The Gospel is a fundamental liturgical book of the Orthodox Church that brings together the four apostolic testimonies about the Son of God - Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John - "inspired by the same Holy Spirit, the one true and sole author of the Gospel." The Gospel, or the Good News, testifying to the Glory of Christ, refers to the full teaching and deeds of the Savior; the four Gospels are regarded as the four sustaining pillars of the Church. St. Jerome (c. 340-420), author of the first complete Latin translation of the Holy Scriptures, assigned to the four evangelists the living creatures that appear in the vision of the prophet Ezekiel (1:5). Thus, the Evangelist Matthew, the first to relate the Nativity of the Lord, is accompanied in imagery by the angel who announced the miracle; the Evangelist Mark, likened to St. John the Baptist - "the voice of one crying in the wilderness" - is associated with the lion. The Evangelist Luke, who opens his Gospel with the priest Zechariah, is personified by the winged ox, recalling the ox's sacrificial role; and the Evangelist John, for his elevated theological vision, is associated with the eagle. This altar Gospel, printed in 1890 at the Lavra Pecerska printing house in Kyiv, contains - in addition to the four canonical Gospels - other liturgical texts: readings for Vespers, the Divine Liturgy, prayers, and services. It is a large-format Gospel measuring 37 × 48 cm, bound in cardboard and leather. The gilded metal cover is fitted with two metal clasps and gilt edges. Five vertical-oval icon plaques in polychrome enamel are applied to the cover, which is engraved with vegetal and geometric ornamentation. The central plaque depicts the "Resurrection of the Lord"; in the corners of the upper register appear the faces of the Evangelists Matthew and John, and in the lower register those of Luke and Mark. Printed in red and black, the volume comprises 428 leaves; the text is enriched with various typographic ornaments - vignettes, initials, engravings, frontispieces, etc. Pagination is indicated on the leaves, the folio number appearing in the upper right. The Gospel of Matthew is printed on pages 1-105, the opening page accompanied by the scene of the Nativity of the Lord. The Gospel of Mark continues on pages 104-168, its representative scene being the Baptism of the Lord. The Gospel according to Luke occupies pages 172-273, its opening page bearing the scene of the Annunciation. The Gospel according to John is included between pages 280-358, the evocative scene being the Crucifixion of the Lord.
The Lavra Pecerska printing house, cited in the colophon, has long roots - traditionally founded by Archimandrite Elisei Pletenetsky (1595-1624) in 1615 - although the precise dates of its earliest publications remain a matter of debate. This copy entered the collections of the National Museum of History of Moldova under inventory number FB-23062-35; acquired in 1982, it was transferred to the MNIM collections in 1996 from the holdings of the Museum of the History of Religion.
Akinakai on the western frontiers of Scythia. Scythian swords and daggers from the territory of the Republic of Moldova
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. VIII [XXIII], nr. 1, Arheologie. Istorie Antică
Papers devoted to the typology of certain categories of the material culture need the close cooperation with the local schemes. A change of researching “optics” is likely to have a positive effect on the process of studiing the general trends in the material, if this process of research is closely linked with the base of any typological constructions – with the spatial and chronological relations analysis. Besides the publication of new stray fi nds and partial republication of already known fi nds from the burial complexes, the main goal of this work is the checking of certain typological tendentions of such category of Scythian culture as akinakai (Scythian swords and daggers) of the Carpathian-Dniester region. A geographical division of Carpathian-Dniester region is proposed: Middle Dniester (Bukovinian) group, Eastern Carpathian (Neamț) group, Siret-Dniester (Moldavian) group, Lower Dniester and Lower Danube groups. Chronologically, the massive of akinakai of Carpathian-Dniester region could be divided into three groups: Early Scythian (650-550 BC), Middle Scythian (550-450 BC) and Classic Scythian (450-300 BC). The following trends connected with Scythian swords and daggers were noticed: Early Scythian burials with akinakai concentrate in Bukovina and stray finds in Moldova, Middle Scythian burials – are grouping in Moldavian and the stray fi nds – in Neamț group, and the Classical Scythian burials with akinakai are presented only in Lower Dnister and Lower Danube groups.
