Praying of Daniel the Immured
Encyclopedia
"Praying of Daniel the Immured" ("Моление Даниила Заточника" in Russian
, or Moleniye Danila Zatochnika), is a Russian literary monument
of the 13th century.
The work is written in the form of an epistle
to Yaroslav Vsevolodovich, Prince
of Pereyaslavl
and Suzdal
. The author appears to be in great need and begs the prince for help, depicting him as a defender of all his subjects. Some Russian researchers consider the "Praying..." as a first trial of the Old Russian social and political journalism
. The "Praying..." is written in a mixed style and full of quotation
s from the biblical books, chronicle
s, and elements of satire
, aimed at the boyars and the clergy
.
Russian historian
s believe that the "Praying..." is actually based on the previously written "Word from Daniel the Immured" ("Слово Даниила Заточника", or Slovo Daniila Zatochnika) of the 12th century, however, the questions about chronology
and literary correlation
of both texts, as well as their authorship, still remain open to this day.
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
, or Moleniye Danila Zatochnika), is a Russian literary monument
Monument
A monument is a type of structure either explicitly created to commemorate a person or important event or which has become important to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, or simply as an example of historic architecture...
of the 13th century.
The work is written in the form of an epistle
Epistle
An epistle is a writing directed or sent to a person or group of people, usually an elegant and formal didactic letter. The epistle genre of letter-writing was common in ancient Egypt as part of the scribal-school writing curriculum. The letters in the New Testament from Apostles to Christians...
to Yaroslav Vsevolodovich, Prince
Prince
Prince is a general term for a ruler, monarch or member of a monarch's or former monarch's family, and is a hereditary title in the nobility of some European states. The feminine equivalent is a princess...
of Pereyaslavl
Pereyaslavl
Pereyaslavl can refer to:* Pereslavl-Zalessky - a town in the Yaroslavl Oblast in Russia * Pereyaslavl Ryazansky - renamed Ryazan in 1778...
and Suzdal
Suzdal
Suzdal is a town in Vladimir Oblast, Russia, situated northeast of Moscow, from the city of Vladimir, on the Kamenka River. Population: -History:...
. The author appears to be in great need and begs the prince for help, depicting him as a defender of all his subjects. Some Russian researchers consider the "Praying..." as a first trial of the Old Russian social and political journalism
Political journalism
Political journalism is a broad branch of journalism that includes coverage of all aspects of politics and political science, although the term usually refers specifically to coverage of civil governments and political power....
. The "Praying..." is written in a mixed style and full of quotation
Quotation
A quotation or quote is the repetition of one expression as part of another one, particularly when the quoted expression is well-known or explicitly attributed by citation to its original source, and it is indicated by quotation marks.A quotation can also refer to the repeated use of units of any...
s from the biblical books, chronicle
Chronicle
Generally a chronicle is a historical account of facts and events ranged in chronological order, as in a time line. Typically, equal weight is given for historically important events and local events, the purpose being the recording of events that occurred, seen from the perspective of the...
s, and elements of satire
Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
, aimed at the boyars and the clergy
Clergy
Clergy is the generic term used to describe the formal religious leadership within a given religion. A clergyman, churchman or cleric is a member of the clergy, especially one who is a priest, preacher, pastor, or other religious professional....
.
Russian historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
s believe that the "Praying..." is actually based on the previously written "Word from Daniel the Immured" ("Слово Даниила Заточника", or Slovo Daniila Zatochnika) of the 12th century, however, the questions about chronology
Chronology
Chronology is the science of arranging events in their order of occurrence in time, such as the use of a timeline or sequence of events. It is also "the determination of the actual temporal sequence of past events".Chronology is part of periodization...
and literary correlation
Correlation
In statistics, dependence refers to any statistical relationship between two random variables or two sets of data. Correlation refers to any of a broad class of statistical relationships involving dependence....
of both texts, as well as their authorship, still remain open to this day.