In studying ancient history, there are many stories, some would say myths and allegories, in the ancient historical record. We all know the many myths in the ancient world about the origin of the Greeks, the Macedonians, the Italians, etc. Some believe they are more than myth and some believe these stories are true. In the Bible, there is the story of creation and the subsequent branch of families that sprang from Noah and the ark.
Vinko Pribojevic, being a Christian, and a pan Slavicist, endeavored to ascertain who the ancient Slavs descended from from a biblical perspective. In his study on Pribojevic's work, Domagoj Madunic wrote:
Miechowita believed Slavs descended from Javan, and thus a relative of the Greeks. Miechowita's Javan hypothesis was important, as we shall see later. But Pribojevic disagreed with this hypothesis. The problem Pribojevic had was the Macedonian question. He could not reconcile his personal hypothesis that the Macedonians, being a separate people from the Greeks, descended from Javan. He read his view of history into the biblical texts. Macedonians, he believed, were a different people than the Greeks, which is to say, did not descend from Javan. In his opinion, Slavs' lineage can be traced to Thyras.
Pribojevic's hypothesis that Slavs descend from Thyras appears to be problematic, at least from a biblical perspective.
Let us exam why.
Pribojevic, a pan Slavicst, who believes all Slavs descend from Thyras, a fact which is impossible, obviously did not understand the Old Testament very well.
So the question is:
If the Thracians spoke Slavic, but it was never called such, and the Macedonians, being of Javan descent, spoke a language different than Thracians, how can both have spoken Slavic, unless they were different versions of the same language?
Vinko Pribojevic, being a Christian, and a pan Slavicist, endeavored to ascertain who the ancient Slavs descended from from a biblical perspective. In his study on Pribojevic's work, Domagoj Madunic wrote:
In 1517, Maciej Miechowita published his first major work, Tractatus de duabus Sarmatiis. The work was quite popular, and Pribojevic most probably became acquainted with it during his stay in Poland. Indeed, it became his main source for description of distant north and eastern Slavic lands. Concerning the origin of the Slavs, Maciej Miechowita made an interesting choice, and suggested that the Slavs were descendants of Javan, the fourth son of Japhet, and thus relatives of the Greeks of whom Javan is traditionally held as their forefather.
Pribojevic's final choice fell on Thyras, the youngest of the sons of Japhet. Thyras was the father of the Thracians, a long forgotten people who lived in the regions today inhabited by the Slavs. At first glance this choice does not seem as the most promising, but a closer investigation of Pribojevic's final result reveals not only Pribojevic's creativity in compiling various ancient authors, but also the fruitfulness of this choice.
Let us exam why.
And the rough goat is the king of Grecia: and the great horn that is between his eyes is the first king”.
So the question is:
If the Thracians spoke Slavic, but it was never called such, and the Macedonians, being of Javan descent, spoke a language different than Thracians, how can both have spoken Slavic, unless they were different versions of the same language?
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