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(as of Dec 16, 2024 22:11:06 UTC – Details)

This edition pays special homage to the venerated Ostrog Bible, the first published complete Bible in Church Slavonic in 1581 by Ivan Fyoderov. Within are the complete texts of the four Holy Gospels, divided into the traditional chapters and liturgical pericopes (“zachalo”), both as marked in the Ostrog edition.

This edition uses the 1539 Great Bible English translation of Myles Coverdale – the first and only English Bible to receive official royal authorization. The use of the blackletter font has been retained throughout, painstakingly restored, and the spellings have been preserved. The result is a Gospel book with a uniquely 16th century feel, which gives the reader the same sense of antiquity and honour that reading the Ostrog imparts to its Slavic readers.

Each Gospel is preceded by an introduction by St. Theophylact of Bulgaria, as it is in the Ostrog Bible. Chapter and liturgical numbering are both printed in place.

Also retained in this edition are the side margin cross-references, in exact duplication of the Ostrog, and using the same book-naming conventions.

To date, there are no other editions of the Holy Gospels like this in print. Blackletter Bibles are only sold as facsimiles, often with print that is very small. There are no published blackletter editions of the 1539 Great Bible. The page layout employed throughout preserves the 16th century style, which has not been used since.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, reading the Gospels at home often comes with the temptation to skim. The styles, letters, spellings, and diction used in the 1539 Great Bible force the reader to slow down and read with intention in a way they may have never done before. The experience of reading this text, with its exalted alphabet and antiquated style will give the Western reader a new appreciation for why not only the Ostrog Bible itself, but the Church Slavonic language has been retained as an essential element of Slavic Orthodox worship.

Included within the book is a short forward with a practical aid in reading both the blackletter text and the inconsistent/archaic spellings.

This is not a facsimile edition, but has been carefully typeset to preserve the accuracy of both Bibles.

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0DJX4WLY2
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Independently published (October 10, 2024)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 393 pages
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 979-8342633246
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.47 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 1.18 x 9 inches