22. О переводах на русский язык Священного Писания и творений святых Отцов Церкви

“They feel the need for a Russian translation of the New Testament” (19–2:29) “Printing good translations of the Holy Fathers is a good thing” (15:14) In the 19th century, the question of translating the Holy Scriptures into Russian became acute. He was also joined by the question of working on the translation of the works of the Holy Fathers of the Church. Moscow Saint Philaret took an active part in their decision. This is what the holy Hierarch wrote on August 23, 1837 in response to a letter from the Altai missionary Macarius (Glukharev): “It seems necessary to begin the conversation with you with your thoughts about a complete translation of the Bible into the Russian dialect. You have spent a lot of effort in expressing these thoughts, but your sowing did not come to ready ground, and not at the time of sowing. Doubts about the usefulness of the translation previously made, and controversy about its merit, either did not cease, or arose again, so that the continuation of this work would be more threatening with the increase of doubts and controversy, rather than encouraging with the increase of spiritual fruit. If the liturgical language must be preserved as liturgical, then we must try to keep it as generally understandable as possible; and for this purpose it is useful not to get out of the habit of reading the Holy Scriptures in it. It seems to me that this consideration should not be neglected" (19-1: 124-125). On the occasion of the arrival from Leipzig of several copies of the New Testament and the Psalter in Russian, Saint Philaret wrote to an influential official: “This incident shows that they feel the need for a Russian translation of the New Testament. And from this the question arises: is it better for this to be used furtively and illegally, or is it better to revise the translation and allow its legal use? The Roman Church does not like to allow people access to the Holy Scripture, but it also allows translations of it into living languages ​​and into modern dialects” (19–2:29). However, the solution to the pressing issue was delayed. In 1856, the Saint informed Archimandrite Anthony: “The case of the translation of the Holy Scriptures, it seems, will be subject to objections from the new Synodal Chief Prosecutor. The Bishop of Kiev announced to him his decisive opinion that he should not translate, so that this would not lead to the oblivion of the Slavic language, which is the liturgical language. - The will of the Lord be done. “May the Lord arrange what is beneficial for His Church, which He alone knows infallibly” (9:425). The saint’s letters testify with what reverence he approached translations, how he monitored the purity of the word: “The Virgin, the Christian truth, can receive both the splendid robe of meditation and lofty words, and the modest robe of simple words; but its dignity is not matched by patchwork clothes and dirty stains of low and careless words... Words are not trifles when it comes to dogmas and Saints, and especially at a time when the correctness and precision of the word must be protected with understanding, from the increase in writing of inattention to the laws of language, logic and taste... Do not waste great words on trifles. Take care of them for what is truly great... You say good things, but often you let the word out as if without control, and it does not go the straight way, does not say what you wanted to say, says something else, does not allow itself to be understood" (23:71-72)... "Do not be angry at the feeling of purity of the Russian language, which stands up for little things. “Prayer” is not a word, but a monster born with a distortion of the organization of language. “Shelter” is a barbaric “shelter”. Zhukovsky pulled this word out of the mud and inserted it into poetry according to the freedom of the poets” (4:180). And not only when translating into Russian did the Saint monitor their accuracy, but also into other languages. We read in a letter to His Eminence Alexy: “You won’t live to see this in the world! Now I spent an hour and a half or two with the Yakut archpriest, checking the translation of the Gospel into the Yakut language. For example: “Give us this day our daily bread” is translated as: “Give us what we have this day.” I object: don't they have a word for bread? He answers: only those living in the suburbs know bread, and others do not eat it and do not know it. I will insist: be sure to supply the bread. Others gradually learn from the suburbanites. The concept of bread is definitely necessary for the sacrament of the Eucharist” (14:157-158). How careful and accurate the Saint was in his translations is revealed by his own confession: “As for me, I did not put a single word in the translation according to my own decision, but offered my opinions to the committee and repeatedly suggested that I was giving them up for free reasoning” (10:152). The saint rejoices that the word of God has been revealed to the Russian people in their language: “Glory to God that the door has been opened to the word of God into the Russian word. But we still need to pray and work so that the Lord will manage the matter, which is now going to the four Academies, and God knows how it will return to unity. I, of course, will not see this thing completed. May the Lord instruct those who are to come” (10:106–107)... It should be remembered that “one of the objections to the translation of the Holy Scriptures into the Russian dialect was that some feared the invasion of the Russian dialect into the Divine service. The Holy Synod appointed the Russian translation only for home use” (19–2:155). Saint Philaret also oversaw the translation into Russian of the works of the Holy Fathers of the Church. “In some assignments, our Academy, thank God, is more efficient than others,” he writes to the rector of the Academy, Archimandrite Philaret (Gumilevsky). – But it seems that the order of the Holy Synod to translate the interpretation of St. Chrysostom into some epistle remains unfulfilled. The same thing seems to be behind the Bethany Seminary... Deal with it, move these things forward, and notify me” (15:30–31). The saint also gives certain instructions for publishing translations: “Printing translations of the Holy Fathers is a very good, useful thing and worthy of all encouragement. But to chop up each Holy Father into pieces, then mix