Sursele primelor volume ale traducerii Filocaliei greceşti de către Pr. Dumitru Stăniloae

Abstract

As acknowledged in contemporary research, multiple Romanian translations of the Philokalic writings predate Father Dumitru Stăniloae’s translation, many of which are preserved in manuscript form in the Library of the Romanian Academy. Father Stăniloae received two volumes of the Greek Philokalia from Zian Boca, who brought them from Mount Athos following a scholarship awarded by Metropolitan Nicolae Bălan. In the preface to the first volume, Father Stăniloae expresses his regret over the absence of critical editions of the Philokalia text. The existing editions could not be utilized by the translator due to the material limitations of the time, specifically during the spring of 1944, when Fr Stăniloae started the translation of the Philokalia. Consequently, Father Stăniloae relied on the Greek edition of the Philokalia and the Greek texts within Migne’s collection, utilizing these sources to discern the meaning closest to a potential original text. From Father Stăniloae’s accounts, it is evident that three significant sources were employed in the translation of the Philokalia, in addition to the Greek edition: 1) the translation by Bishop Gherasim Safirin, preserved in manuscript at the Frăsinei Monastery; 2) the translations by Hieromonk Serafim Popescu; and 3) copies of older Romanian manuscripts from Athos brought by Serafim Popescu and Arsenie Boca. The article attempts to examine these three primary sources utilized by Father Stăniloae.