Beatitudes in the Church Slavonic “Acts of Paul and Thecla”: Translation and Interpretation

This article focuses on the most variable section of the Acts of Paul and Thecla in the Church Slavonic translation. Not only does it evaluate the version of the beatitudes that circulated in Church Slavonic based on twelve Cyrillic manuscripts, but it also considers this part of the text in light of questions raised about the original Greek text. Comparing the Greek and Church Slavonic texts and analysing the meanings of words in their cultural contexts reveals that reading texts in different languages can alter interpretation, even when the translation is accurate. However, not just about translation. The Church Slavonic version of the beatitudes is the result of a lengthy process of making them “more orthodox”, which started with the Greek manuscripts and continued even after they were translated, as evidenced by later manuscripts.