A complete South Slavic translation of the work "Heaven"

A more detailed acquaintance with the preserved Old Slavonic manuscripts allows for a more complete disclosure of the repertoire of the old Slavic literatures, their genre richness, and connections with other literatures (Byzantine and Western European). Too often it presents the researcher with new and interesting details concerning the activities of individual writers. One such case is discussed in the present note, related to the literary activities of the prominent Old Bulgarian writer John the Exarch, a participant in the construction of the "Golden Age" of Bulgarian literature during the time of Tsar Simeon. The work "Heaven" - a work by the Byzantine writer John of Damascus (8th century) is closely associated with the name of John the Exarch, because it was first through his translation that it penetrated the old Slavic literatures (Bulgarian, Russian, Serbian), received wide distribution and had a profound impact on the religious and philosophical thinking of the medieval reader. It became generally accessible to the scientific world thanks to the efforts of O. M. Bodyansky, who prepared it for publication, and the publication itself was published under the editorship of Andrei Popov in 1878 under the title "Theology of Saint John of Damascus in the translation of John the Exarch of Bulgaria. According to the haratheon list of the Moscow Synodal Library". Our writer approached his task quite soberly - taking into account the specific reality of Bulgarian society and the cultural preparation of his reader, he did not translate "Heavens" in its entirety, consisting of 100 chapters, but translated only 48 chapters, the most necessary and suitable for the reader.