“Theological alphabet of Sun and Moon”: about the history of the manuscript, its restoration and exposure

History of the Siberian Old Believers book bindings has not been studied sufficiently; the reason is that the sources on the subject are scattered, not generalized and are located in different storages both in Siberia and outside it. Another reason for the poor knowledge of the subject is that a whole series of data on the design of a specific binding, as well as the history of the manuscript, which it contains, can be obtained only in the process of restoration. The article is devoted to the consideration of the problem on the example of the Old Believers manuscript “Theological alphabet of Sun and Moon” (1846), stored in the rare Books and Manuscripts Department of Tomsk State University Research Library. The reason for the restoration was mechanical damage of the manuscript; sheets were contaminated; there were also losses and cracks in the corners of the sheets. Restoration work was carried out in 2017. In preparation for the restoration, it turned out, that the cover of the manuscript was glued from two sheets. On closer examination, it became clear that there was still some text under the top sheet, so it was decided to remove it. After removing the sheet, the original top cover sheet became visible; the title of the manuscript was written on it by the hand of the same scriber. On the back of the sheet, which was used for sizing, the text written by the same hand was also found. When reading the text, it turned out that we are talking about Sukhorukov and Firsov, peasants of village Vydrikha (Altai region). Vydrikha village is known from other sources as a traditional place of settlement of Old Believers - Pomorians. The second Old Believer bishop Methodius was living there; and Firsov was known for drawing up papers in the name of the authorities. It is possible that the latter was the manuscript scriber. Probably, the manuscript was withdrawn during the “anti-schism” activities and placed in the “schismatic” library of the Tomsk Theological Seminary; and from there it entered the Tomsk State University Research Library. For the exposure of the manuscript a combined method was chosen, including placing the manuscript in a separate showcase for temporary exhibitions, as well as presenting information about it and a photo gallery on the web-site of the Tomsk State University Research Library, under the heading “The History of Book Rarities”. This will show additional materials revealing the history of the manuscript and the process of its restoration. As we can see, a number of valuable data on the history and structure of a particular manuscript can be obtained only in process of its restoration.

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