Studies in Armenian Literature and Christianity


Book Description

Professor Thomson deals here with the origins of Armenian Christian literature and its development as an individual literary culture. At the same time, these studies make available to students of Patristics and Byzantine history some of the wealth of information preserved in the Armenian sources. One set of articles, focusing on the question of origins, looks at the influence and use made of Christian Syriac and Greek writings, both theological and historical, as well as those of late classical antiquity. Others examine how the Armenians viewed themselves in their ambiguous position between Byzantium and Iran, and how those views were expressed in their historical writing. A key theme, as the author would see it, is the formulation of a 'received tradition', and the ways in which later writers interacted with it and used it, removed from its original context, to create their own images of Armenian individuality.




Treasures from the Ark


Book Description

Armenia was the first country to recognize Christianity as the official state religion in 301 AD, twelve years before Constantine's decree granting tolerance to Christianity within the Roman Empire. Ever since, Armenia has claimed the privilege of being the first Christian nation, and the wealth of Christian art produced in Armenia since then is testimony to the fundamental importance of the Christian faith to the Armenian people. This extensive new survey of Armenian Christian art, published to accompany a major exhibition at The British Library, celebrates the Christian art tradition in Armenia during the last 1700 years. The extraordinary quality and range of Armenian art which is documented includes sculpture, metalwork, textiles, ceramics, wood carvings and illuminated manuscripts and has been drawn together from collections throughout the world—many of the examples have never before been seen outside Armenia. In his authoritative text, Dr. Vrej Nersessian, Curator at The British Library, charts the development of Christianity in Armenia. This fascinating history is essential to an understanding of the art and religious tradition of Armenia, a country in which the sense of the sacred extends well beyond the purely religious, infiltrating the entire fabric of Armenian affairs to create a fascinating culture. This sumptuously illustrated book will be of immense value to anyone with an interest in Byzantine art and culture, the history of Christianity and the history of Armenia and the Middle Orient.




Encyclopedia of Early Christianity


Book Description

First published in 1997. What's new in the Second Edition: Some 250 new entries, twenty-five percent more than in the first edition, plus twenty-five new expert contributors. Bibliographies are greatly expanded and updated throughout; More focus on biblical books and philosophical schools, their influence on early Christianity and their use by patristic writers; More information about the Jewish and pagan environment of early Christianity; Greatly enlarged coverage of the eastern expansion of the faith throughout Asia, including persons and literature; More extensive treatment of saints, monasticism, worship practices, and modern scholars; Greater emphasis on social history and more theme articles; More illustrations, maps, and plans; Additional articles on geographical regions; Expanded chronological table; Also includes maps.




Patriotism and Piety in Armenian Christianity


Book Description

"Armenian Christianity manifests a unique blend of patriotism and piety - given its ethnic character from the outset and the fact of its having survived the unfavorable currents of history. Beginning from the inception of Armenian letters at the turn of the fifth century, the author surveys that blend in ancient Armenian sources spanning a thousand years. He shows how the theme finds its fullest manifestation as a literary motif in the medieval panegyrics dedicated to St. Gregory the Illuminator, founder of the Armenian Church at the dawn of the fourth century. Of these, the panegyric by Hovhannes of Erzenka (a prolific author of the thirteenth century) exhibits all the characteristics of the motif in ancient Armenian literature. Consequently, his work receives ample coverage in this unique study, including a translation of the entire text with commentary. Annotated selections from the other panegyrics on St. Gregory complete the book, the second volume in the AVANT series devoted to the study of the Armenian Christian heritage."--BOOK JACKET.




The Armenian Church, Heritage and Identity


Book Description

Collection of articles, and of texts edited and published by Conybeare. "The selection of articles assembled in this volume were published between 1888 and 1925 in over forty-five journals."--Pref., p. ix.










Eastern Christianity


Book Description

English translations of Syriac, Armenian, Georgian, Arabic, Coptic, and Ethiopic Christian texts from late antiquity to the early modern period In order to make the writings of Eastern Christianity more widely accessible this volume offers a collection of significant texts from various Eastern Christian traditions, many of which are appearing in English for the first time. The internationally renowned scholars behind these translations begin each section with an informative historical introduction, so that anyone interested in learning more about these understudied groups can more easily traverse their diverse linguistic, cultural, and literary traditions. A boon to scholars, students, and general readers, this ample resource expands the scope of Christian history so that communities beyond Western Christendom can no longer be ignored. Contributors Jesse S. Arlen, Aaron M. Butts, Jeff W. Childers, Mary K. Farag, Philip Michael Forness, John C. Lamoreaux, Jeanne-Nicole Mellon Saint-Laurent, Erin Galgay Walsh, J. Edward Walters, and Jeffrey Wickes.




Armenian Philology in the Modern Era


Book Description

Philology is one of the most investigated fields of Armenian studies. At the end of the twentieth century, it was important to provide an overview of the main achievements and on the methodological approaches implemented in this field till now. This is the aim of the present publication. Part I focuses on the manuscripts, the inscriptions, and the printings. Its second section is devoted to the textual criticisms and the third section explores the interface between linguistics and philology. Case studies form the core of Part II. One chapter offers an overview on the 17th-19th centuries, and two articles are devoted to the conditions of the circulation of the literary production in the 20th century, both in Western and Eastern Armenian.




Unclassical Traditions. Volume II


Book Description

Unclassical Traditions. Volume II: Perspectives from East and West in Late Antiquity is the second of two collections of essays by leading scholars discussing the nature and extent of the late-antique engagement with the classical past. Rather than concentrating on developments at the centre of empire (the focus of a previous volume, Unclassical Traditions I ), the aim here is to present a set of views from the margins: social, political, religious, literary, geographical and linguistic. Ranging from Armenian ecclesiastical histories, Egyptian alchemy and Jewish power politics, across the Mediterranean to the challenges raised by shifting circumstances in 5th-century North Africa and Ostrogothic Italy, the eight papers in this volume seek to establish the persistent importance of the classical tradition throughout a broadly defined late antiquity. Despite the divergent forms taken by these various responses, they are united by a common preoccupation with that still authoritative past. From these eastern and western perspectives - often peripheral and sometimes isolated - the classical past appears neither monolithic nor inflexible but as offering a set of assumptions or conventions that might be opposed or accepted, subverted or ignored or reworked into a striking variety of newly imagined worlds. Like its predecessor, this volume will be of interest to anyone concerned with the history, literature and culture of the later Roman empire. It stems from an international conference held in Cambridge in 2009, generously supported by the Faculty of Classics and the Henry Arthur Thomas Fund.