them all up and print in this way - I don’t know whether you will praise this (Archimandrite Philaret Gumilyovsky - K.S.), although this is almost your project. In an urgent periodical publication, this is justified by the magazine’s haste and the need for variety for the magazine, but you are undertaking a non-urgent publication, because it tolerates less mixture and requires more order. For example, at the very beginning you want to print two words of Gregory the Theologian about Theology. Where are the other three? How can one justify the dissolution of these words, which obviously have a common unity and constitute a small whole? If they wanted to publish all of Saint Gregory in a new translation, that would be great! If there are five words about Theology, that’s good. How about two? I don’t understand how such a thought came” (15:16–17). And again: “When considering the translation, take into account the following. Whatever turns out to be dissimilar to the Slavic text is translated from Greek. If the translation is not word for word, it is because a too literal translation would be cruel and incomprehensible. For example: “Rejoice from the silent lips of the Apostles.” I translate: “Rejoice, who gives the Apostles a silent mouth” (4:449). Moreover, Saint Philaret points out what was incorrectly translated and insists on correction: “The “white” bones of St. Ignatius - what are they? Plumpness means fatness combined with frailty. Leave the pure bones of the Holy One alone and do not put whiteness on them” (4:193)... “On the second and third lines of the translation of the Ladder we read the following: “It is best to begin with God.” Let's consult the Russian translation. He says, for example: when marking a ladder, you should start from the top step, and not from the top. This is said because a step is part of a ladder. Also, for example: Christians begin to count years from the birth of Christ, and not from the birth of Christ. This is said because it is not a part that is indicated here, but a limit. – God is not part of the work being started: consequently, the Russian language does not allow one to say: “Start with God.” We must say: “Start from God.” Why does the translator say differently? No other reason can be seen other than because, in his opinion, this is what the people say, and an illiterate one at that” (14:77–78)... “In the translation of Athanasius the Great I encounter misunderstandings. Here, for example, is a small one: “A Herd of Mosquitoes”... Until now we have seen a “swarm of mosquitoes” without a shepherd, but now there is a flock that requires a shepherd. Who is the shepherd? Isn’t Archpriest Peter the father” (Delitsyn) (14:83)... “Creations of the Holy Fathers. Year IV, book. III. P. 20. “It is as common and natural for women to fast as to breathe.” – It’s hard to agree that “the same amount is natural.” And why only women? In the old translation: as much as it is proper to breathe, so decently is it to fast. This is a different matter. There is no arguing against this... P. 41. “Again, you are a man of low birth.” What do you mean again? Did he become a man of high birth, and then again of low birth? – Basil the Great did not write this absurdity. And here’s what he wrote: “Are you proud of your wealth, are you proud of your ancestors?” etc. “Or are you a person of low birth?”... P. 42. “They have saved up a pocket full.” They do not save in their pockets, but in chests or sacks” (21:7). Likewise, although Saint Philaret says that the translation of the works of St. Macarius of Egypt “is well read,” sometimes it also contains something that should be avoided: “For example: p. 14. "Sovne." This word is misspelled and does not give a clear meaning. Correct: “Outside.” – P. 23. Demon. III, 1. “If it happens to some thirty people to be engaged in one thing.” Saint Macarius does not have “one thing” and there is no particle “if”, which does not connect, but confuses speech. He says: “It happens that some people together number thirty”” (14:101-102). The Saint said something similar about the translation of the “Ladder” by St. John: “I thank you for the Ladder... But... I can’t resist arguing... so that a good deed would, if possible, be better... For example: “He ascended victorious to the very top of the 8th degree.” What's the top of a degree? The degree is not a cone, but a plane. If we were talking about the 30th degree, the expression “to the very top” could be in place, referring to the entire ladder, of which the 30th degree is “the very top”. But above the osma degree there are still 22. Where is the “very top” here?.. If this is not true, then enlighten me what “the very top of the osmoy degree” is” (14:82). In other cases, the Moscow Hierarch recommends omitting in the translation what is difficult to hear: “I believe that we should skip the expressions in which Constantius is called the Antichrist, and add a line of dots. Let the ordinary reader see that either there is an omission in the translation, or the original text has not been preserved intact. The curious will consult the original and see that the translation does not deceive, for it does not hide the omission, but protects the Orthodox ear from difficult hearing” (14:89). Saint Philaret welcomes the publishers in their intention to publish the works of the Monk Barsanuphius the Great and on this occasion also expresses his wishes: “The publishers of the translations of Elder Paisios had the idea, in my opinion, a good one, that, having finished the book that is now being printed, they would publish a special book of the preaching of Barsanuphius the Great. Take this matter to heart. The Lavra should have a Greek printed text of this book. It would be good to do what was done with the book of Nil Sorsky, that is: where the Slavic translated text is imperfect or incomplete, put there a version that is borrowed from the Greek printed text, and, if possible, from our ancient translated manuscripts. If you (Archpriest Theodore Golubinsky - K.S.) promote the immediate progress of this matter, then you will do more good than other censorship works on which you spend a long time and the fruits of which are not precious” (21:9-10). As if completing his wishes, Saint Philaret declares: “It is a good thing to print good translations of the Holy Fathers, and I will be glad about this” (15:14). “Please see in this the modesty of the Russian language” (4:355). You might be interested in: