ПОВЕСТ О ЈЕРУСАЛИМСКИМ ЦРКВАМА И СКРАЋЕНО ЖИТИЈЕ СВЕТОГ САВЕ ИЗ ГОРИЧКОГ ЗБОРНИКА: НЕКА ЗАПАЖАЊА О РЕДАКТОРСКОМ ПОСТУПКУ НИКОНА ЈЕРУСАЛИМЦА
THE TALE OF THE CHURCHES OF JERUSALEM AND THE ABRIDGED LIFE OF ST SAVA FROM THE GORICA MISCELLANY: SOME OBSERVATIONS ON THE EDITORIAL METHOD OF NIKON THE JERUSALEMITE

Summary/Abstract: The argument presented in this article rests on several assumptions: a) that Nikon, the compiler of the Gorica Miscellany (1441/2), spent a period of time in Jerusalem and became acquainted with the sacred topography of Palestine and, in particular, its monastic milieu; b) that he composed the Tale of the Churches of Jerusalem and abridged Theodosius’ Life of St Sava in line with the conception of the manuscript in the making; and c) that a connection may be established between these two processes – the writing of the Tale and the reworking of the Life – since both texts deal with the theme of pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Given that Sava and his journeys are not explicitly mentioned in the Tale, and considering that the two narratives differ considerably in terms of genre, style, and composition, one might conclude that there is no direct correlation between them. Yet reading them in parallel I have observed something that may shed light on the Jerusalemite’s authorial and editorial method. In Theodosius’ account of the saint’s first pilgrimage, Nikon entirely omitted a lengthy passage describing visits to the monasteries of the Judean Desert and the region around the Jordan. As for the second pilgrimage, he removed entire paragraphs devoted to the journey through Egypt and the stay on Sinai. Nevertheless, both regions – and the respective groups of holy sites which they encompass – feature prominently in the Tale. This raises questions regarding the logic that guided Nikon as he summarised Sava’s hagiography and composed his own work on the Christian landmarks of the Middle East. Previous research has shown that Theodosius’ account of the saint’s travels contains numerous inaccuracies and arbitrary claims – assertions that are practically impossible to verify, since they appear neither in Domentian (on whose hagiography of St Sava Theodosius evidently drew) nor in known pilgrimage narratives. Given Nikon’s (presumed) experience and his familiarity with monastic life in Palestine, it seems quite plausible that he felt compelled to intervene in some of these problematic sections. From this perspective, the abridgement to which the original was subjected might be explained not only by the practical need to reduce its length so that it could fit within the framework of the Gorica Miscellany, but also by an attempt to correct certain dubious details concerning the topography of the Holy Land. Having deemed it inappropriate to introduce corrections directly into Theodosius’ text, the Jerusalemite may simply have decided to omit, in whole or in part, the questionable passages, and later to return to the omitted holy sites in his own work towards the end of the book – adding, moreover, a number of others not mentioned in Sava’s Life. In this way, unnecessary repetition could be avoided, space saved, and certain details – arising, most likely, from Theodosius’ lack of information and/or from the deficiencies of the unknown sources on which he relied – could be subtly revised. One conclusion that follows from the above discussion and which should be underlined in closing is that any future examination of the sources of Nikon’s Tale ought also to take into consideration the Life of St Sava. Naturally, such work will depend primarily on the painstaking study of (late) medieval pilgrimage texts; nevertheless, I believe that the work of Theodosius of Hilandar should by no means be overlooked in this context. In any case, further research undoubtedly lies ahead. It is important to stress that the interpretation set forth in the preceding pages is far from definitive: indeed, I am inclined to regard it merely as another step towards a fuller understanding of the writer and compiler Nikon – a task in which a proper and comprehensive edition of the Gorica Miscellany will surely play a decisive role.

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