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[OSTROG BIBLE, LISTRATOV COPY] Bibliya siretch knigi vethogo i novogo zaveta [i.e. The Bible, or the Books of New and Old Testament]

Item #2069

Ostrog: Ivan Fedorov, 1581. 8 manuscript leaves, 2, 2 mss l., 5-276, 1–78, 78–89, 91–180, 1–30, 1–56, 1–71, 8 mss leaves. 30,5x19cm.

XIXth century Russian Old-Believer binding, with gilt lettering and ornaments covering the spine and the boards. No clasps. Binding is a bit scuffed, but generally very well-preserved.
The book includes 18 leaves added in manuscript in XIXth century to supply the missing parts, and 611 of the original leaves of the book. The leaves supplemented are added soon after the book was bought by Listratov in 1847. Pages are generally clean and have good wide margins. A few fragments throughout the book are added in manuscript as well.
The leaves supplied in manuscript has been added by a specially commissioned ‘pisar’ [i.e. scribe] in XIXth century by the owner, whose calligraphic colophon could be found on the verso of the last page. From the colophon we learn that the book was bought by Bronnitsy-based Ole-Believer merchant for 120 silver rubles and that the scribe’s name was Egor Kharitonov from Moscow. There leaves supplied are added with meticulous accuracy. It’s clear that Kharitonov had another complete example of the Bible in front of him, when making additions. Especially it’s impressing as usually the text added roughly resembles the original, occupies more space and leaves (as 50-line, two-column layout is hard to replicate), but in this case the job is done with amazing accuracy, Fyodorov’s marks and title page are also copied to the tiny decorative elements of the original. This makes this copy an interesting evidence of the affection Old-Believer community had towards the Bible and its printer (now considered a saint by the Old-Believer church) – clearly it was bought by Listratov with the purpose to restore it to the state of completeness, and in that process he has seen as much a soul-saving mission as well as bibliophilic.

The milestone of Slavonic printing, the first Bible, printed in Cyrillic, for decades it served as a statement for the ability to produce books and conduct education process for the Orthodox communities of Rzeczpospolita.
Prepared and completed by Ivan Fedorov (?-1583), the legendary printer from Moscow, who is responsible for first-printed books in modern day Russia and Ukraine, as well as some early printing in Belarus. This particular edition could be considered his biggest achievement.
Published on the estate and at the expense of Prince Konstantin Konstantinovich Ostrozhsky (1526-1608). It became a significant point in arguments against the Catholic elites of the country that Church Slavonic was a language used by educated individuals, demonstrating that the printed Bible could exist not only in Latin within the Rzeczpospolita. The scholarly circle formed around the prince, headed by Gerasim Smotritsky, was preparing the publication of the Bible. One of the main sources of the text was the manuscript of the Gennadian Bible (late 15th century), as well as other Slavic and Greek manuscripts and printed editions of biblical books, incl. publications of Francis Skaryna, translations of which were made by the Belarusian pioneer himself.

The Ostrog Bible was printed in sheets, a total of 628 sheets (1256 pages) - this is the first such voluminous publication made in Cyrillic font.
The frame of the Moscow (1564) and Lviv (1574) Apostles was used to decorate the title page. On the back of the title page a heraldic composition was placed - the coat of arms of Prince K.K. Ostrozhsky and armorial poems composed by Gerasim Smotritsky; he also wrote the Preface on behalf of K.K. Ostrozhsky in Greek and Church Slavonic languages.
The first edition of the Bible by Ivan Fedorov.

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