A Contribution to the History of Repentance Prayers in the Slavic South during the 15th Century

A newly analyzed autograph by Vladislav the Grammarian, found within the Trebnik of Monk David (1480s) at Rila Monastery, reveals a significant shift in penitential prayer practices among Orthodox Christians following the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople in 1453. This text, titled A Very Useful Confession for Unction, demonstrates a marked increase in repentance prayers, suggesting that the Ottoman invasion was perceived as divine punishment for Christian sins. The manuscript, part of a broader Slavonic Trebnik tradition, includes unique textual additions linked to the sacrament of anointing (eleosvet), indicating its relevance during times of communal or individual spiritual crisis. While the Greek prototype remains unidentified, its structure aligns with known patterns of sin accumulation in penitential literature, offering rare insight into 15th-century Orthodox theological responses to geopolitical upheaval.

Tsibranska-Kostova, M. (2023). A Contribution to the History of Repentance Prayers in the Slavic South during the 15th Century. Studia Ceranea, 13, 137–152. https://doi.org/10.18778/2084-140x.13.18