Armenian Apocrypha Relating to the Patriarchs and Prophets

A R M E N I A N APOCRYPHA RELATING TO THE PATRIARCHS A N D PROPHETS

Edited with Introductions, Translations and Commentary by M I C H A E L E. S T O N E

Jerusalem 1982 The Israel A c a d e m y of Sciences and Humanities

Preparation and publication of this volume was made possible by a grant from the Memorial Foundation for Jewish Culture

ISBN 9 6 5 - 2 0 8 - 0 4 2 - X

© The Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities, 1982 Printed in Israel at Ahva Press, Jerusalem

To my children AURIT AND D A N

••ax DA ->ib nnv

-\ib n a n D N nri

PREFACE

I N T H I S V O L U M E a numberof Armenian apocryphal texts are presented which have not been published previously; new manuscript evidence is furnished for others, already published. The texts are diverse in their nature and worth. They are set forth according to biblical chronology as far as possible, beginning with Adam, and have been divided for conven­ ience of reference into three parts: Texts Relating to Adam, Biblical Paraphrases, and Texts Relating to the Prophets. The mode of presen­ tation has been determined by the nature and importance of the new evidence to be adduced from this material. This has led to a certain heterogeneity of treatment. Texts already published are not printed again unless the manuscript evidence makes this necessary; any digressions from this procedure are specified.

The introductory remarks to each Part or Section note the manuscripts on which the texts are based. The texts are generally accompanied by an English translation, variant readings, and a critical commentary. The translations reproduce the critical notations of the text. Words added for style or conjectured to fill lacunae are duly marked. Often, the English requires a personal pronoun as an object where it is not needed or ex­ pressed in Armenian. Such auxiliaries are supplied and marked, but should not be regarded as reflecting a lacuna or corruption. The com­ mentaries following the texts and translations cite and translate all sub­ stantive readings wherever possible so as to give access in English to the material in the critical apparatuses. The orthography of the manuscripts has usually been preserved, and all changes or emendations introduced into the manuscript text have been clearly marked. The divisions into numbered paragraphs or verses is this editor's. Because of technical dif­ ficulties certain accents have been omitted in transcriptions. Throughout the volume the comments are to be regarded as mere indicators of possible lines of future investigation, the primary purpose of the present work being to publish the texts and their translations. I wish to express my thanks to His Grace, Archbishop Norayr Bogharian, the Librarian of Manuscripts of the Armenian Patriarchate in Jerusalem, who not only provided generous access to the manuscripts, but also helped in the elucidation of a number of knotty problems of readings and interpretations. His learned comments are acknowledged throughout. The authorities of the Matenadaran, the Mashtotz Library of Ancient Manuscripts in Erevan, were kind enough to make manuscripts of a num­ ber of texts available. The authorities of the Bibliotheque nationale in vii

Preface Paris and the British Library in London assisted me during my study in those libraries and granted permission to publish information from their manuscripts. Throughout the years, my work on these texts was aided financially by the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities. Professor Gershom Scholem, who was President of the Academy while this project took form, has helped me in numerous ways. The scientific readers on behalf of the Academy were Professor E. E. Urbach and the late Professor Chaim Wirszubski. Their learned guidance is acknowledged, as is that of Professor J. Prawer, who supported my work in various respects. In the decade that has passed since the book was first sent to the Academy, many hands have worked at it. I forbear naming them all, but express my thanks to them. Acknowledgement must be made, however, to the con­ tribution of Chana Safrai, who was my research assistant in 1970—1971, and of Alfred Paludis, who typed the camera-ready form of most of the Armenian. The technical challenge that the production of this book set the Publi­ cations Department of the Academy was a great one, and the form it now bears, both as an edited work and from the aspects of design and production,are the fruit of the concern and devotion of that Department. In particular I wish to acknowledge the editorial skills of Yvonne Glikson, whose perceptive but gentle touch has improved my writing and presen­ tation at innumerable points. Mr G. Stern of the Publications Department has, over most recent years, been of the greatest help in getting the manuscript, already largely typeset, into its final printed form. Miss Dalia Heftman did the complicated graphic work. It has been impossible, for technical reasons, to incorporate bibliographi­ cal additions to the discussion of the text in the body of the book, and the reader should regard my comments as having been completed in June 1971, so far as the attention to the scholarly debate and discussion is concerned. Since that time, there have been a number of publications of general, bibliographical nature touching on the general field of the apocrypha and pseudepigrapha and the Armenian pseudepigrapha. The reader will find benefit in them, but very little of relevance to the texts published here. This first-fruit of my studies of the apocryphal literature and traditions in Armenian is late in seeing the light of day; it would have been stillborn had it not been for the support of many friends and colleagues. But my debt to Nira, my wife, is deepest. Michael E. Stone Wassenaar, 1981 1

