The Bible of Francysk Skaryna

Francysk Skaryna’s Bible, printed in Prague in 1517–1519, is the first dated printed Bible in Church Slavonic. The general title of the edition reads: “The Ruthenian Bible, set forth by Doctor Francysk Skaryna of the glorious city of Polotsk, to the honour of God and for the good instruction of common people”. The book was intended to enlighten ordinary people.

Francysk (Georgy) Skaryna (c. 1490 – 1539/1541) was a Belarusian humanist and educator. He studied at the University of Kraków, received a doctorate in liberal arts and medicine in Padua, translated the biblical texts himself, supplied them with commentaries and created his own typeface for printing. To the Orthodox clergy his free translation and humanist prefaces seemed to border on heresy, yet the edition had a marked influence on the culture of the East Slavic peoples.

Skaryna issued the books of the Old Testament separately: 23 books in all, together with the Psalter, about 1200 leaves. Each opens with his preface, each chapter is preceded by a summary, and the afterword gives the place and year of publication. The edition is decorated with 49 engravings and hundreds of headpieces and initials, and in one of the books Skaryna placed his own engraved portrait. The books were usually bound into small collections, and few have survived to our time.