The Book of Sirach in the Armenian Biblical Tradition : Yakob Nalean and His Commentary on Sirach

The extreme complexity of Sirach’s text at times makes it almost impossible to come to one clear conclusion as regards certain issues. There are numerous differences between various translations of this deuterocanonical text. In addition, the Armenian translation, being a textual witness to not one but multiple parent texts, has its own complications. This research provides a sustained theological reading of the Armenian text of Sirach on the basis of Yakob Nalean’s commentary written in the 18th century. At the same time it places a great emphasis on the textual evaluation of the various versions of Sirach in Armenian. In this respect an attempt has been made to display the unique features of the Armenian Sirach within the wider scope of the scholarship of this biblical text. Through a comprehensive linguistic and theological analysis of some major parts of Sirach in Armenian, this study assesses the extent to which this book was in use amongst Armenians throughout the centuries. In particular, the numerous references to Sirach in both Armenian and non-Armenian patristic literature are examined, with the aim of dating the first translations into Armenian and tracing the development of the text in the Armenian medieval schools. Contents 7 Abbreviations 9 1 Introduction 11 1.1 General Introduction 11 1.2 General Plan of the Research 15 1.3 Review of Existing Secondary Literature 16 1.4 The Name of the Author and the Date of the Book of Sirach 22 1.5 Sirach and Hellenism 26 2 The Armenian Version of Sirach 29 2.1 The Translation of the Book of Sirach and its Inclusion in the Canon of the Armenian Bible (The Earliest Translations of the Bible into Armenian) 29 2.2 Dating the First Translation of the Book of Sirach 32 2.3 References from the Book of Sirach in Medieval Armenian and Translated Literature 41 2.4 Textual Sources of the Armenian Translation of Sirach 68 2.4.1 Hebrew Version of Sirach 69 2.4.2 Syriac Version of Sirach 72 2.4.3 Greek Version of Sirach 75 2.5 List of all the Extant Armenian Manuscripts, Complete and in Fragments, which Contain Sirach 78 2.6 Printed Editions of the Armenian Bible 82 2.7 The Newly Found Chapters of Sirach in Jerusalem and Yerevan 87 2.8 Misplaced Chapters 89 2.9 Four Unique Passages Which Are Found Only in the Armenian Translation 92 2.10 A Comparative Chart of the Extant Armenian Texts of Sirach 98 3 Yakob Nalean’s commentary on Sirach 137 3.1 Yakob Nalean 137 3.2 A Historical Glance on Armenia and the Armenian Communities Abroad Which Shaped the Theology of Nalyan’s Commentary 140 3.3 Nalean in Literature and His Commentary 153 3.4 The Twelve MSS of Nalean’s Commentary 154 3.5 Nalean’s Theological Views and Hermeneutical Methods 157 3.6 One-Line Commentary by Nalean 162 4 The Main themes of Sirach discussed by Yacob Nalean 170 4.1 Wisdom, Fear of God, the Law and Happiness 170 4.2 The Vocation of the Sages and Scribes 182 4.3 Creation, Free Will and Sin 187 4.4 God 192 4.5 Retribution 195 4.6 Prayer, Worship 198 4.7 Social Justice 202 4.8 Attitude towards Women 207 5 Conclusions 212 Bibliography 221 Manuscripts 221 Volumes and Entries 221 Index of names 233 Subject index 235 "The extreme complexity of Sirach's text at times makes it almost impossible to come to one clear conclusion as regards certain issues. There are numerous differences between various translations of this deuterocanonical text. In addition, the Armenian translation, being a textual witness to not one but multiple parent texts, has its own complications. This research provides a sustained theological reading of the Armenian text of Sirach on the basis of Yakob Nalean's commentary written in the 18th century. At the same time it places a great emphasis on the textual evaluation of the various versions of Sirach in Armenian. In this respect an attempt has been made to display the unique features of the Armenian Sirach within the wider scope of the scholarship of this biblical text. Through a comprehensive linguistic and theological analysis of some major parts of Sirach in Armenian, this study assesses the extent to which this book was in use amongst Armenians throughout the centuries. In particular, the numerous references to Sirach in both Armenian and non-Armenian patristic literature are examined, with the aim of dating the first translations into Armenian and tracing the development of the text in the Armenian medieval schools" Publisher's website This research provides a sustained theological reading of the Armenian text of Ben Sira on the basis of Yakob Nalean's commentary written in the 18th century. In this respect an attempt has been made to display the unique features of the Armenian Ben Sira within the wider scope of the scholarship of this biblical text. Garegin Hambardzumyan. Includes Bibliographical References And Indexes.