1

See, in s u m m a r y , D . J . H a r r i n g t o n , 'Research on t h e Jewish Pseudepigrapha during t h e 1 9 7 0 s ' , CBQ, X L I I ( 1 9 8 0 ) , p p . 1 4 7 - 1 5 9 ; and M . E . S t o n e , 'Jewish A p o c r y p h a l Literature in t h e A r m e n i a n C h u r c h ' , Le Museon ( f o r t h c o m i n g ) .

viii

CONTENTS

Preface Manuscripts Published for the First Time Bibliographical Abbreviations Abbreviations and Symbols Used in the Texts, Apparatuses and Commentaries Transcription of the Armenian Alphabet Part One: Texts Relating to Adam I Two Fragments Relating to Adam and The Words of Adam to Seth Texts and Translations: Fragment 1 Fragment 2 The Words of Adam to Seth II Concerning the Death of Adam Text and Translation III The Life and History of Abel Apparatus Criticus IV The Hours of the Day and Night Text and Translation Appendix Part Two: Biblical Paraphrases Texts and Translations: I The Descendants of Adam II The Story of Noah III The Story of Joseph IV The Story of Moses V The Story of Joshua Son of Nun VI The Story of Samuel VII The Story of David VIII The Story of Solomon Part Three: Texts Relating to the Prophets I Lives of the Prophets Texts and Greek Retroversions: Nathan Elijah Elisha Zechariah (1) ix

Contents Part Three: Texts Relating to the Prophets I Lives of the Prophets (Continued) Eli Joad Texts and Translations: Moses The Three Children Zechariah(2) II The Names, Works and Deaths of the Holy Prophets Text and Translation III Lists of Prophets'Names Index Hebrew Summary

x

150 152 154 154 156 158 160 11'4 177 190

MANUSCRIPTS PUBLISHED

FOR THE FIRST TIME

Year of

Library and MS N o .

Completion

Text

Folio or Page N o .

Jerusalem Armenian Patriarchate IB

Lives of the

pp. 5 9 9 , 6 0 1 - 6 0 2 ,

Prophets

1418

733,760 fol. 6 3 9 r - v

The

pp.1320,1323,1524

Lives of the

Prophets

1737

282

pp. 66, 87, 580

Lives of the

Prophets

1331

372

pp. 3 1 2 - 3 1 5

Concerning

69 154C

Hours

of 642

pp. 1 8 5 - 1 8 7

the

Death 1347

Adam

Concerning of

1728-1730

the

Death 1623

Adam

pp. 188-189

T e x t s Relating t o

1488

pp. 6 1 3 - 6 1 7

Concerning

1529

pp. 2 7 5 - 2 8 0

Concerning

pp. 2 8 0 - 2 8 1

T e x t s Relating t o

A d a m - Fragment of of

the

Death

the

Death

1 1620

Adam

1648

Adam

A d a m - Fragment

1

Erevan Matenadaran 533

p. 234

Lists of

Prophets'

Names 562

Names,

foil. 2 8 v - 3 0 r

1660 Works

Deaths

and

of the

Holy

Prophets

Before 1 7 1 1

1500

foil. 3 6 2 r - 3 6 3 r

Lives of the

Prophets

2126

foil. 8 1 r - 8 3 r

Life and History

fol. 83r

T e x t s Relating t o

3854

foil. 1 0 4 v - 1 5 0 r

Biblical

Paraphrases

4231

foil. l r - 3 0 v

Biblical

Paraphrases

1271-1288

of

Abel

1697

A d a m - Fragment

XI

2 1471 Fifteenth century

Manuscripts Published for the First Time Year of

Library and MS N o .

Text

Folio or Page N o .

