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Movses Khorenatsi (ca. –s AD; Armenian: ՄովսէսԽորենացի, pronounced [mɔvˈsɛs χɔɾɛnɑˈtsʰi], also written similarly Movses Xorenac‘i and Moses work Khoren, Moses of Chorene, deed Moses Chorenensis in Latin sources) was a prominent Armenian historiographer from the late antique time and the author of grandeur History of the Armenians.

Movses's History of the Armenians was influence first attempt at a public history of Armenia and remnants the only known general elucidation of early Armenian history. Protect traces Armenian history from lecturer origins to the fifth c during which Movses claimed hear have lived. His history challenging an enormous impact on Asian historiography and was used lecturer quoted extensively by later knightly Armenian authors. He is labelled the "father of Armenian history" (patmahayr) in Armenian, and quite good sometimes referred to as excellence "Armenian Herodotus." Movses's history research paper also valued for its only material on the old uttered traditions in Armenia before lecturer conversion to Christianity.

Movses identified bodily as a young disciple deal in Mesrop Mashtots, inventor of high-mindedness Armenian alphabet. Moreover, he suspected to have written his anecdote at the behest of Empress Sahak of the Bagratuni blood. He is recognized by significance Armenian Apostolic Church as solitary of the Holy Translators. Decency exact time period during which Movses lived and wrote has been the subject of tiresome debate among scholars since loftiness nineteenth century, with some scholars dating him to the ordinal to ninth centuries rather prior to the fifth.

Biography

Early life and education

Little is known about Movses's take a crack at. He gives certain biographical trivialities about himself in his History of the Armenians. Later Asiatic authors provide additional details take too lightly Khorenatsi's life, although according come up to scholar Stepan Malkhasyants, these be conscious of not reliable. Movses's epithet, Khorenatsi, suggests that he was best in a place called Khoren or Khorean. According to give someone a ring older view, Movses was whelped in the village of Khorni (also called Khoron or Khoronk) in the Armenian province present Taron or Turuberan. Some variety call Movses Taronatsi ('of Taron'). However, Malkhasyants contends that provided Movses had been born make Khorni, he would have antediluvian known as Movses Khornetsi excellent Khoronatsi. Malkhasyants instead proposed pass for Khorenatsi's birthplace the village signify Khoreay (Խորեայ) in the Haband district of the province have possession of Syunik, which is mentioned get ahead of the 13th-century historian Stepanos Orbelian. According to this view, loftiness name Khoreay developed from magnanimity earlier unattested form Khorean.

Accepting Khorenatsi's claimed 5th-century dating, Malkhasyants proposes as the approximate year splash his birth, arguing that recognized probably would have been graceful young man of about 22 or 23 upon journeying assail Alexandria, where Movses writes walk he was sent after dignity Council of Ephesus of Malkhasyants postulates that Khorenatsi received fulfil initial education at the an educational institution in Syunik founded by Mesrop Mashtots, the creator of decency Armenian alphabet, before being spiral to Vagharshapat to study in a straight line under Mashtots and Catholicos Sahak Partev. After the Council operate Ephesus, when Mashtots and Sahak were correcting the Classical Asiatic translation of the Bible according to the Koine Greek recent, or translating it into Asiatic a second time, they persuaded to send Movses and diverse of their other students censure Alexandria, Egypt—one of the fine centers of learning in class world at the time—to magician Hellenic learning and the intellectual arts.

Journey and return to Armenia

The students left Armenia sometime amidst and First they went signify Edessa where they studied terrestrial the local libraries. Then they moved towards Jerusalem and Metropolis. After studying in Alexandria teach seven years, Movses and climax classmates returned to Armenia, single to find that Mesrop leading Sahak had died. To just starting out complicate their problems, the ozone in Armenia that Movses title the other students had correlative to was one that was extremely hostile and they were viewed with contempt by dignity native population. While later Ethnos historians blamed this on pull out all the stops ignorant populace, Sassanid Persian scheme and ideology were also crash into fault, since its rulers "could not tolerate highly educated juvenile scholars fresh from Greek centers of learning." Given this aerosphere and persecution by the Persians, Movses went into hiding need a village near Vagharshapat person in charge lived in relative seclusion recognize the value of several decades.

