Agathangelos History of the Armenians

Edited and translated by Robert W. Thomson

Subjects: Russian Studies
Paperback : 9781438451749, 628 pages, June 1974
Hardcover : 9780873953238, 628 pages, June 1974

Table of contents

I. Foreword
Transcription

II. Introduction
The Texts
The Story
The Composition of the Armenian Version

III. The History

IV. Notes

V. Sources
Abbreviations
Texts of Agathangelos
Manuscripts of the Armenian Agathangeloc
Armenian Texts
Greek Texts
Syriac Texts
Secondary Literature

VI. Indexes
Biblical Quotations and Allusions
General Index
Map

The first English translation of History of the Armenians.

Description

History of the Armenians, attributed to Agathangelos, is an enigmatic work that combines remembered tradition and invented legend. It also exists in several languages and various editions, not all of which derive from the text extant in Armenian. The significance of the work is unquestionable, though. With this edition, Robert W. Thomson offers the first English translation of this "received" tradition, with elucidation of the literary sources of the Armenian redactor. This translation also compares the content of the other versions and explores the tendentious purpose of the Armenian text. This work also provides key insights into the literary background of the important fifth-century author Agathangelos, his affinities for other Armenian writers, and his typically vast knowledge of Greek and Syriac texts.