Abstract This article examines the representation of Slavonic versions of works attributed to Athanasius of Alexandria in the 2023 edition of the Clavis Patrum Graecorum (vol. II /1) in comparison with the 1974 edition. It shows that recent scholarship has significantly expanded the available evidence, leading to a fuller but still incomplete integration of Slavonic material. The study surveys the corpus of authentic and Pseudo-Athanasian writings transmitted in Slavonic, providing an updated list of works, fragments, and compilations. It shows that the Slavonic tradition constitutes an essential witness to the transmission and reception of Athanasian writings and calls for a more systematic incorporation of Slavonic sources into the Clavis .
Abstract This article analyses Photios’ reception of the works of Eulogios of Alexandria, which Photios exposited in seven codices in his Bibliotheca. I focus on Photios’ exposition of several treatises by Eulogios in the Bibliotheca, codex 230. Eulogios was influential as a source for interpreting some of the fifth-century Christological debates as Eulogios recorded some of the key debates that occurred following the Council of Ephesus, particularly those involving Kyrillos of Alexandria. Moreover, Eulogios’ insights in codex 230 were implicitly influential on various aspects of Photios’ Trinitarian theology, including the network of relations between the three divine Persons and the doctrine of the complete ineffability of God. Moreover, I posit that Photios potentially took an interest in Eulogios’ insight given the latter’s engagement with some of the wider issues relating to icon veneration, including the veneration of relics and the nature of the human body following the Resurrection.
Abstract This study offers a comprehensive analysis of the Old Church Slavonic prayer of absolution вьсемогꙑи ( прѣ ) вѣчьнꙑи боже , based on a survey of thirty identified Slavic manuscripts of Eastern, Southern Slavic, and Sinaitic provenance. Although the manuscript evidence remains incomplete, five distinct textological groups can be discerned. The closest parallel is found in a Latin prayer beginning Omnipotens sempiterne Deus confitenti tibi. Particular attention is given to the possible channels of transmission from the Latin milieu, whether through sacramentary books or penitential rites. A linguistic comparison with the Latin text enables the stratification of variants, the identification of the earliest Slavonic layer, and a deeper understanding of the dynamics that shaped the reception of this prayer within Slavia orthodoxa. More broadly, the study reveals tendencies toward Byzantinization, as well as processes of enrichment and reinterpretation of the originally Latin model.
Abstract The article examines the conceptualization of the sociocultural significance of translation in medieval Georgia, as reflected in translation-related figurative discourse of the time. The impact of translatability is discussed in the context of cultural transmission in the Christian East and the emancipation of the vernaculars. It is shown that individual metaphorical images form a coherent system that represents translation as a vehicle of spiritual nourishment aimed at the enlightenment of the collective beneficiary. The coherence of the figurative images suggests that their function transcends aesthetic purposes, embodying a conceptual vision of translation. Special attention is given to Ephrem Mtsire’s emphasis on the communality between source and target texts, determined by the divine status of their content, and to his use of Pauline imagery to project the coherence of two contrasting translating strategies: the free translation style of Euthymius the Athonite, and the source-text orientation of the so-called Hellenophile scholars.
Abstract This article analyses the possible influence of liturgy on Old Polish apocryphal texts. These Old Polish narratives make up the largest surviving group of Polish-language texts from the turn of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. I consider the ways in which liturgical texts and customs shaped the Old Polish accounts of biblical characters and events, both canonical and apocryphal. The analysis will provide a better understanding of the mechanisms of interpenetration between the sacred and public spheres, and of the role that liturgy played in the reception and reinterpretation of the Bible in the culture of old Poland. It will also shed light on the perception of the Mass and the way in which some customs connected with the celebration of Mass are explained.
Abstract Armenian traditional folk dwellings contain many intriguing features that have either been overlooked in scholarly literature or only briefly mentioned. One such element is the tan surb , a term coined by the people themselves. While this aspect of folk culture is partially documented in ethnographic and descriptive literature from the 19th and 20th centuries, we have enriched the material presented in this article with data gathered during our fieldwork conducted between the 1980s and 2000s, as well as more recent fieldwork. The article emphasizes their deep historical and folk significance, as well as their role as familial objects of postmemory and testimony after the Armenian Genocide.
