Remarks on the long chronicle texts
of the 15th century

Nicholas Zharkikh

Long stories in the chronicles were typically transcribed without much change, later scribes tried to accurately reproduce the previous text. All the more surprising is the chronicle text of the SMF, which shows great variability, as if "inherited" from the variability of Prologue texts.

Consider first the 4 oldest texts that come from chronicles completed no later than the end of the 15th century.

The text of the Sophia 1st Chronicle older recension

The text of the Novgorod 1st Chronicle younger recension

The text of the Moscow codex of 1492

The text of the Vologda-Perm chronicle

In general, the chronicle texts of the SMF are a rather strange picture of the involvement in the chronicle of a large foreign story of non-chronicle origin.

Shortened text of the section. Full text in ukrainian version.