Documents relating to the acquisition of the Codex Sinaiticus by Russia

(The Archive of Foreign Policy of the Russian Empire, AVPRI; the Russian State History Archives, RGIA)

Letter by Archbishop of Mt Sinai Monastery Callistratus to General N.P. Ignatyev,
dated 5 July /Old style/ 1868

Πρὸς τὸν Ἐξοχώτατον Πρέσβυν τῆς αὐτοῦ Μεγαλειότητος τοῦ Aὐτοκράτορος πασῶν τῶν Ρὡσσιῶν παρὰ τῇ ὑψιλῇ πύλῃ Στρατηγὸν Ἰγνατιέφ· Ἐξοχώτατε! Ἐκ πολλῶν φημῶν καὶ κυρίως διὰ τοῦ ὑψιλοπανιερολογιωτάτου Ἀρχιμανδρίτου Κυρίου Ἀντωνίνου πληροφοροῦμαι ὁ ὑποκλινῶς ὑποφαινόμενος ὅτι λόγος τις γίνεται καὶ αὖθις περὶ ἑνὸς βιβλίου ἀρχαίου χειρογράφου τῆς βιβλιοθήκης τοῦ Ὄρους Σινᾶ, τὸ ὁποῖον πρό τινων ἐτῶν παρεδόθη παρὰ τῆς Σιναιτικῆς ἀδελφότητος εἴς τινα ἀπεσταλμένον τοῦ Μεγαλειοτάτου Aὐτοκράτορος πασῶν τῶν Ῥωσσιῶν, ὡς ζητουμένου δῆθεν οἴκαδε παρὰ τῶν Σιναϊτῶν πατέρων κατὰ τὴν τότε συμφωνηθεῖσαν σύμβασιν μεταξὺ πατέρων ἀφ᾽ἐνὸς, καὶ Πρέσβεως τοῦ Aὐτοκράτορος ἀφ᾽ἑτέρου. Σπεύδω λοιπὸν ὁμολογῆσαι ἐνώπιον ὑμῶν, Κύριε Πρέσβυ, ὅτι τὸ περὶ οὗ ὁ λόγος βιβλίον, ἀφ᾽ἧς ἡμέρας παρεχωρήθη τῇ Aὐτοκρατορικῇ αὐτοῦ Μεγαλειότητι, ἐξ ἐκείνης καὶ θεωρεῖται παρά πάντων ἐν γένει τῶν Σιναϊτῶν πατέρων ὡς τελείως δεδωρημένον τῶ Aὐτοκράτορι, - δῶρον σμικρότατον ἀπέναντι μεγάλων καὶ ἀπείρων εὐεργεσιῶν, ὧν ἀπήλαυσε καὶ ἀπολαμβάνει διηνεκῶς τὸ Πρεσβυγενὲς μοναστήριον τοῦ θεοβαδίστου Ὄρους Σινᾶ, παρὰ τῆς κραταιᾶς καὶ ὀρθοδόξου Ρὡσσίας καὶ παρὰ τῶν Σεβαστῶν καὶ μεγαλοδώρων αὐτῆς Aὐτοκρατόρων. Ὑπόσχομαι δὲ προσέτι ὅτι ὅταν, σὺν Θεῷ ἀντιλήπτορι καὶ τῇ ὑψιλῇ Aὐτοκρατορικῇ ἐνεργείᾳ, ἐπανακάμψω εἰς τὴν ποθητήν μοι μετάνοιαν, καὶ καθέξω τὴν οἰκείαν μου θέσιν, θέλω καὶ δι᾽ἀναφορᾶς ἐπισήμου, φερούσης τὰς ὑπογραφὰς ἐμοῦ τε καὶ τῶν Γεροντοτέρων πατέρων τῆς Μονῆς, ὡς καὶ τὴν Σφραγίδα αὐτῆς, ἀναθέσει ὁριστικῶς τὸ ῥηθὲν χειρόγραφον εἰς τὴν αὐτοῦ Μεγαλειότητα τὸν Aὐτοκράτορα πασῶν τῶν Ῥωσσιῶν Ἀλέξανδρον τὸν Β´, ὡς δεῖγμα μεγίστης ὀφειλομένης εὐγνωμοσύνης ἡμῶν πρὸς τὴν αὐτοῦ Μεγαλειότητα. Πέποιθα Ἐξοχώτατε, ἐπὶ τῇ ἀκραιφνῇ καὶ εἰλικρινῇ μου ταύτῃ διαδηλώσει, ὅτι θέλετε δόσει τὴν ἀνήκουσαν εἰς αὐτὴν ἐκτίμησιν, καὶ ὅτι θεωρήσετε εἰς τὸ ἑξῆς ἐμέ τε καὶ τοὺς ὑπ᾽ἐμὲ συναδελφούς μου Σιναΐτας ἀφοσιωμένους λάτρας τοῦ τρισεβάστου καὶ κραταιοτάτου Αὐτοκρατορικοῦ θρόνου τῆς Ῥωσσίας, καὶ τῆς ὑμετέρας ἐξοχότητος φίλους εὐπειθεῖς. Δέχθητε, Ἐξοχώτατε, τὸ ἀπεριόριστον Σέβας μου πρὸς τὴν αὐτοῦ Aὐτοκρατορικὴν Μεγαλειότητα, καὶ τὴν ἐξαίρετον πρὸς ὑμᾶς ὑπόληψίν μου, μεθ᾽ὧν διατελῶ εὐσεβάστως· Ὁ Ἀρχιεπίσκοπος Σιναίου Καλλίστρατος Ἐν Ἱεροσολύμοις τὴν 5 Ἰουλίου, αωξη´

To His Excellency Ambassador of His Majesty Emperor of All Russia at the Sublime Porte, General Ignatyev. Your Excellency, From multiple rumors and, above all, from His Eminence Archimandrite Antonin, Your obedient servant knows of repeated talks about the ancient manuscript from Mt Sinai [monastery] library, passed to an envoy of His Majesty Emperor of All Russia by Mt Sinai community several years ago and allegedly requested now under an agreement made between the brethren on the one part, and the Imperial envoy on the other at that time. Therefore I hasten to assure Your Excellency that the book in question has been considered by all Mt Sinai brethren, since the date of surrendering it to His Majesty the Emperor, as definitely donated to the Emperor, an insignificant gift as compared to the great and unbounded benefactions granted to the ancient and sacred Mount Sinai community by Supreme and Orthodox Russia and her pious and generous Sovereigns. I also promise that, immediately on returning for most desired penitence and taking my place, with the help of God and lofty support of the Emperor, I wish, by way of formal act signed by myself and Mt Sinai elders, and with Mt Sinai seal affixed, to donate the said manuscript to His Majesty Emperor of All Russia Alexander II, as a token of our great thankfulness to His Majesty. I am certain that Your Excellency will kindly appreciate this sincere declaration and regard myself and my Mt Sinai brethren as most faithful admirers of the devout and mighty Sovereign of Russia, and Your Excellency's obedient friends. Please accept, Your Excellency, my [assurance of] boundless esteem of His Majesty the Emperor, and exceptional devotion to Your Excellency, Most reverently Yours, Callistratus Archbishop of Sinai Jerusalem, 5 July 1868.

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