Abstract:
There is a fragment of a Slavic translation of the “Letter of the Three Oriental Patriarchs
to Emperor Theophilos” in a 15th-century Russian manuscript. The fragment
contains the opening part of the “Letter” and considers the relations between
state and church authorities. Comparison with the translation of the entire
“Letter,” which is known as “Mnogoslozhnyi svitok,” proves that these translations
are different. A comparison with the Greek text of the “Letter” allows us
to identify the Greek manuscript closest to the Russian fragment. One can suggest
that the manuscript belongs to a Russian scribe who was interested in texts
related to the formation of the structure of state authority in Russia.
