Armenian: Ancient Bible History (1)

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**List: Armenian Ministry

the Bible ( the Bible )
Armenian: Ancient...
"The world’s first Christian kingdom, Armenia, was evangelized
at the end of the 3rd century by St. Gregory the Illuminator.
However, it had to wait until the early 5th century for the
Scriptures."
--1000 Tongues, 1972   [Info only:
See H. S. Miller, pp. 113, 253-254.]

"There are an estimated 3.5 million Armenians in the world
today - nearly 2 million in the Armenian SSR, where they
constitute almost 90 per cent of the population.   Almost as many
more live in adjacent areas of the Soviet Union, Iran, and
Turkey, and in colonies scattered throughout the Near East, the
Balkans, and Western Europe.

The Armenian language is generally regarded as a separate
branch within the Indo-European languages.   Called ‘Bayeren’,
it is now spoken in two primary dialects, Eastern Armenian and
Western Armenian.   The Eastern dialect, that of the ‘mother
country’, is the closer to Ancient or Classical Armenian.   The
classical usage reflects the idiom of the ‘Golden Age’ (5th century)
of Armenian literature and its greatest achievement, Mesrop’s
translation of the Bible.   It continues in use as the liturgical
language of the Armenian Church and the traditional literary
language of Armenian scholars.   Armenian character is used for
both the ancient and modern forms.

Before translating the Bible, Mesrop devised an alphabet for
Armenian.   The derivation of the 38 (originally 36) characters is
not known, but the influence of Greek is usually admitted.   The
Bible, prepared by Mesrop with the assistance of the Patriarch
Sahak, remains the standard to this day.   The earliest dated manu-
script is from the 9th century."
--1000 Tongues, 1972   [Info only:
Mesrop (Mesrob), Sahak (Isaac).]

1565 Psalms Rome
The Armenian Psalter was often reprinted up to the end of the 18th
century.
"
--1000 Tongues, 1972   [Info only: Rome?]

"In 1789

the New Testament was printed at Venice, under the editorship of Zohrab, a learned Armenian divine,
from MS. authorities; and this edition, which was much esteemed for its correctness, was reprinted in
1816.
  A critical edition of the Old and New Testament was published under the care of the same
editor at Venice in 1805, at the expense of the monks of the Armenian convent of the Island of St.
Lazarus, in the lagunes of Venice.   This edition was printed from a MS. written in Cilicia in the four-
teenth century, and with the aid of eight MSS. of the Old Testament, and twenty-five of the New.
The various readings elucidated by Armenian scholia were placed in the margin, and the contested
passage in 1 John 5:7, was expunged, because unsupported by the authority of ancient Armenian MSS."
--1860   S. Bagster   [Info only:
CHM note: All of 1 John 5:6-8 (KJV) is in the Greek NT.
It should NOT have been expunged.]

       "Zohrab text: a critical edition edited by John Zohrab; Bible,
    1805, at Venice at the Convent of San Lazaro.   First circulated by the
    BFBS, 1816.
    "
    --1000 Tongues, 1939   [Info only]

"1805 Bible Venice
Edited by John Zohrab, with critical apparatus based upon the
Armenian Ms. tradition.
"
--1000 Tongues, 1972   [Info only:
ARMENIAN CHARACTER   "1805" Mark 1:2 unknown.]

"In 1814 a representation was made to the Calcutta Bible Committee, by Johannes Sarkies, on the
necessity of supplying the numerous families of Armenians in Calcutta and other parts of Hindoo-
stan with copies of the Scriptures, and in 1817 an edition was printed for the Society at Serampore,
consisting of the entire Scriptures.   During the same year 5000 copies of the New Testament, and a
separate edition of the Bible, were printed by the St. Petersburg Bible Society for the use of the
Armenians, who, to the number of 50,000, were settled in the south of Russia; every sheet of this
edition was examined by Johannes, the Armenian archbishop at Astrakhan.   A previous edition of the
Scriptures had been published by the same Society in 1814.   In 1818 the British and Foreign Bible
Society purchased 1500 copies of the New Testament of the monks of St. Lazarus for distribution
chiefly in Armenia, and in the following year they purchased 1000 Bibles.   Further purchases were
made by the Society at Venice until 1823, when they ordered an edition of 5000 copies of the New
Testament, and 3000 copies of the Gospels alone, to be printed at Constantinople.   This edition was
carried through the press by the Rev. Henry Leeves, with the concurrence of the Armenian patriarch.
The copies were sent to Tokat in Asia Minor, to Julfa near Ispahan, and into Armenia, for distribution."
--1860   S. Bagster   [Info only:
Johannes, archbishop?; Laz. monks?; patriarch?]

"About the year 1838 another edition of the ancient Armenian New Testament was printed at Smyrna,
at the expense of the American Bible Society.
  More recently, it has been determined by the Com-
mittee of the British and Foreign Bible Society, to print a further edition of the New Testament in
ancient Armenian, in addition to one also in the modern language.   Both works are in process of
execution in London.   Editions of the ancient Armenian, printed in parallel columns with the
modern Armenian versions, will be mentioned hereafter."
--The Bible of Every Land. (1860, Second Edition)   Samuel Bagster   [Info only]

"1838 New Testament ABS, Smyrna
Edited by J. B. Adger, American Board of Commissioners for Foreign
Missions, with apparatus of Greek variants.   The Gospels appeared
separately in 1837.
"
--1000 Tongues, 1972   [Info only:
See Armenian: Modern Western.]

"1859 New Testament   Psalms   BFBS, London
Edited by Charles Rieu of the British Museum.   Reprinted frequently
until 1892.
"
--1000 Tongues, 1972   [Info only]

       "ABS text: Prepared by Avedis Constantian, Hohannes
    Hunkiarbeyendian and Madatia Karakashian, showing readings peculiar
    to the Greek in brackets and Hebrew variants at the foot of the page; N. T.
    ABS, Constantinople, 1891; Bible, 1895.   CP: ABS, BFBS.
    "
    -- 1000 Tongues, 1939   [Info only: ?]

ANCIENT ARMENIAN--1000 Tongues, 1939   [Info only: n.d. John 2:22- 3:1, 13-19a unknown.]

"1895 Bible ABS, Constantinople
Edited by Madatia Karakashian, assisted by Avedis Constantian (for
Hebrew
) and John Hunkiarbeyendian (for Greek), with critical
apparatus based on Hebrew and Greek texts.   The N.T. and parts of the
O.T. appeared in 1891.
"
--1000 Tongues, 1972   [Info only: ?]

"New & Old Testament in ancient Armenian. (Constantinople, Printed by Bagdadlian, 1895)"   [Info only]
https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/001928389

**File: Armenian: Ancient Bible History (3)-- 1860   S. Bagster   [Info only]

**File: Armenian: Modern Bible History

**File: Armenian Critical Text History

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