#elbasan manuscript

[arberisht]

ELBASAN GOSPEL MANUSCRIPT (1761)

Gregory of Durrës (Gk. Grêgorios ho Dyrrakhíu), also known as Gregory of Voskopoja, was an Orthodox cleric who was appointed Archbishop of Durrës in 1768 and who died some time before May 1772. He is known to have made Bible translations in an alphabet he invented himself, and most historical and linguistic evidence would seem to point to him as the author of the unique Elbasan Gospel Manuscript (often referred to in Albanian as ‘Anonimi i Elbasanit’) presented here. Gregory of Durrës was reputed to have been one of the most learned persons in southern Albania during the lifetime. Despite this fact, we know tragically little about him. Gregory’s Elbasan Gospel Manuscript contains Albanian-language translations of New Testament texts in an original alphabet which he invented himself. The alphabet occurs only in this text, and we can date to the year 1761. This unique manuscript was acquired at some point before or during the Second World War by Lef Nosi (1877-1946), an Elbasan scholar and collector of note. Nosi, who is reputed to have possessed the second largest library in Albania, was arrested in August 1945 after the communist takeover of Albania and was shot in February 1946 after a mock trial. The manuscript then found its way into the hands of communist scholar Dhimitër Shuteriqi (1915-2003) who announced its discovery in 1949. It was initially transcribed and published by historian Injac Zamputi (1910-1998), and is currently preserved in the Albanian National Archives in Tirana.

TRANSCRIPTION

të shenjtënuashimenë të prem ten e madhe. o të bekuam të kër shtenë. thiri Krishti zoti ynë apostojtë e ju dëftoi atë ditë

qi donte të të kryqzohej, e ju tha: o bijt e mi të dashun, ta dini se pas dy diç bahetë pasχa e atëhere dua të epem të më kryqzonjënë. atëhere u mbëlodhnë upeshkë

pinjtë e letërorëtë ndë sarajet të Kaijafësë upeshkëpit e kuvën duanë shoq me shoq qi ta zanë çefun Jisunë ta vrasënë. e thoshin: mos e zamëte njëme më ditë të krem

tesë se ishte e shëtynë se mos ba hetë t[ë] [p]ë[r]ziem ndë gjin qe duan e na mb[o]dhisnjënë se aqë prej cë [---------] perëndisë deshmë

TRANSLATION

Holy Good Friday. Oh, blessed Christians. Christ, our Lord, called the apostles and revealed to them that day

that he wanted to be crucified, and said to them: Oh, my beloved sons, as you know, the Passover is two days away and then I want to give myself up so they can crucify me. Then the chief priests and the scribes

assembled in the palace of the high priest Caiaphas and conferred with one another to arrest Jesus secretly and kill him. They said: Let us not arrest him now on the days

of the feast, for it was Saturday, so that he not be surrounded by crowds who want to hinder us for so much of ...........  of God wanted

[Translated by Robert Elsie]