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Interfax, Russia
Oct 19 2012
Unique Turkic-language Arabic-spelt Gospel found in Bashkortostan
UFA. Oct 19
Researchers at Bashkortostan's national library have found a rare
edition of the Gospel in the archives of religious Turkic-language
Arabic-spelt books, the Zaki Validi National Library said on its
website.
The rare Gospel was discovered by researchers of the Manuscripts and
Rare Books Department in an archive of 40,000 books.
"It is a unique sample of Orthodox religious literature and a source
for studying the Muslim people's languages, published by Scotch
missionaries back in the early 19th century," Antonina Gezikova, the
head of the library's Manuscripts and Rare Books Department, was
quoted as saying.
The Gospel, discovered in the Ufa archives, was published in the
Western-Kypchak version of the Turkic literary language, which is
close to the Karachai-Balkar and other Western Kypchak vernaculars,
she said. "The translation is very interesting and differs strongly
from all translations dating back to the early 19th century," she also
said.
Gezikova said that at the start of the 19th century Russian Emperor
Alexander I allowed Western European missionaries to do their
missionary work among the Muslim ethnic groups in the North Caucasus.
In 1802, the Scotch Missionary Society got permission to open a
mission near Aul Karras Syltanayu outside Beshtau-Pyatigorsk. Printing
equipment was brought to the place in 1804, whose Arabic and Turkic
printers were no worse than European ones. In 1815, the Scotch
Missionary Society opened missions in Astrakhan and Orenburg. Four
Scotch families settled in Astrakhan, where printing equipment arrived
and a print house was set up, later named after missionary John
Mitchell.
"The books, brought out by the Mitchell Print House, are unique
samples of Orthodox religious literature, and they are also a source
for studying the Muslim people's languages dating back to the early
19th century. The Edinburgh missionaries saved unique data about the
history and culture of Turkmens, Bashkir, Crimean and Astrakhan
Tatars, Armenians, Kabardinians, Ossetians and Greeks," she said.
There are three books at Bashkortostan's national library, that were
brought out by the Mitchell Print House. Besides the Gospel,
researchers have discovered the Holy Gospel, published in 1818, and
the Old Testament, published in 1819.
Sd jv
From: Baghdasarian
Oct 19 2012
Unique Turkic-language Arabic-spelt Gospel found in Bashkortostan
UFA. Oct 19
Researchers at Bashkortostan's national library have found a rare
edition of the Gospel in the archives of religious Turkic-language
Arabic-spelt books, the Zaki Validi National Library said on its
website.
The rare Gospel was discovered by researchers of the Manuscripts and
Rare Books Department in an archive of 40,000 books.
"It is a unique sample of Orthodox religious literature and a source
for studying the Muslim people's languages, published by Scotch
missionaries back in the early 19th century," Antonina Gezikova, the
head of the library's Manuscripts and Rare Books Department, was
quoted as saying.
The Gospel, discovered in the Ufa archives, was published in the
Western-Kypchak version of the Turkic literary language, which is
close to the Karachai-Balkar and other Western Kypchak vernaculars,
she said. "The translation is very interesting and differs strongly
from all translations dating back to the early 19th century," she also
said.
Gezikova said that at the start of the 19th century Russian Emperor
Alexander I allowed Western European missionaries to do their
missionary work among the Muslim ethnic groups in the North Caucasus.
In 1802, the Scotch Missionary Society got permission to open a
mission near Aul Karras Syltanayu outside Beshtau-Pyatigorsk. Printing
equipment was brought to the place in 1804, whose Arabic and Turkic
printers were no worse than European ones. In 1815, the Scotch
Missionary Society opened missions in Astrakhan and Orenburg. Four
Scotch families settled in Astrakhan, where printing equipment arrived
and a print house was set up, later named after missionary John
Mitchell.
"The books, brought out by the Mitchell Print House, are unique
samples of Orthodox religious literature, and they are also a source
for studying the Muslim people's languages dating back to the early
19th century. The Edinburgh missionaries saved unique data about the
history and culture of Turkmens, Bashkir, Crimean and Astrakhan
Tatars, Armenians, Kabardinians, Ossetians and Greeks," she said.
There are three books at Bashkortostan's national library, that were
brought out by the Mitchell Print House. Besides the Gospel,
researchers have discovered the Holy Gospel, published in 1818, and
the Old Testament, published in 1819.
Sd jv
From: Baghdasarian