Abstract From Philo of Alexandria to Maximus the Confessor, Biblical numerical passages were interpreted using the same hermeneutical instruments as those used for literal, i.e. non-numeric subjects. Modern scholars usually employ the terms ‘number symbolism’ and ‘arithmetical symbolism’ to designate the variety of relevant cases. However, the implicit use of the term symbol in explanations of numbers in Biblical passages is very rare, and it becomes even less frequent as Alexandrian exegesis developed over time. As Philo gravitated toward the Pythagorean understanding of numbers, which had a rather strong mythological layer, Clement and Origen expressed a more abstract and formal view. The writings of Maximus the Confessor contain almost no exegetical passages in which numbers are explicitly referred to as symbols, except for two very specific cases. The background of dogmatic controversy of Maximus’ age led him to adopt an Aristotelian standpoint when defining the notions of number and quantity. Such understanding renders numbers incompatible with the basic properties of symbols and the symbolic mode of Biblical exegesis. As a result, the very term ‘number symbolism’ appears to be inapplicable to St Maximus’ exegetical approach.
Abstract This article offers a new reconstruction of Gregory Palamas’s doctrine of the “intellectual perception” ( νοερὰ αἴσθησις ) through a contextual analysis of his gnoseology, noology, and triadology. It argues that Palamas understands intellectual perception exclusively as the uncreated “capability” ( δύναμις ) of the intellect. Drawing on Aristotle’s optical theory and his distinction between “being in potentiality” ( τὸ ὄν δυνάμει ) and “being in actuality” ( τὸ ὄν ἐνεργείᾳ ), Palamas articulates this doctrine within a dynamic-energetic framework. Intellectual perception is the self-seeing “Divine energy” ( Θεία ἐνέργεια ), the eternal life by which God lives. Every human intellect participates in this eternal Divine life as an uncreated “potentiality” / “capability” ( δύναμις ), actualized through ascetic practice as uncreated “actuality” ( ἐνέργεια ) / “entelechy” ( ἐντελέχεια ). This study refutes the paradigm of the paradigm of the created vision of God and provides substantial support for the paradigm of the uncreated vision of God.
Abstract The aim of this article is to provide a source-based and linguistic (syntactic and stylistic) analysis of the prophecies quoted in Historyja Trzech Kroli (“History of the Three Kings”). This is an Old Polish apocryphal work from the 15th century, known from the so-called Codex of Wawrzyniec of Łask from the 16th century. It tells the story of the journey of the biblical Magi from the east, and of their subsequent cult. The Polish writer primarily translates the Latin text Historia Trium Regum by John of Hildesheim. However, he introduces certain changes, either for functional reasons or due to specific characteristics of the Polish language. The article focuses on showing what sources the Polish-speaking author of the text used and how he used them. In addition, attention is drawn to linguistic indicators typical of prophecies, which increase their illocutionary potential.
Abstract The article surveys the most significant expressions of laughter and humor in Syriac Christian culture before the modern period. Starting with a general discussion of the dichotomy between the “high” and “low” cultures of laughter, it proceeds to examine various manifestations of gelastic discourse across different textual corpora: monastic and hagiographic literature from Late Antiquity, works in literary genres that Syriac Christians adopted from the tradition of Arab-Muslim adab , philosophical compositions, and the Neo-Aramaic folklore of Syriac Christians.
Abstract Among the holy sites of Armenia, the monasteries, churches, and chapels bearing the name of St. Stephen Protomartyr hold a unique place, each associated with its own folk pilgrimage day. While the Armenian Apostolic Church celebrates his feast on December 25th, the dates of popular pilgrimages often differ from the official ecclesiastical calendar. These pilgrimages are typically linked to traditional holidays such as Easter, Kanach – Karmir Kiraki (Green-Red Sunday), Ascension, and Vardavar. The study draws on data collected by the author during research conducted between 2016 and 2024, including insights gained through direct participation in many of these pilgrimages, as well as archival sources. This article presents the pilgrimage traditions to the holy sites of St. Stephen Protomartyr, focusing on their dates and functions.
