“Thou Hast a Body that Thou Livest, and Art Dead by Evil Deeds”: A Reader’s Comments on the Miniatures of One Printed Illuminated Apocalypse

Abstract

The article examines the hand notes and comments made by an anonymous reader on a copy of an illuminated Apocalypse from the early 20th century. These additions transform the typographic edition into a quasi-manuscript, adding an extra layer of paratext. The reader’s notes are aligned with the book’s miniatures and consist of accurate interwoven citations, explanations of symbolism, iconographic labels of the actors of the End times (chiefly of the evil ones), and topographic tags from the Book of Revelation as well as from the commentary by Andrew of Caesaria and other Church Fathers. The notes are categorized into rhetorical warnings or appeals, historical narrative comments, exegetic interpretations, and iconographic labels. Unlike inscriptions in earlier Russian manuscripts, these modern reader’s notes focus more on the demonic iconography and topography of the Apocalypse, reflecting the eschatological beliefs of Old Believers.