On the question of the meaning of the word “Pravda” in Ancient Russia

The article deals with the meanings of the word "pravda" in ancient Russian sources (till 17th century). Almost all the main written sources of Ancient Russia were subjected to linguistic analysis. In polemics with other authors, the author of the article expresses his own position regarding the list of these meanings. In particular, such meanings of the word pravda as "someone's interest", "an acquittal of the court" are called into question. It is also proposed to consider such meanings of pravda as "the right of someone to power" or "the right of someone to judge" as a part of the more general meaning "a person’s right". It is proposed to highlight the special meaning of pravda as "investigation of the case", and in addition, to highlight the special meaning of pravda as a «personal conviction». It is shown that the meaning of pravda as truth was established only by the 16th century (in letters of Ivan the Terrible). It also considers the meaning of some words that were synonymous with pravda in Ancient Russia, as well as the words derived from "pravda": law, right, truth. It is argued that synonyms of "pravda" have a whole palette of meanings, for example, the word "istina" was understood both as a statement of reality (truth), and as something genuine, eternal and unchanging in the sense of a moral ideal. Similarly, the word "pravo" meant both the truth and justice of something. It is concluded that the following should be mentioned as the main meanings of the word " pravda": pravda as truth or honesty, as the justice of actions or a person, as a set of legal norms (law), as a right (especially the right to execute power or the right to judge), as a conviction (point of view), statement (version of events), as a judicial inquiry and an oath (by one's God) or an agreement (promise), and finally as testimony (of any person who has seen or heard anything relevant to the case, including the parties themselves). It is emphasized that not in all cases the meaning of the word " pravda" can be unambiguously determined: there is simply not enough contextual information for this. In this regard, it is proposed not to produce new meanings without necessity ("Occam's razor"). The same applies to words that have the same root as the word "truth". In conclusion, it is argued that some of the meanings of the word "pravda" do not denote any ideal (of truth or justice), but a direct fact of social life, that is, not prescriptive ones, but descriptive ones (for example, pravda as a law, or pravda as a contract), although understanding pravda in prescriptive way is still primary. It is noted that for the ancient Russian man, “pravda” means the only correct ontological order of being and human relations, that is, the prescriptive and the descriptive meanings are connected. Finally, it is substantiated that over time, ideas about the due conduct began to be expressed through the word "justice", but in the period under review this word was almost not used. The author declares no conflicts of interests.

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