Completion

Paris Bibliothcque nationale A r m . 110 A r m . 198

foil. 4 5 1 v - 4 5 2 r ,

Lives of the

Prophets

1194

459r,462r, 469r-v pp. 41 - 4 4

Names,

Works and

Deaths of the Prophets

Holy

Eighteenth century

London British Museum B.M. Or. 6 4 7 1

foil. 1 0 4 v - 1 0 5 v

The

xii

Hours

1610

BIBLIOGRAPHICAL A B B R E V I A T I O N S

A n a s y a n , B i b l i o l o g y = H . A n a s y a n , Zwj quiquj'ii (Armenian

Bibliology),

lliumb'uujqpinn

LPJ

HLXI

Erevan 1 9 5 9

A r m . P a t r . = A r m e n i a n P a t r i a r c h a t e Library, Jerusalem Beit-Arie, Perek shira = M. Beit-Arie, Perek shira, I n t r o d u c t i o n a n d Critical E d i t i o n , P h . D . Thesis, H e b r e w University of Jerusalem 1 9 6 6 (in H e b r e w ) B e z o l d , Arab.-Aeth.

Test. Adam

Testamentum Geburstag

Adami',

gewidmet,

B e z o l d , Schatzhdhle

= C. Bezold, 'Das

Orientalische

Studien

Arabisch-Aethiopische

Theodor

Noldeke

zum

Siebzigsten

e d . C. Bezold, II, Giessen 1 9 0 6

= C. B e z o l d , Die Schatzhdhle,

Leipzig 1 8 8 3

Bibl. n a t . = B i b l i o t h e q u e n a t i o n a l e , Paris B . M. = British M u s e u m Library Boll, Catalogus

= F . Boll, Catalogus

Codicum

Astrologorum

Graecorum,

VIII,

Brussels 1 9 0 8 B u d g e , Cave of Treasures

= E . A . Wallis B u d g e , The Book

of the Cave of

Treasures,

L o n d o n 1927 CBQ = Catholic

Biblical

Quarterly

CG = C o p t i c G n o s t i c C o d e x (i.e. Nag H a m m a d i C o d e x ) Denis, Introduction dAncien

= A . - M . D e n i s , I n t r o d u c t i o n aux Pseudepigraphes

Testament

(Studia

in Veteris Testamenti

grecs

Pseudepigrapha,

I),

Leiden 1 9 7 0 Diet. = G. A w e t i k ' i a n , X . Siwrmelian a n d M. Awgerian, I m p 2,mj quiqbw'u

Lfcqnt/i

(A New Dictionary

ofthe

Pwnwqhpp

Armenian

Language),

I-II,

Venice 1 8 3 6 Erevan

Catalogue

= S. E g a n y a n , A . Z e y f u n y a n a n d P . A n t ' a b y a n (eds),

2bnwqpuig

Wui2uwgh

of the Mastoc'

Library),

Wudm'U

Uwuib'Uuiqiupui'up

(Catalogue

of

8r>Lguiq Manuscripts

I - I I , Erevan 1 9 6 5 , 1 9 7 0

Erevan Mat. = M a t e n a d a r a n , Erevan F r e y , Diet. Bib. = J.-B. Frey, 'Adam, Livres a p o c r y p h e s d e ' , Dictionnaire

de la

Bible,

S u p p l . I, Paris 1 9 3 8 G i b s o n , Stud. Sin., VIII = H . D . G i b s o n , ' T h e B o o k o f t h e R o l l s ' , Studia

Sinaitica,

VIII, London 1902 G i n z b e r g , Legends

= L. G i n z b e r g , Legends

of the Jews,

I-VII.

Philadelphia 1 9 2 5 - 1 9 3 8 G o t t h e i l , ZDMG, Deutschen

L X V I = R . G o t t h e i l , 'Apollonius of T y a n a ' , Zeitschrift

morgenldndischen

G o t z e , Schatzhdhle

Gesellschaft,

= A . G o t z e , Die Schatzhdhle,

G r a f f i n , P a t . Syr. = R. Graffin (ed.),Patrologia H e m p e l , Apollonius von Apollonius

von Tyana

Theological

Paris 1907

zur Religionswissenschaft,

S t o c k h o l m 1921 HTR = Harvard

Heidelberg 1 9 2 2 Syriaca,

= J . H e m p e l , Untersuchungen

von Tyana (Beitrdge Review

xiii

der

XLVI ( 1 8 9 2 )

zur

Uberlieferung fasc. I V ) ,

Bibliographical A bbreviations HUCA

= Hebrew

Union College

Annual

Issaverdens = J. Issaverdens, The Uncanonical in the Armenian J a m e s , Apocr.

2

Library

Anecd.

of St Lazarus ,

Writings of the Old Testament

Found

Venice 1 9 3 4

= M. R . J a m e s , Apocrypha

Anecdota

(Texts

and

Studies,

ed. J. A. R o b i n s o n , Vol. II, N o . 3), Cambridge 1 8 9 3 J a m e s , Apocr.

