Čajniče Gospel ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, Čajničko jevanđelje, Чајничко јеванђеље) is the oldest gospel written in

medieval Bosnia The history of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Middle Ages refers to the time period between the Roman era and the 15th-century Ottoman conquest. The Early Middle Ages in the Western Balkans saw the region reconquered from barbarians (Ostrogot ...

, which probably belonged to the Bosnian noble family, the

Pavlović Pavlović (Serbo-Croatian) or Pavlovič (in Slovenian and Slovak) is a surname of South Slavic origin stemming from the male given name Pavao, Pavle or Pavel, which are all Slavic variants of Paul. It was formed using the patronymic suffix -o ...

s, and is the only medieval Bosnian gospel that has been preserved in country to this day. It probably originated at the beginning of the 15th century, and by evaluating the language characteristics and its

Ijekavian Shtokavian or Štokavian (; sh-Latn, štokavski / sh-Cyrl, italics=no, штокавски, ) is the prestige supradialect of the pluricentric Serbo-Croatian language and the basis of its Serbian, Croatian, Bosnian and Montenegrin stand ...

dialect, it is certain that it originated from ijekavijan eastern Bosnia. The codex was written in shorthand, with a semi-constitution of the Bosnian type, also known as

Bosnian Cyrillic Bosnian Cyrillic, widely known as Bosančica, is a variant of the Cyrillic alphabet that originated in medieval Bosnia. The term was coined at the end of the 19th century by Ćiro Truhelka. It was widely used in modern-day Bosnia and Herzegovin ...

. It is estimated that five main scribes took turns, continuously writing the text. The Čajniče Gospel is a four-gospel, and only parts of the

Gospel of Matthew The Gospel of Matthew is the first book of the New Testament of the Bible and one of the three synoptic Gospels. It tells the story of who the author believes is Israel's messiah (Christ (title), Christ), Jesus, resurrection of Jesus, his res ...

, the

Gospel of Mark The Gospel of Mark is the second of the four canonical Gospels and one of the three synoptic Gospels, synoptic Gospels. It tells of the ministry of Jesus from baptism of Jesus, his baptism by John the Baptist to his death, the Burial of Jesus, ...

, and most of the

Gospel of Luke The Gospel of Luke is the third of the New Testament's four canonical Gospels. It tells of the origins, Nativity of Jesus, birth, Ministry of Jesus, ministry, Crucifixion of Jesus, death, Resurrection of Jesus, resurrection, and Ascension of ...

have been preserved, while the

Gospel of John The Gospel of John () is the fourth of the New Testament's four canonical Gospels. It contains a highly schematic account of the ministry of Jesus, with seven "Book of Signs, signs" culminating in the raising of Lazarus (foreshadowing the ...

, the beginning and end of the manuscript, and a certain number of pages in the middle are lost, so that in present condition the manuscript has 167 pages. The codex is declared a National monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The museum of the ''Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Mother of God'', of the Čajniče Monastery, in

Čajniče Čajniče ( sr-cyr, Чајниче, ) is a town and a municipality in Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina. As of 2013, the town has a population of 2,401 inhabitants, while the municipality has 4,895 inhabitants. History When the German and ...

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...

, keeps the book

References

{{Reflist Texts of medieval Bosnia and Herzegovina 1400s books Christian illuminated manuscripts Gothic art Christianity in Bosnia and Herzegovina 15th century in Bosnia Čajniče Cyrillic manuscripts Bosnian Church 15th-century illuminated manuscripts Bosnian Cyrillic texts

See also

References