East Slavonic Sources of the First Serbian Primer Composed by Gabriel Stefanović Venclović (1717)

Abstract

The article discusses the identification of textual and pictorial sources that were used in 1717 by the famous Serbian writer Gabriel Stefanović Venclović (c. 1680 – c. 1749) to compile a handwritten textbook containing a collection of elementary knowledge on the Slavonic language, grammar, and the basics of the Orthodox faith. According to our study, Gabriel used several educational and liturgical books published in Kiev, Lvov, and Moscow. In particular, we conclude that the school book issued from the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra printing office in 1705 served as the primary source for Venclović’s Primer. We also analyzed how Gabriel adapted the syllabic verses written by the poet Karion Istomin from Moscow, containing sententious examples for different Slavic letters. In our opinion, it is Venclović’s handwritten textbook, but not the famous Venetian edition of 1597, that should be interpreted as the first Serbian Primer.