Abstract The consecration and distribution of the Holy Myron since the early Byzantine times was a matter of liturgical practice and canon law, but also a question of political and ecclesiastical domination in the Orthodox Church. In the age of nationalism and struggle for church and political independence in the Balkans the distribution of the Myron was also an instrument of “soft power” used by Russia in its imperialistic aspirations in the frames of the Eastern question and the concurrence with the Greek Megali idea. The Myron from Russia in the 19th century was sent to the bishops of the Slavonic countries or the Danube principalities. Normally it happened in crucial periods of political uncertainty and preceded the official recognition of church autocephaly, when the consecration of the Holy Myron was enacted already in situ. The article aims at examining cases of requests for receiving Holy Myron from Russia by the Orthodox bishops of the Balkans and examining the reasons, details and consequences of these acts.
Abstract The Armenian ecclesiastical poetic Ganjaran miscellany, whose individual unit is the poem known as the ganj and attested from the 10th century, is closely related in its function and purpose to the history of the development of the festive system and other miscellanies with liturgical and ceremonial significance. It supplements and enriches the content and essence of the festive celebration. The prevailing worldview, together with political and historical concerns, conditioned the interconnection of written traditions and the pan-literary atmosphere. As a result, religious texts during the 10th–15th centuries were introduced into various genres with thematic uniformity and repetition, through which systematic miscellanies were compiled, creating intertextual links among different types of texts. The purpose of compiling these miscellanies was the preservation of national and religious identity, the popularization of Christian understandings and theses, and the nationalization of Armenian miscellanies on Christian themes. In this regard, the Yaysmavurk and Ganjaran miscellanies are of particular interest, as they were expanded, completed, and systematized simultaneously. Of special importance are these two different miscellanies compiled by Grigor Khlateci. Above all, Grigor Khlateci was a historian. At the basis of his compilations lay the same historical-political purpose: to make the church calendar accessible to the people and to nationalize it with the stories of national saints and martyrs, enriching it with them, and to present the stories of Armenian Christian martyrs alongside those of universal Christian saints and narratives. The article examines the process of thematic enrichment of these two miscellanies. It also considers the parallel purpose and regularity of popularizing and nationalizing the same themes within them.
Abstract Arguably the most important biblical scholar of the early Church, Origen shaped the course of Christian interpretation of the book of Jonah. A case in point is his explanation of why Jonah tried to escape from the presence of God and was distressed (Jonah 1:3; 4:1–2): it was not for fear of being called a false prophet, Origen argued, but for foreseeing that the Gentiles’ salvation would mean the falling away of Israel. At least four late-ancient Christian authors entered into a dialogue with and made use of Origen’s non-literal exegesis, albeit in different, even contrasting ways. In Oration 2 Gregory of Nazianzus acknowledges Origen’s exegetical authority and purchases his non-literal explanation at the expense of the literal meaning. In their commentaries on Jonah, Theodore of Mopsuestia and Jerome implicitly incorporate parts of Origen’s interpretation, while Cyril of Alexandria repudiates it as inconsistent with Jonah’s own words. With reactions ranging from praise to criticism, Origen’s legacy on Jonah sparked a lively discussion which transcends the traditional boundaries between Alexandrian and Antiochene exegesis.
Abstract This article is dedicated to a unique Armenian manuscript, under the shelf mark 4596 in the collection of the Matenadaran – Mesrop Mashtots Institute of Ancient Manuscripts, containing a number of neomartyrological texts. A subset of these was published as early as 1902–1903, in the collection New Martyrs of the Armenians , a work whose publication history and significance are also presented in this article. The remaining texts saw publication in 1910, in the pages of the Ararat monthly, the official periodical of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin. They did not, however, enter into scholarly circulation and have remained almost unknown to researchers. The aim of this article is to explore the codicological peculiarities of the manuscript in question. It further seeks to examine the circumstances connected with the creation and the relocation of this manuscript. The eight individual martyrological narratives are presented in brief, and an attempt is made to elucidate the purpose and context of the collection’s creation.
