The Life of Mashtots

use, or combinations of two or three identical words, these are for the most part common places, especially in religious language, or that the compiler of Agathangelos also made use of a few such words and forms of expression from the passages taken from Koriwn.”

12. The viewpoint of Norayr of Byzantium: Koriwn as the translator of the Books of the Maccabees, the works of Euthalius, Agathangelos, and Pavstos. Norayr writes: “I come to proclaim Koriwn as the translator of Agathangelos, Byzantium i.e., Faustus of Byzantium, and also the Maccabees, along with Euthalius.” “My proofs arise from a comparative study of the original texts, balancing the Life of Mashtots against these four translations.” The mentioned “four translations, fused together, differ from the haykabanutyun Armenian-style, or Hellenizing style of other early students”; they “go hand in hand and mingle in the Life of Mashtots as brotherly relatives in the embrace of one and the same father.” “Koriwn could not have compiled from Agathangelos and Byzantium, for it is very probable that both history books were translated after the composition of the biography of Mashtots.” “The connection of the five writings is such that we are forced to consider them inseparable from each other, as the property of one person” (pp. 7–19 and p. 14). The entire pages 36–380 are devoted to proving the connections of these five writings with each other and to examining their relationship with the literature of other classes.

In his extensive work, he has avoided taking into account the word-for-word identical passages that are found on one side in Koriwn and on the other in Agathangelos and Pavstos. He has noticed them, but has not been interested in how they came into existence there. And if Agathangelos and Pavstos are the ones taking from Koriwn, as is indisputable, could they not also have been subjected to Koriwn’s influence in other places?

Norayr assumes that Agathangelos and Pavstos were translated by Koriwn after he wrote the Life of Mashtots; but he does not provide evidence for this.

Norayr considers Agathangelos to be entirely a translation by Koriwn. But he has not examined whether its various parts are from one hand:

Does the editor of the History “Agathangelos” (in 492) not have his additions in works B–E; does he not have the Preface in its order, containing passages from the Teaching of Gregory?

Handes Amsorya 1949, No. 4–12.