History of the Armenians

Title(s):
  • History of the Armenians
  • Μαρτύριον τοῦ ἁγίου Γρηγορίου ἐπισκόπου τῆς Μεγάλης Ἀρμενίας καὶ Γαιανῆς καὶ Ῥιψίμης καὶ τῆς συνοδίας αὐτῶν
    (Marturion tou hagiou Grēgoriou episkopou tēs Megalēs Armenias kai Gaianēs kai Ripsimēs kai tēs sunodias autōn, Martyrdom of the Holy Gregory, bishop of Greater Armenia and of Gaiane and Ripsime and their followers)
Period covered:
224-325
Language:
Greek
State of Preservation:
Full
Genre:
  • Ecclesiastical history
  • Secular history (ethnic history)
  • Form (translation)
  • Biography (collective)
Remarks:
The Greek Agathangelus is based on the Armenian version written probably during the second half of the fifth century. The Laurentianus VII,25 (twelfth century) is the only Greek manuscript that contains a summary of the Armenian prologue and that includes a long passage about Ardashir’s rebellion against Artabanus between the Prologue and the acts of Tiridates. This episode does not appear in the Armenian Agathangelus and has been inspired by the Karnamag (Book of the Lords). All manuscripts of the Greek Agathangelus omit the long passage about the Teaching of Saint Gregory (Armenian Agathangelus 259-715). For the later reworkings, see Thomson (1976).
Edition - Translation:
  • G. Lafontaine (1973) La version grecque ancienne du livre arménien d'Agathange: Édition critique (Publications de l'Institut Orientaliste de Louvain, 7). Leuven.
  • R.W. Thomson (2010) The Lives of Saint Gregory: The Armenian, Greek, Arabic, and Syriac versions of the History attributed to Agathangelos, translated with introduction and commentary. Ann Arbor.
Fragments:
Users:
Bibliography:
  • G. Garitte (1946) Documents pour l'étude du livre d'Agathange. Rome.
  • G. Lafontaine (1973) La version grecque ancienne du livre arménien d'Agathange: Édition critique (Publications de l'Institut Orientaliste de Louvain 7). Louvain-la-Neuve: 9-171.
  • R.W. Thomson (1976) Agathangelos, History of the Armenians: With translation and commentary. Albany: xxi- xcvii.
  • R.W. Thomson (1980) Agathangelos Patmowt‘iwn Hayots‘ (History of the Armenians): A facsimile reproduction of the 1909 Tiflis edition with an introduction. New-York: v-xvii. (= Tēr-Mkrtč‛ean - St. Kanayeanc‛ (1909) Agat’angełay Patmut’iwn Hayoc‘. Tbilisi = (1914) Agat’angełay Patmut’iwn Hayoc‘, Lukasean Matenadaran 15).
  • R.W. Thomson (2010) The Lives of Saint Gregory: The Armenian, Greek, Arabic, and Syriac versions of the History attributed to Agathangelos. Translated with introduction and commentary. Ann Arbor.
  • R.W. Thomson (2011) 'Agathangelos'. In: Encyclopædia Iranica I/6: 607-608.
  • M. van Esbroeck (1971) 'Un nouveau témoin du livre d'Agathange'. Revue des études arméniennes 8: 13-167.
  • M. van Esbroeck (1985) 'Agathangelos'. In: Reallexikon für Antike und Christentum, Supplement 1/2: 239-248.
  • M. van Esbroeck (1989) 'Saint Grégoire d'Arménie et sa Didascalie'. Le muséon 102: 131-145.