N. T. = M. R. J a m e s , The Apocryphal

J a m e s , Lost Apocr.

New Testament,

= M. R . J a m e s , The Lost Apocrypha

Oxford 1963

of the Old

Testament,

London 1920 Jerusalem

Catalogue

Manuscripts, JTS = Journal

= N. Bogharian ( e d . ) , Grand Catalogue

of Theological

Klein, Sefer Klausner le-Klausner

James

K m o s k o , Pat.Syr.

Studies

= S. Klein, 'Al ha-sefer Vitae Prophetarum',

(Klausner

Patrologia

of St

I - V I , Jerusalem 1 9 6 6 - 1 9 7 2 (in A r m e n i a n )

Festschrift),

Sefer

ha-yovel

Jerusalem 1937 (in Hebrew)

= M. K m o s k o ( e d . ) , ' T e s t a m e n t u m Patris Nostri A d a m ' ,

Syriaca,

e d . R . Graffin, Part I, V o l . I I , Paris 1 9 0 7

Liidtke, ZAW, X X X V I I I = W. L i i d t k e , 'Georgische A d a m - B u c h e r ' , Zeitschrift die alttestamentliche

Wissenschaft,

Liddell a n d S c o t t = H . G. Liddell a n d R . S c o t t , Greek-English Malan, Adam

fur

XXXVIII ( 1 9 1 9 - 1 9 2 0 )

and Eve = S. C. Malan, The Book

of Adam

Lexicon

and Eve, translated from

the Ethiopic, London 1882 Mead, Apollonius

- G. R . S. Mead, Apollonius

Meillet = A. Meillet, Altarmenisches Meyer, VitaAdae

= W. M e y e r ( e d . ) , VitaAdae

Akademieder

Wissenschaft

MGWJ = Monatsschrift

of Tyana,

Elementarbuch,

London 1901

Heidelberg 1 9 1 3

etEvae

(Abhandlungen

der

Bayrischen

en, CI. X I V , Vol. I l l ) , Munich 1 8 7 9

fur Geschichte

und Wissenschaft

des

Judentums

Nau, Pat Syr. = F . N a u ( e d . ) , 'Apotelesmata Apollonii T y a n e n s i s ' , Patrologia

Syriaca,

ed. R. Graffin, Part I, V o l . I I , Paris 1 9 0 7 NTS = New Testament Petzke,

Apollonius

dasNeue

Studies

= G . P e t z k e , D ; ' e Traditionen

Testament

(Studia

iiber Apollonius

ad Corpus Hellenisticum

von Tyana

Novi Testamenti,

und

I),

Leiden 1 9 7 0 P. G. = Patrologia

Graeca

P.L.

Latina

= Patrologia

Plessner, Ency.

d'Islam

= M. Plessner, 'BalinOs', Encyclopedicd'Islam,

Preuschen,Adamschriften schriften,

= E. P r e u s c h e n , Die Apokryphen

I, Paris 1 9 6 0

Gnostischen

Adam-

Giessen 1 9 0 0

Q u i n n , Seth = E. C. Q u i n n , The Quest of Seth for the Oil of Life, Chicago 1 9 6 2 R e n a n , Penitence d'Adam,

= E. R e n a n , Fragments

ou Penitence

Asiatique,

d'Adam,

du livre gnostique

ou Testament

d'Adam,

intitule:

Apocalypse

E x t r a c t from

Journal

Paris 1 8 5 3

Sarghissian = B. Sarghissian, fit un LiTuuiuhpn LP[I L\ig Ulid^uiLbp

qpng

q\puij

Testament),

Venice 1 8 9 8

(Studies

on the Apocryphal

ihV

llviwquiptu'up

Books

of the Old

SBL = Society of Biblical Literature S c h e r m a n n = T . S c h e r m a n n ( e d . ) , Prophetarum Apostolorum Aliisque

Discipulorumque

Vindicata,

Domini

Vitae Fabulosae,

Dorotheo,

Leipzig 1 9 0 7

xiv

Epiphanio,

Indices Hippolyto

Bibliographical Steinschneider, ZDMG,

Abbreviations

X L V = M. Steinschneider, 'Apollonius von T h y a n a (Balinas)

bei der A r a b e r n ' , Zeitschrift

der Deutschen

morgenldndischen

Gesellschaft,

XLV (1891) S t o n e , CBQ, X X X V = M. E . S t o n e , ' S o m e Observations on t h e A r m e n i a n Version of t h e Paralipomena of J e r e m i a h ' , Catholic Biblical Quarterly,

