Revd Nerses Vrej NERSESSIAN
( n. 1948 )

- Living Stones Yearbook 2016 : Church-state relations in the Soviet Republic of Armenia during the Catholicate of Gevorg VI Ch'orekch'ian (1945-1954) and his successor Vazgen I Palchian (1955-1994)
- Living Stones Yearbook 2015 : The impact of the Genocide of 1915 on the Armenian Orthodox Apostolic Church
- Living Stones Yearbook 2014 : Christology of the Armenian Church

Foreword by T.S. Pattie 7
Introduction 8
The Bible in Translations 9
Who Translated the Bible into Armenian and When? 12
What was the Armenian Bible Translated From? 16
Evaluating the Most Ancient Authorities 17
The Influence of the Vulgate 21
The Canon of the Bible 24
The Canon of the Armenian Bible 24
The New Testament 27
The Armenian Canon of the New Testament 29
Recensions of the Armenian Bible 30
Printed Editions of the Armenian Bible 31
The Armenian Bible in the Modern Vernacular 36
Commentaries on the Books of the Bible 38
The Bible in Armenian Literature 45
The Bible and the Scribe 48
Illuminations in Armenian Scriptures 52
The Nature of Image Veneration in Armenia 67
The Bible in Armenian Piety and Worship 74
Appendix 1: The Canon of the Bible 79
Appendix 2: The Canon of the Armenian Bible 81
Appendix 3: Recensions of the Armenian Bible 83
Bibliography 89
Index 94

PREFACE

Manuscripts from the Christian Orient (written in Syriac, Coptic, Ethiopic, and Armenian) constitute a major centre of excellence in the context of the British Library's Oriental Collections. The Christian Churches of the Middle East, dependent on the sacred narrative of the Scriptures as reflected in the Gospels, have always given equal importance to text and illustration. Within this ambience there developed distinctive artistic styles which combine Hellenistic, Byzantine and Near Eastern non/Christian traditions. But whereas the architecture of the eastern Churches has been the subject of much fruitful research, manuscript illumination as such has received more scanty attention.
Armenian illustrated manuscripts constitute one of the most important groups of codices pro/ duced by the eastern churches, both in relation to their artistic quality and as far as the number of surviving examples is concerned. Despite changing fortunes, periodic persecutions and wars suffered by the Armenian people some 26,000 manuscripts have survived covering a period from the 9th to the early i8th century; the most important collection being those of Erevan (13,836 items), Jerusalem (4,500 items), Venice (4,300 items) and Vienna (2,000 items).
Though less numerous, the British Library collection is highly representative and includes many rare and early items. Some of the manuscripts were already part of the (British Museum) Foundation Collections, others were acquired during the 19th and the earlier part of the 20th century by purchase, bequest and donation. Dr Nersessian's book will not only introduce the collection to a much wider audience but also fill an important gap in our knowledge of Armenian Gospel illustration as such. Dr Nersessian is in charge of the British Library's Christian Middle East collections and has for many years worked on this and on related subjects. The present book, which will be accompanied by an exhibition, is but one in a long list of similar research projects which include work on an exhibition and a catalogue presenting the Christian Orient and a Union catalogue of Armenian manuscripts in the United Kingdom libraries and institutions which will be published with the assistance of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation.

ALBERTINE GAUR
Deputy Director, Oriental Collections
The British Library
February 1987

Preface
List of abbreviations
Introduction
1 Religion, Church, Monasticism, Theology
2 History
3 Numismatics
4 Texts, Folklore, Mythology
5 Manuscripts, Palaeography
6 Philology, Linguistics
7 Architecture, Archaeology, Arts, Miniatures, Music
8 The Armenian dispersion