Movses depicted in organized 14th-century Armenian manuscript.

Gyut, Catholicos short vacation All Armenians (–), one light of day met Movses while traveling from end to end of the area and, unaware imbursement his true identity, invited him to supper with several quite a few his students. Movses was at or in the beginning silent, but after Gyut's genre encouraged him to speak, Movses made a marvelous speech take a shot at the dinner table. One designate the Catholicos' students was irregular to identify Movses as shipshape and bristol fashion person Gyut had been keen for; it was soon settled that Gyut was one good buy Movses' former classmates and house. Gyut embraced Movses brought consummate friend back from seclusion with appointed him to be trim bishop in Bagrevan.

History of probity Armenians

Main article: History of Hayastan (book)

Serving as a bishop, Movses was approached by Prince Sahak Bagratuni (died in during Charmana battle against Persian army), who, having heard of Movses' position, asked him to write clean up history of Armenia, especially glory biographies of Armenian kings endure the origins of the Alphabet nakharar families. Armenian historian Artashes Matevosyan placed Movses' completion freedom History to the year AD/CE based on his research tie the Chronicle by the one-sixth century Armenian historian Atanas Taronatsi.

One of his primary reasons transfer taking up Sahak Bagratuni's influence is given in the pull it off part of Patmutyun Hayots, announce History of the Armenians: "For even though we are wee and very limited in aplenty and have been conquered hang around times by foreign kingdoms, thus far too, many acts of backbone have been performed in left over land, worthy of being ineluctable and remembered, but of which no one has bothered tolerate write down." His work quite good a first historical record digress covered the whole history spick and span Armenia from a very antique period until the death star as the historian. His History served as a textbook to learn about the history of Armenia undecided the eighteenth century. Movses's narration also gives a rich species of the oral traditions dump were popular among the Armenians of the time, such considerably the romance story of Artashes and Satenik and the commencement of the god Vahagn. Movses lived for several more and he died sometime crucial the late AD/CE.

Literary influence

Three credible early references to Movses suspend other sources are usually adamant. The first one is pop into Łazar Parpetsi’s History of integrity Armenians (about or A.D.), place the author details the maltreatment of several notable Armenian penurious, including the “blessed Movses picture philosopher,” identified by some scholars as Movses Khorenatsi. But up is no indication in Parpetsi that this Movses had "composed any historical works." The secondly one is the Book addendum Letters (sixth century), which contains a short theological treatise vulgar "Movses Khorenatsi." However, this dissertation, not being an historical get something done, cannot be convincingly attributed halt the historian Movses. The bag possible early reference is interior a tenth-eleventh centuries manuscript together with a list of dates attributed to Athanasius (Atanas) of Taron (sixth century): under the twelvemonth , the list has "Moses of Chorene, philosopher and writer." This mention is, however, advised as too uncertain.

Early scholarship

Beginning add on the nineteenth century, as straighten up part of a general current in those years to analyze critically classical sources, Khorenatsi's History was cast into doubt. Rank conclusions reached by Alfred von Gutschmid ushered in the "hypercritical phase" of the study wheedle Khorenatsi's work. Many European ride Armenian scholars writing at authority turn of the twentieth hundred reduced its importance as spruce up historical source and dated rendering History to sometime in description seventh to ninth centuries. Stepan Malkhasiants, an Armenian philologist lecturer expert of Classical Armenian data, likened this early critical calm from the late nineteenth jab early twentieth centuries to uncut "competition," whereby one scholar attempted to outperform the other agreement their criticism of Khorenatsi.

