaments of geometric and floral design. Additional decoration includes 18 initial
s, which are mostly geometric, though sometimes floral or interlaced. An initial on sheet 3 depicts a bird's head, while sheets 28b and 36b employ Glagolitic
characters for initial letters.
The Enina Apostle is thought to have originally consisted of circa 215–220 sheets, of which only 39 have been at least partially preserved. Both the beginning and the end of the manuscript are missing, and there are no preserved marginal notes. The text of the manuscript consists of apostolic readings from the 35th Sunday after Pentecost
until Great Saturday and from 1 September until 3 October, the feast day of Dionysius the Areopagite
. The language of the text is classified as either Old Church Slavonic
or as belonging to a category that chronologically immediately follows Old Church Slavonic.
History of the Bulgarian language
The History of the Bulgarian language can be divided into four major periods:* prehistoric period ;...
Cyrillic
Cyrillic alphabet
The Cyrillic script or azbuka is an alphabetic writing system developed in the First Bulgarian Empire during the 10th century AD at the Preslav Literary School...
manuscript. Discovered in a poor condition in 1960 during restoration work in the central Bulgarian village of Enina, the partially preserved parchment
Parchment
Parchment is a thin material made from calfskin, sheepskin or goatskin, often split. Its most common use was as a material for writing on, for documents, notes, or the pages of a book, codex or manuscript. It is distinct from leather in that parchment is limed but not tanned; therefore, it is very...
manuscript is housed in the SS. Cyril and Methodius National Library
SS. Cyril and Methodius National Library
The SS. Cyril and Methodius National Library is the national library of Bulgaria, situated in the capital city of Sofia...
in Sofia
Sofia
Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city in the European Union with a population of 1.27 million people. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha and approximately at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula.Prehistoric settlements were excavated...
. It is the oldest Cyrillic manuscript currently part of a Bulgarian collection.
History
The Enina Apostle was discovered in 1960 during the restoration of the old Church of Saint Paraskeva in the village of Enina. The village lies in south central Bulgaria, north of KazanlakKazanlak
Kazanlak, formerly Kazanlık is a Bulgarian town in Stara Zagora Province, located in the middle of the plain of the same name, at the foot of the Balkan mountain range, at the eastern end of the Rose Valley...
, and is administratively part of Stara Zagora Province
Stara Zagora Province
Stara Zagora is a province of south central Bulgaria. It is named after its administrative and industrial centre—the city of Stara Zagora—the sixth-biggest town in the country...
. The manuscript was initially in a very poor condition, with only 39 sheets and sheet fragments extant, and practically not a single sheet preserved in its entirety.
From its discovery to 1964 the Enina Apostle was housed in the Kazanlak Museum. In 1964, the manuscrpipt was transferred to the SS. Cyril and Methodius National Library
SS. Cyril and Methodius National Library
The SS. Cyril and Methodius National Library is the national library of Bulgaria, situated in the capital city of Sofia...
in the capital Sofia
Sofia
Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city in the European Union with a population of 1.27 million people. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha and approximately at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula.Prehistoric settlements were excavated...
, where it has been housed ever since, catalogued under signature #1144. The Enina Apostle is part of the library's collection of 1,500 Slavic manuscripts. Among these, it is of utmost importance because of its antiquity, as well as its palaeographic
Palaeography
Palaeography, also spelt paleography is the study of ancient writing. Included in the discipline is the practice of deciphering, reading, and dating historical manuscripts, and the cultural context of writing, including the methods with which writing and books were produced, and the history of...
and linguistic
Linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. Linguistics can be broadly broken into three categories or subfields of study: language form, language meaning, and language in context....
features. In December 2010, a commemorative plaque
Commemorative plaque
A commemorative plaque, or simply plaque, is a plate of metal, ceramic, stone, wood, or other material, typically attached to a wall, stone, or other vertical surface, and bearing text in memory of an important figure or event...
dedicated to the Enina Apostle was installed in the courtyard of the Church of Saint Paraskeva in honour of the 50th anniversary of the manuscript's discovery.
Description
The Enina Apostle was written on parchmentParchment
Parchment is a thin material made from calfskin, sheepskin or goatskin, often split. Its most common use was as a material for writing on, for documents, notes, or the pages of a book, codex or manuscript. It is distinct from leather in that parchment is limed but not tanned; therefore, it is very...
in the 10th–11th century, which makes it the oldest Cyrillic manuscript currently part of a Bulgarian collection. The sheets are 19.5 by 15.5 cm (7.7 by 6.1 in) in size. The copy was done by a single person in cursive handwriting using dark brown ink. Sheets 6a and 38a feature decorative ornaments of geometric and floral design. Additional decoration includes 18 initial
Initial
In a written or published work, an initial is a letter at the beginning of a work, a chapter, or a paragraph that is larger than the rest of the text. The word is derived from the Latin initialis, which means standing at the beginning...
s, which are mostly geometric, though sometimes floral or interlaced. An initial on sheet 3 depicts a bird's head, while sheets 28b and 36b employ Glagolitic
Glagolitic alphabet
The Glagolitic alphabet , also known as Glagolitsa, is the oldest known Slavic alphabet. The name was not coined until many centuries after its creation, and comes from the Old Slavic glagolъ "utterance" . The verb glagoliti means "to speak"...
characters for initial letters.
The Enina Apostle is thought to have originally consisted of circa 215–220 sheets, of which only 39 have been at least partially preserved. Both the beginning and the end of the manuscript are missing, and there are no preserved marginal notes. The text of the manuscript consists of apostolic readings from the 35th Sunday after Pentecost
Pentecost
Pentecost is a prominent feast in the calendar of Ancient Israel celebrating the giving of the Law on Sinai, and also later in the Christian liturgical year commemorating the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples of Christ after the Resurrection of Jesus...
until Great Saturday and from 1 September until 3 October, the feast day of Dionysius the Areopagite
Dionysius the Areopagite
Dionysius the Areopagite was a judge of the Areopagus who, as related in the Acts of the Apostles, , was converted to Christianity by the preaching of the Apostle Paul during the Areopagus sermon...
. The language of the text is classified as either Old Church Slavonic
Old Church Slavonic
Old Church Slavonic or Old Church Slavic was the first literary Slavic language, first developed by the 9th century Byzantine Greek missionaries Saints Cyril and Methodius who were credited with standardizing the language and using it for translating the Bible and other Ancient Greek...
or as belonging to a category that chronologically immediately follows Old Church Slavonic.