The book ‘Grammar’ by Meletius Smotrytsky was published in the early 16th century and served as the basis of Church Slavonic grammatical science for the next two centuries. It was a fundamental work that was published many times and was rightfully considered a monument of Slavic written culture. Its author, Meletius Smotrytsky, was a philologist and publicist of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, a church and public figure. He created his book in the image and likeness of Greek grammars, but with an emphasis on the specifics of the Church Slavonic language. In particular, he introduced and explained the case system in the Slavic languages and defined the types of verbs.
The Moscow edition of ‘Grammar’ from the museum collection was initially anonymous and attributed to Maximus the Greek. The author’s name was not indicated because Smotrytsky transitioned to the Greek Catholic Church at the end of his life. At the same time, the text itself was substantially edited, taking into account the peculiarities of the living Slavic speech, by Mikhail Rogov and Ivan Nasedka, employees of the Moscow Print Yard. In addition, it was included articles from the writings of Maximus the Greek about the benefits of studying grammar. The next edition of Smotrytsky’s ‘Grammar’ was published only in 1721.
The book from the museum’s collection was printed from December 6, 1647, to February 2, 1648. The number of copies printed amounted to 1200. The main advantage of ‘Grammar’ was its practical use. The author identified several stages of training: ‘see, listen, understand, consider, remember’. To make it easier for readers to learn the rules of grammar, Smotrytsky gave many practical examples in the book.
Mikhail Vasilyevich Lomonosov called Smotrytsky’s ‘Grammar’ the ‘gate of scholarship.’ During the 17th –18th centuries, the book was several times translated and published. It was the ‘Grammar’ that Lomonosov was using when he was learning to read and write. Later, it somewhat lost its scientific and practical significance, when in 1755 a more relevant ‘Grammar’ by Lomonosov was published. However, until then, Smotrytsky’s work remained the only guide to the use of the Russian language.
The Moscow edition of ‘Grammar’ from the museum collection was initially anonymous and attributed to Maximus the Greek. The author’s name was not indicated because Smotrytsky transitioned to the Greek Catholic Church at the end of his life. At the same time, the text itself was substantially edited, taking into account the peculiarities of the living Slavic speech, by Mikhail Rogov and Ivan Nasedka, employees of the Moscow Print Yard. In addition, it was included articles from the writings of Maximus the Greek about the benefits of studying grammar. The next edition of Smotrytsky’s ‘Grammar’ was published only in 1721.
The book from the museum’s collection was printed from December 6, 1647, to February 2, 1648. The number of copies printed amounted to 1200. The main advantage of ‘Grammar’ was its practical use. The author identified several stages of training: ‘see, listen, understand, consider, remember’. To make it easier for readers to learn the rules of grammar, Smotrytsky gave many practical examples in the book.
Mikhail Vasilyevich Lomonosov called Smotrytsky’s ‘Grammar’ the ‘gate of scholarship.’ During the 17th –18th centuries, the book was several times translated and published. It was the ‘Grammar’ that Lomonosov was using when he was learning to read and write. Later, it somewhat lost its scientific and practical significance, when in 1755 a more relevant ‘Grammar’ by Lomonosov was published. However, until then, Smotrytsky’s work remained the only guide to the use of the Russian language.