List of illustrations:
Fig. 1. Scythian swords and daggers from burials of Dniester-Prut region (National Museum of History of Moldova): 1 - Purcari, t. 7, gr. 3; 2 - Talmaza, t. 9, gr. 1; 3 - Pârjolteni; 4 - Suruceni; 5 - Olanești region (Tudorovo-Palanka). Fig. 2. Stray fi nds of akinakai from Dniester-Prut region: 1 - Hansca; 2 - Lipnik; 3 - Larguța; 4 - Nisporeni region; 5 - Vatici; 6 - Susleni; 7 - Volodeni. Fig. 3. Akinakai from destroyed tumuli of Navyrnets cemetery (after Donici 1928). Fig. 4. Distribution of akinakai in Eastern Europe: А - chronological distribution of Scythian akinakai; В - akinakai of Carpathian-Dniester region. Fig. 5. Distribution of akinakai in Carpathian-Dniester region. Local groups: I - Hungarian; II - Transilvanian; III - South-Carpathian; IV - Bulgarian; V - Carpathian-Dniester (Va - Middle Dniester (Bukovinian) group; Vb - Eastern Carpathian (Neamț) group; Vc - Siret-Dniester (Moldavian) group; Vd - Lower Dniester group; Ve - Lower Danube group). 1 - Sokirintsy; 2 - Russkie Fol’varki (Kamenets-Podol’skiy); 3 - Nelipovtsy; 4 - Lipnic; 5 - Volodeni; 6 - Cristinești; 7 - Ibănești; 8 - Cajvana; 9 - Zăicești; 10 - Ghindăoani; 11 - Văratec (Filioara); 12 - Agapia; 13 - Petricani; 14 - Moțca; 15 - Boureni; 16 - Miroslovești; 17 - Muncelu de Sus; 18 - Teșcureni; 19 - Vatici; 20 - Lucășeuca; 21 - Susleni; 22 - Mikhaylovka; 23 - Trebujeni; 24 - Suruceni; 25 - Hansca; 26 - Pârjolteni; 27 - Larguța; 28 - Moșna; 29 - Cozia; 30 - Comarna; 31 - Mircești; 32 - Dănești; 33 - Vaslui; 34 - Poienești; 35 - Rădeni; 36 - Bâcu; 37 - Dumești; 38 - Mileștii de Sus; 39 - Nănești; 40 - Găiceana; 41 - Lichitișeni; 42 - Suseni; 43 - Buciumeni; 44 - Bălăbănești; 45 - Mânzătești; 46 - Gănești; 47 - Măcișeni; 48 - Chiscani; 49 - Celic-Dere; 50 - Murighiol; 51 - Ismail; 52 - Čaush; 53 - Plavni; 54 - Artsiz; 55 - Diviziya; 56 - Nikolaevka; 57 - Mayaki; 58 - Tudorovo-Palanka; 59 - Dachnoe (Gnilyakovo); 60 - Purcari; 61 - Talmaza; 62 - Kotovsk; 63 - Năvârneț; 64 - Lenkovtsy; 65 - Nisporeni. (A-C - graves (А - 1 ex., В - 2 ex., С - 3 ex. and more); D - stray finds; E - possible graves). Fig. 6. Distribution of akinakai of Early Scythian culture. Kelermes type. Fig. 7. Distribution of akinakai of Middle Scythian culture. Vettersfelde type. Fig. 8. Distribution of akinakai of Classic Scythian culture. Solokha type. Fig. 9. Akinakai of Middle Dniester (Bukovinian) (А, 1-14) and Eastern Carpathian (Neamț) (В, 15-21) group. 1 - Lipnic; 2 - Cajvana, t. 3, gr. 1; 3, 6, 7 - Zăicești, gr.?; 4, 5 - Cristinești; 8 - Volodeni; 9 - Nelipovtsy; 10 - Sokirintsy; 11 - Ibănești; 12 - Russkie Fol’varki (Kamenets-Podol’skiy); 13 - Lenkovtsy, t. 1; 14 - Cajvana, t.7; 15 - Muncelu de Sus; 16 - Boureni; 17 - Văratec (Filioara); 18 - Ghindăoani; 19 - Miroslovești; 20 - Moțca; 21 - Petricani. Fig. 10. Akinakai of Siret-Dniester (Moldavian) group (beginning): 1 - Vatici; 2 - Susleni; 3 - Bâcu, gr.; 4 - Moșna, gr.?; 5 - Nisporeni region; 6 - Dumești; 7 - Kotovsk; 8 - Pârjolteni, gr.; 9 - Gănești; 10 - Bălăbănești; 11 - Comarna, gr.?; 12 - Măcișeni; 13, 17 - Năvârneț, t.?; 14 - Suseni; 15 - Dănești; 16 - Trebujeni; 18 - Agapia, gr.?; 19, 20 - Cozia „Voloacă Mică”, gr.?. Fig. 11. Akinakai of Siret-Dniester (Moldavian) group (ending): 21 - Mikhaylovka; 22 - Suruceni, gr.; 23 - Hansca; 24 - Mileștii de Sus, gr.; 25, 31, 38 - Cozia; 26 - Lucășeuca; 27 - Mânzătești; 28 - Nănești; 29, 34 - Găiceana; 30 - Rădeni; 32 - Vaslui, gr. 1973 г.; 33 - Buciumeni; 35 - Mircești; 36 - Larguța; 37 - Lichitișeni; 39 - Teșcureni; 40, 41 - Poienești, gr. Fig. 12. Akinakai of Lower Danube group: 1 - Celic-Dere, t. 10а; 2 - Celic-Dere, t. 11; 3 - Celic-Dere, t. 44, gr. 1; 4 - Čaush, t. 12, gr. 1; 5 - Čaush, t. 15, gr. 1; 6 - Čaush, t. 22; 7 - Plavni, t. 24, gr. 1; 8, 12-15, 17, 18 - Celic-Dere; 9 - Ismail (Poydovka), t.; 10 - Murighiol; 11 - Chiscani, gr.; 16 - Celic-Dere, s. II, t. 2; 19 - Medgidia. Fig. 13. Akinakai of Lower Dniester group: 1 - Artsiz, t.1, gr. 13; 2 - Talmaza, t. 9, gr. 1; 3 - Nikolaevka II, gr. 8; 4 - Nikolaevka I, gr. 3; 5 - Tudorovo-Palanka, gr.; 6 - Purcari, t. 7, gr. 3; 7 - Divizia, t. 20, gr. 6; 8 - Mayaki, gr. G2; 9 - Dachnoe (Gnilyakovo); 10 - Nikolaevka II, gr. 7.
Denis Topal, Martin Golec
Vekerzug culture and new finds of Scythian akinakai in Moravia
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. XI [XXVI], nr. 1, Arheologie. Istorie Antică
Denis Topal, Vlad Vornic
Pre-Scythian horse harness from Moldova: new find from Socola
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. XVIII [XXXIII], nr. 1, Arheologie. Istorie Antică
Denis Topal
Use of bronze in the producing of Early Scythian akinakai
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. IX [XXIV], nr. 1, Arheologie. Istorie Antică Chișinău, 2015
Денис Топал
Scythian bronze cauldrons from the National Museum of History of Moldova
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. XIV [XXIX], nr. 1, Arheologie. Istorie Antică, Chişinău, 2020
Mariana Sîrbu, Denis Topal, Eugen Sava, Lazar Dermenji
Bronze items discovered on the settlements of the Noua-Sabatinovka cultures from the collection of the National Museum of History of Moldova
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. XIV [XXIX], nr. 1, Arheologie. Istorie Antică, Chişinău, 2020
The Gospel is a fundamental liturgical book of the Orthodox Church that brings together the four apostolic testimonies about the Son of God - Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John - "inspired by the same Holy Spirit, the one true and sole author of the Gospel." ...
The National Museum of History of Moldova takes place among the most significant museum institutions of the Republic of Moldova, in terms of both its collection and scientific reputation.
The National Museum of History of Moldova takes place among the most significant museum institutions of the Republic of Moldova, in terms of both its collection and scientific reputation.
The National Museum of History of Moldova takes place among the most significant museum institutions of the Republic of Moldova, in terms of both its collection and scientific reputation.
31 August 1989 St., 121 A, MD 2012, Chisinau, Republic of Moldova
