375 years of "Trebnik" by Peter Mohyla

Ancient prints-anniversaries.

375 years of "Trebnik" of Metropolitan Peter Mohyla

In the collection of the Chernihiv Historical Museum named after VV. Tarnowski preserved "Trebnik" published 1646 year in the printing house of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra.

"Trebnik" is a liturgical book which contains texts of ordinations of sacraments and church rites, which are performed by priests according to the needs of individual believers. In addition to joint services as, eg, liturgy, there are also private services in the Church, which are performed at the request of individuals, such as the communion of the sick at home, consecration of the house, prayer before the trip, тощо. The earliest "Trebniki" or "Euchologions" (from the Greek Prayer Book), preserved to this day date back to the IV century, which testifies to the deep antiquity of this type of liturgical book.

Publication in Kiev in the middle of the XVII century "Euchologion, or the Word of Prayer, or Trebnik ”elaborated by Metropolitan Peter Mohyla was an extremely important event for the Orthodox Church. The exact date of the beginning of work on "Trebnik" is unknown, but to 1640 year the book was almost formed, although its additions continued later.

St. Peter explains the need to publish "Trebnik" in his preface to him, who understands his hierarchical responsibility before God for the flock entrusted to him and knows how, shamelessly called our spiritual ignoramuses and ignoramuses in the performance of the Divine Sacraments and other services ".

Two years before the publication of "Trebnyk" in 1644 year, Metropolitan Peter published in the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra polemical work "Lifos, or Stone ”in Polish in defense of the Orthodox from Roman Catholics. This book was written in response to the work of Kasiyan Sakovich[1], former Orthodox monk, who first joined the union, and then to Catholicism, in which the latter criticizes the liturgical rites of the Orthodox and Uniates. Lifos denies accusations of Catholics step by step and explains Orthodox worship, reveals the essence of sacraments and rites by referring to the Greek and Slavic "Trebniki" and "Sluzhebniki". A polemical work, in response to Sakovich in defense of their rites, the Uniates also wrote[2].

Therefore, continuing his polemical and educational work, Metropolitan Petro Mohyla, as he himself notes in the preface to "Trebnik", worked with God's help to the best of his ability, to protect the Orthodox Church, "By God's grace he did not work in vain, as every educated and pious reader of this book can understand, called Trebnik ».

The Metropolitan also mentions the previous ones in Lviv, Ostroh and Vilnius editions of Trebnyk and emphasizes, that there is unity between them as to the Orthodox doctrine of the sacraments, but there is also a discrepancy in the performance of some rites. He points, that "errors in those Trebniki of the above arose partly from simplicity and recklessness of proofreaders, partly also due to the negligence of the scribes ", but the main reason for the presence of flaws and errors in the books, the metropolitan sees in the lack of knowledge of those people, who worked on their censorship and publication..

Звичайно, Metropolitan Petro Mohyla did not create a completely "new" book. His "Trebnik" is a quality compilation work, containing a variety of sources, including Greek "Euchologions", ancient Slavic handwritten "Trebniki" and even partly Roman "Trebnik". All ranks were placed in three parts of the book. In the first - the ordination of the sacraments, in the second - the rites of consecration, in the third - the rites of prayer.

The purpose of the publication of "Trebnik" was not only the unification of the ceremonial side of worship. This book was to become an important guide for Orthodox priests, through which they would learn themselves and teach others to properly understand the essence of church sacraments and rites. That is why Trebnik also contains instructive articles, in which Orthodox sacramentology is revealed[3].

The Chernihiv Historical Museum keeps two copies of the first part of "Trebnik". The print is made in two colors. The books are decorated with screensavers, initials and endings, engravings of the famous monk Elijah and woodcuts, who signed their engravings in the same way - LT, MT, BP, T.

The first book (Інв. № AL-396) was donated to the Museum of Ukrainian Antiquities VV. Tarnowski by Volodymyr Durdukivsky, Ukrainian teacher and literary critic, about what there was a gift record in the book. His father was a priest, the officer himself was a graduate of the Kyiv Theological Academy, which he graduated from 1899 year with the degree of Candidate of Theology. Granted a book, probably, previously stored in their family library.

On the sheet 946 entry in Latin font: "Afanasy Buzhinsky". Frame of the XVIII century - boards covered with embossed leather. The inscription is embossed on the back: «Требник». There is a fragment of fasteners. The size of the book is 31x19 cm.

Another book (Інв. № AL-1506) entered the museum's collection 1958 year. On the sheets 5-7 record: "Trebnik ... of the Most Holy Theotokos bought for church money". Frame of the XVII century (?) - boards covered with embossed leather, there is a fragment of fasteners. The size of the book is 26.5x17 cm.

Researcher of the museum,

Candidate of Theology Miroslav May-Boroda

[1] "Perspective, or Image error, heresies and superstitions of the Greco-Russian Desunitic Church, which are as in the dogmas of faith, so in the performance of the sacraments and in other rites and ceremonies ". Krakow, 1642.

[2] «A mirror or a veil in front of a sharp Perspective X. Kassyan Sakowicz to Archimandrite Dubieńsk ». Вільно, 1645.

[3] Sacramentology - the doctrine of the sacraments