Translating Greek to Old Nubian: Reading between the Lines of Ps.-Chrysostom’s In venerabilem crucem sermo

This study revisits the longest known text in Old Nubian to date, the pseudo- Chrysostomian “Sermon on the Venerable Cross,” whose editio princeps was furnished by Gerald M. Browne. The Greek Vorlage of the Nubian text is known under catalog number CPG 4525 and is attested in more than 50 manuscripts in Greek, as well as in translations in several other languages. The goal of this chapter is to examine the Old Nubian translation in comparison with other wit- nesses in Greek, Latin, and Syriac, in order to determine a plausible dating and to highlight a number of particular aspects of this translation and the possi- ble reflection they might offer of the religious views held in this remote area of Christianity. Because of the relative obscurity of Nubia in comparison to the rest of medieval Christianity, some introductory remarks on Christian Nubia are at place, as well as some pointers regarding its linguistic situation and liter- ary traditions