The History of Sebeos

and entered into scientific circulation5. A. Zaminyan’s contribution is especially significant. As early as June 8, 1927, he wrote: "The choice history of Bishop Sebeos, one of our old chroniclers, is extremely confused. K. Patkanyan published it just like that, and none of the Armenian philologists have yet concerned themselves with its orthography. We are now attempting to do this for the first time. We are using the 1912 Tiflis publication" (Papers 232a, doc. 101, p. 90).

Seventh: The publishers of the grabar Classical Armenian text of the "History of Sebeos," as well as the scholarly authors of the Russian, French, and German translations, have performed great work in deciphering, elucidating, and correcting the original text. In the present edition, all important decipherments and notes found in the aforementioned publications and translations are accepted and reflected. Also accepted and reflected are the emendation proposals of a number of other specialists (E. Dulaurier, T. Nöldeke, J. Marquart, N. Byzantatsi, N. Adontz, A. Zaminyan, T. Avdalbegyan, N. Akinyan, M. Grigoryan, etc.).

Eighth: In the appendix section following the original text, eight separate appendices are provided. The first two concern the question of the author of the "History of Sebeos" and chapters I–VI of the "Anonymous."

The following appendices contain excerpts taken from the "History of Sebeos" as found in the works of Hovhannes Draskhanakerttsi, Tovma Artsruni, Stepannos Asoghik, and Vardan Areveltsi. (Some of the information in the works of Asoghik and Vardan Areveltsi corresponding to the "History of Sebeos" was not extracted directly from the "History of Sebeos," but rather from Draskhanakerttsi and other sources unknown to us.)

In the same section, the comparative original text of the passage "The Construction of the Temple of Hripsime" is also published according to M.M. Matenadaran No. 993 and the 1912 manuscripts.

5 The annotations extracted from the unpublished works of Shahkhatunyants, Karier, and Marquart are sparse. Zaminyan was specifically occupied with the republication of the "History of Sebeos" text and made about 100 philological notes in the margins and between the lines of the 1912 Tiflis publication (the Ghukasyan edition) of this History (Zaminyan Archive, paper 232b, doc. 133). These largely coincide with the notes of other philologists, though there are some of which Zaminyan himself is the first author. Some notes were made after 1931. This is evident from page 9 of the publication used by Zaminyan, where, in the margin next to the word "Angeghtun," Zaminyan wrote: "See also Khachatryan's article in 'Tegekagir' 1931, No. 5, Angeghtun." Twelve pages (29–40 and 59–70) of the mentioned publication are missing. However, in the index (p. 339) and in other papers of the Zaminyan archive (paper 232, doc. 101, p. 58), the comments regarding the most important distortions requiring annotation found on the missing pages ("theabroni" and "karkedovmayetsi") have been preserved; we have placed these in the section of notes concerning those words.

Zaminyan simultaneously attempted to reconstruct the text of the "History of Sebeos" (paper 232a, doc. 101), also using the indications of his predecessors, but his reconstruction proposals, not being well-founded, are not applicable. The attempt at reconstruction was made after 1934. This is evident from the fact that in one instance, Zaminyan pointed to page 28 of the 1934 issue of "Handes Amsorya."