Ecclesiastical History (1897) - Page 28

Page 19.

...the translation. It is a translation full of Graecisms Graecisms Linguistic structures or vocabulary borrowed directly from Greek, typical of the "Hellenizing School" of Armenian translators who sought to mirror the source text precisely., very close to the Greek original, and, contrary to Father Zarbhanalian's testimony,¹ it is far from having an "elegant language." A more detailed examination and acquaintance—which clearly clarifies the relationship between the extended and condensed versions of Socrates—confirms our expressed opinion, although there are already points in the article that can be refuted.

The beautiful manuscript, written in large, clear, and uniform handwriting on choice polished and waxed cotton paper of folio size,² contains:

a. The Ecclesiastical History of Socrates Scholasticus.

b. The Life of Saint Sylvester, Bishop of Rome.

1. Fr. Zarbhanalian, cited work, pages 693—698.

2. Material: Thick polished cotton paper.

Binding: Leather, ornamented; the edges of the boards are painted red. It has been rebound for a second time and is sturdy and tasteful.

Condition: Leaves are missing from the beginning, middle, and end. The book has wide margins; the margins of many leaves have been cut with a knife or directly torn, apparently for daily use This suggests the high-quality paper was sometimes scavenged for other purposes, or the book was heavily handled.. The person who rebound it pasted paper similar to manuscript paper over the sewing, covering part of the letters; while using the book, I was forced to peel off those additions.

Blank leaves: Two leaves at the beginning and leaf 187.

Size: 48 x 32.5 cm. Leaves: 377.

Layout: Double column. 40 x 10.5 cm. Lines: 32.

Script: Choice "middle-iron-script" erkat’agir Literally "iron-script," the monumental Armenian uncial script used in early and high-quality manuscripts. written large and clearly. Among the letters, many capital forms are still mixed with the common round-script bolorgir.

Vocabulary/Concepts: Socrates Scholasticus, Zarbhanalian, Ecclesiastical History, Sylvester, Erkat’agir (Uncial), Bolorgir (Round script), Manuscript.