RESCRIPT OF POPE INNOCENT IV TO THE BISHOP OF SENJ (1248). UNDER THE PATRONAGE OF ST JEROME. II HISTORICAL FATE OF GLAGOLITIC SCRIPT AND BEGINNINGS OF ST JEROME TRADITION

Sa？etak Notion that church father and scholar St Jerome is also founder of Glagolitism for the first time is mentioned in the Rescript of pope Innocent IV to Philip bishop of Senj in 1248. This belief maintained within Croatia and even in some other European scholarly circles even up to the mid-nineteenth century. The author of this article tries to systematically analyze genesis of such St Jerome tradition in the extant literature. Firstly, the author discusses reasons why the aforementioned Rescript contains such information about St Jerome and his connection to the Glagolitism. By the same token, the author analyzes relation between this supposed tradition and the main subject of this document, i.e. included privilege for serving holy Mass in Old Church Slavonic. After this, the author delivers various hypotheses about emergence of the notion that St Jerome had influence on the Glagolitism. The author discusses possible motives which could lead some of Glagolitic clergy (or perhaps even the Holy See) to relate heritage of Ss Cyril and Methodius with St Jerome and his cult. It is emphasized that for some time these two traditions coexisted. Finally, the author sums up effects and consequences of this Rescript on the spreading of the cult of St Jerome even beyond Glagolitic clerical areal, and survival of such notion up to the mid-nineteenth century