A manuscript sermon by metropolitan Varlaam Yasynskyi for the feast of the exaltation of the holy cross

The publication presents, for the first time, a metagraphic edition of a manuscript sermon by Metropolitan Varlaam Yasynskyi for the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, preserved in the Manuscript Institute of the Vernadsky National Library of Ukraine (shelfmark ДА 226Л). Bringing this text into scholarly circulation broadens our understanding of the Kyiv oratorical-homiletic school of the 17^th century and early modern preaching.

The linguistic hybridity of the sermon is analyzed: the text combines the “simple” Ukrainian language with Church Slavonic of the Ukrainian recension. Within the “simple” language, features of the Polissian dialect and Polish influence — typical of the period — are identified. The study demonstrates the coexistence of the living Ukrainian language and Church Slavonic on the levels of vocabulary, phraseology, phonetics, and grammar. The text contains authorial revisions that illustrate the process of integrating linguistic elements and adapting the sermon to its audience. The publication constitutes a valuable source for historical-linguistic, literary, and theological research on 17^th-century Ukrainian preaching.

Varlaam Yasynskyi, Ukrainian preaching, manuscript sermon, Kyiv oratorical-homiletic school, Church Slavonic language

Copyright (c) 2025 O. Sukhovii

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Sukhovii, O.O. (2025). A manuscript sermon by metropolitan Varlaam Yasynskyi for the feast of the exaltation of the holy cross. Ukrainian Linguistic Medieval Studies, 2, 112-127. https://doi.org/10.37919/3083-6212.2025.2.112-127