Abstract This article analyzes a pivotal chapter in the 13th-century history of the Catholicosate of Ałuank’ (Caucasian Albania), specifically the relocation of the Catholicosate See to Khamshi Monastery, examining the underlying conditions and factors that precipitated this significant event. The study places particular emphasis on the political role of the Zakarid brothers. During the active phase of their liberation struggles in the early 13th century, the Zakarid brothers provided secure residence to the Catholicos of Ałuank’, Hovhannes VI (1195–1235). This step, interpreted through the lens of Christian noble motives, was undoubtedly also aimed to use the authority of the Ałuank’ patriarchs in the region for their own positions. The Catholicoses of Ałuank’ established themselves at Khamshi Monastery in the Miapor district under the dominion of Ivane Zakarid, Catolicoses of Ałuank’ strategically capitalized on the advantageous opportunities that were presented to them. Hovhannes’s brother and successor Catholicos Nerses II (1235–1262) managed to obtain tax privileges during the initial period of Mongol rule. These privileges served to further strengthen the position of the Catholicosate of Ałuank’. Consequently, active church construction expanded in various locations of Artsakh and Utik. The present research thoroughly illuminates the confusion that arose in the field of Armenology due to Makar Barkhudariants’s error and continued for more than a century. Barkhudariants, without providing factual evidence, identified Khamshi Monastery with Harants Monastery in Gardman district, a mistake that has been followed by numerous generations of researchers. The source-critical and archaeological arguments presented in the article substantiate that Khamshi Monastery is located not in Gardman district, but in Miapor district on the left bank of the Getik River, in the vicinity of the present-day villages of Martuni and Aygut in the Republic of Armenia.
Abstract This article examines poems by Gaḇriēl of Bēṯ Slōḵ (active late 16th cent.), which are part of the liturgical cycle of the Service of Months . They occure in several East Syrian manuscripts. Their critical text and translation are presented here for the first time. The poems under consideration are a characteristic example of East Syrian poetry from the Ottoman Empire period.
This article explores the formation of the History attributed to Agathangelos as a unified story of Armenia’s conversion and its role in protecting the Armenian Church’s distinct identity from Sassanid influence. Accounts of the Armenian Church’s foundation were preserved orally from the fourth century, later codified in Armenian under Catholicos Sahak through the efforts of Mesrop Mashtots and Koryun, pre-existing narratives – St. Gregory the Illuminator’s vita, the Vision, the martyrdom of the Hripsimean virgins, and the premises of the doctrine were integrated into a single work. This synthesis was not a mechanical compilation, but a purposeful literary construction, organizing the material around a central axis to create a cohesive and enduring narrative of Armenia’s conversion and the formation of a new epic of the conversion genre titled History by Agathangelos.
Medieval Armenian literature is composed of a substantial corpus of parabiblical texts on Adam, the majority of which have been published and extensively studied. Nevertheless, a considerable proportion of these texts remain in the form of unpublished manuscripts and thus warrant further scholarly investigation. This article examines two such texts preserved in diagrammatic biblical chronicles, focusing on Adam’s sins and the place of his creation, along with their accompanying miniature. The study highlights the distinctive features of these texts and explores their origins. By analyzing three variants of Adam’s creation place found in Armenian biblical chronicles, the study demonstrates the influence of both Latin and Armenian literary traditions.
Seventeenth-century Armenian historiographic accounts, chronicles and diaries demonstrate an increasing prevalence of the first-person narrative over the ‘neutral’ third person and authorial narratives. This provides significant insights into the daily interpersonal, intra-communal and inter-communal relations between different religious and confessional groups within the Ottoman empire. Relying on unedited and understudied written sources, I identified several hermeneutical tools that may be useful to assess the complex dynamics of identity construction that marked the relations of Armenian individuals and groups with other co-existing confessional and religious local communities within and on the northern and eastern fringes of the Ottoman Empire in the first half of the seventeenth century.
