Meletius Smotrytsky

Meletij Smotryzkyj ( Ukrainian: Мелетій Смотрицький; Belarusian: Мялецій Сматрыцкі; Russian: Мелетий Смотрицкий ), secular name Maksym Herasymowytsch (* 1577, † 17.jul / December 27 1633greg. . ) Was a Ruthenian scholar, philologist, writer and theologian. His father was the renowned scholar Herasym Smotryzkyj, who was, among other things involved in the translation of the Ostrog Bible of 1581, the first printed Church Slavonic Bible. His education enjoyed Smotryzkyj in Ostroh and Vilnius, as well as in Leipzig, Wittenberg and Nuremberg.

1616 appears his translation of the Gospel into the teaching Ruthenian.

Smotryzkyjs most famous work is his Church Slavonic Grammar ( Грамматіки славєнския правилноє Сvнтаґма, Vievis 1619), in which the was still valid in the Russian Orthodox Church Slavonic Neukirchen (or in the terminology of George Y. Shevelov Meletisch Church Slavonic ) codified. This grammar has had an enormous influence on the Church Slavonic writing tradition and experienced several editions.

Although Smotryzkyj had a polemic at a young age in his writings against the Church Union of Orthodoxy and Catholicism and Orthodox spiritual several high offices held, he converted in 1627 to the Uniate faith.