Bokhmit” in the Rus Primary Chronicle and Chronographic Texts

The presentation of the religion of “Bokhmit” (i.e. Muhammad) by the Bulgarian missionaries at the court of Prince Vladimir, reported by the Rus Primary Chronicle s.a. 986, is based upon the Slavonic translation of the Chronicle of George Hamartolos. The same Hamartolos’ text is preserved, in somewhat modified form, in the Chronograph according to the Great Narration. The author compares in detail the narrations by the Greek and the Rus chroniclers. Such a comparison highlights the intentions of the latter: what he opted to use, and what he omitted when composing the legendary narrative of the choice of the faith by Vladimir. The resulting narration was very mundane so that even dogmatic questions were reported as “not to eat pork, not to drink wine”, etc. The understanding of the principles of the composition helps to clarify the very devisings of the choice of the faith, including the dialogue of Vladimir with the Germans (“nemtsy”). Two possible ways of the formation of this narrative are suggested in the paper

Art · Composition (language · Faith · Literature · Narrative · Presentation (obstetrics · Theology · Byzantine Studies and History · Eurasian Exchange Networks · Historical and Linguistic Studies · History · Philosophy