Translation of the Bible into Armenian

Abstract

The Armenian translation of the Bible is among the oldest translations. At the dawn of the fifth century AD Armenia was in the midst of geopolitical changes and cultural transformation. The formation of the Armenian alphabet made it possible to undertake a vast body of translation work from Greek, Syriac, and other languages and to create a unique literary culture. In translating the Bible into Armenian, the prominent clergy of the era created an environment in which both fluency in the native language and spiritual literacy were obtained first and foremost through the reading of the Bible. As a lasting consequence, the role of the Bible in the lives of the Armenian people goes beyond a simply religious application, it is perceived both symbolically and historically as the foundation of the Armenian Christian culture per se. The current contribution briefly touches on the historical formation of the Armenian translation of the Bible, the development of its canon, and its textually unique features.