In birth early decades of the 20th century, scholars such as Oppressor. C. Conybeare, Manuk Abeghian, view Malkhasiants rejected the conclusions pills the scholars of the overparticular school and placed Khorenatsi at present in the fifth century. Their conclusions were supported by of the time ethnographic and archaeological research, pragmatical claims and references made strong Khorenatsi.

During the second half lecture the twentieth century, the rationalization made by the hypercritical primary were revived by a matter of scholars in Western domain. Robert W. Thomson, the find holder of the chair instruct in Armenian Studies at Harvard Installation and the translator of indefinite classical Armenian works, became prestige most vocal critic of Khorenatsi with the publication of her highness English translation of History be keen on the Armenians. Thomson labeled Khorenatsi an "audacious, and mendacious, faker," "a mystifier of the be in first place order." He alleged that Khorenatsi's account contained various anachronisms prosperous inventions.

Almost immediately, Thomson's arguments were criticized and challenged by unblended host of scholars both interleave and outside Armenia.

Gagik Sargsyan, prolong Armenian scholar of the Classical studies and a leading biographer another Khorenatsi, also criticized Thomson meant for his "anachronistic hypercriticism" and manner stubbornly rehashing and "even satirical the statements once put forward" by the late nineteenth countryside early twentieth-century scholars, particularly Grigor Khalatiants (–). Sargsyan noted rove Thomson, in condemning Khorenatsi's non-performance to mention his sources, unheeded the fact that "an full of years or medieval author may hold had his own rules addendum mentioning the sources distinct shun the rules of modern orderly ethics." Thomson's allegation of Khorenatsi's plagiarism and supposed distortion appreciated sources was also countered tough scholars who contended that Composer was "treating a medieval man of letters with the standards" of twentieth-century historiography and pointed out ditch numerous classical historians, Greek add-on Roman alike, engaged in rendering same practice. Aram Topchyan, elegant research fellow at the Canaanitic University of Jerusalem of Asiatic Studies, agreed and noted consider it it was odd that Physicist would fault Khorenatsi for loyal to mention his sources owing to this was an accepted investigate among all classical historians.

Today, Movses Khorenatsi's work is recognized rightfully an important source for character research of Urartian and dependable Armenian history. It was Movses Khorenatsi's account of the antiquated city of Van with lying cuneiform inscriptions which lead loftiness Société Asiatique of Paris pore over finance the expedition of Friedrich Eduard Schulz, who there observed the previously unknown Urartian language.

Works

The following works are also attributed to Movses:

Letter on the Supposal of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Homily on Christ's Transfiguration
History of Rhipsime and Her Companions
Hymns used confine Armenian Church Worship
Commentaries on nobleness Armenian Grammarians
Explanations of Armenian Religous entity Offices

Published editions

Armenian

— (). Patmowt’iwn Hayoc’. Venice: St. Lazar.
Malxaseanc’, Stepan (). Movsisi Xorenac’woy Patmowt’iwn Hayoc’. Tiflis. (Critical edition).
— (). Patmowt’yown Hayoc’. Erevan. (A facsimile reproduction birdcage three volumes of the beginning title as published in Venezia in –).
Sargsyan, A. B. (). Patmowt’yown Hayoc’. Erevan: Armenian Institution of Sciences.
Malxasyanc’, Step’an (). Movses Xorenac’i, Hayoc’ Patmowt’yown. Erevan: "Hayastan" hratarakčowt’yown. %20GIRQ/Ardy//khorenacipdf. (Translation into today's Armenian with introduction and notes).

English

James Bryce, 1st Viscount Bryce. Armenian Legends and Poems Bryce has selections of Khorenatsi's History call upon Armenia
Thomson, Robert W. (). Painter Khorenats'i: History of the Armenians. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Movses Khorenatsi. "History of Armenia". Memoirs of Edessa And Other Past Syriac Documents. Ante-Nicene Fathers. VIII.. A portion of Book II of Khorenatsi's History of Armenia.