Saint Eleutherius, Durrës, and the ethnonym “shqiptar”
The article analyzes the connection between Durrës and Saint Eleutherius according to the manuscripts “Skazanie o 12 Pjatnicach” in Old Slavonic. The toponym of the city where a debate between the saint and a Jew occurred is given as “Šeptail” (third quarter of the 13th century) or “Drač” (14th century). The root of the toponym is thought to have been /š/-/p/-/t/-/l/. One proposal for its interpretation identifies the ethnonym “shqiptarë” (Albanians) according to the Slavic version “šiptar”. The mention of Durrës in Slavic religious manuscripts is linked to the key position it held in the spread of Christianity among the Slavs since the end of late antiquity. This position also explains the possible use of the ethnonym “shqiptar”, or the root of the word from which the ethnonym might have later been created. The use of toponyms or ethnonyms related to Albanians seems to have served as a guarantee of credibility for the Slavic listeners: “since the event happened in Durrës / in the city of those who knew/spoke Albanian, it was certainly true and should be believed.”