XXXV (1973)

S t o n e , Death of Moses - M. E. S t o n e , T h r e e A r m e n i a n A c c o u n t s of The Death Moses',

Studies

on the Testament

and Cognate Studies, S t o n e , HTR,

of Moses, ed. G . W . E . Nickelsburg

of

(Septuagint

I V ) , Cambridge (Mass.) 1 9 7 3

LIX = M . E . S t o n e , T h e D e a t h of A d a m - An A r m e n i a n A d a m B o o k ' ,

Harvard Theological

Review,

LIX ( 1 9 6 6 )

S t o n e , P r o c e e d i n g s = M . E . S t o n e , T h e A p o c r y p h a l L i t e r a t u r e in t h e A r m e n i a n T r a d i t i o n ' , Proceedings

of the Israel Academy

of Sciences

and Humanities,

IV,

Jerusalem 1971 ( p r e p r i n t 1969) S t o n e , Testament

of Levi = M. E. S t o n e , The Testament

the Armenian

MSS of the Testaments

St James, Jerusalem,

of Levi - A First Study

of the XII Patriarchs

in the Convent

of of

Jerusalem 1 9 6 9

T h e o d o r and Albeck = J. T h e o d o r , Bereschit

2

Rabba ,

w i t h a d d i t i o n a l corrections

b y Ch. Albeck, Jerusalem 1965 T h o m s o n , Teaching

of St Gregory

= R. W. T h o m s o n , The Teaching

of St

Gregory,

Cambridge (Mass.) 1970 Tischendorf, Apoc.

Apocr.

= C. von Tischendorf, Apocalypses

Apocryphae,

Leipzig 1 8 6 6 T o r r e y , Lives = C.C. T o r r e y , Lives of the Prophets Monograph

(Journal

of Biblical

Literature

Series, I ) , Philadelphia 1946

Venice Mech. = Venice Mechitarist Library Vita Adae = Vita Adae et Evae Wright, Catalogue Museum,

= W. Wright, Catalogue

W u t z , On. Sacra = F . W u t z , Onomastica Geschichte

of Ethiopic

Manuscripts

der Altchristlichen

Sacra (Texte

Literatur,

Y o v s e p ' i a n c ' = S. Yovsep'ianc', Uli quili nh

British

und Untersuchungen

ZA W = Zeitschrift = Zeitschrift

fur die alttestamentliche der Deutschen

Ifipg

^»»quipUJXIuig

ifo

Wissenschaft

morgenldndischen

XV

zur

X L - X L I ) , I - I I , Leipzig 1 9 1 4 - 1 9 1 5

(Uncanonical B o o k s of t h e Old T e s t a m e n t ) , Venice 1 8 9 6 ZDMG

in the

L o n d o n 1877

Gesellschaft

A B B R E V I A T I O N S A N D SYMBOLS USED IN THE TEXTS, APPARATUSES AND COMMENTARIES

Manuscript sigla are listed in the introductions to the relevant texts

above

w r i t t e n above

let., lett.

letter, letters

col.

column

LXX

S e p t u a g i n t version

cor.

corrected, corrector

marg.

margin

dittog.

dittography

n.

note

eras.

erasure

om.

omits

fol., foil,

folio, folios

omn.

all o t h e r t e s t i m o n i a

rel.

all t e s t i m o n i a e x c e p t t h o s e

s.m.

b y a second h a n d

fin.

end of folio, e t c .

hmt.

homoeoteleuton

hrct.

homoeoarchton

init.

beginning of folio, e t c .

v., vv.

verse, verses

1., 11.

line, lines

v. 1., v. 11.

variant reading, readings

cited

N o t e : T h e periods in abbreviations are o m i t t e d in t h e a p p a r a t u s e s

I

end of MS page

[

]

lacuna / r e c o n s t r u c t i o n of lacuna

x

x

x ... x

from word x t o word x word x and word x over letter:

p a r t l y illegible

on line: letter of w h i c h p a r t remains b u t is illegible / letter space within a lacuna ( >

material i n t r o d u c e d from a n o t h e r source (source n o t e d , unless this editor's a d d i t i o n )

1

'

uncorrected corruption

[

]

addition b y later h a n d in base MS

(

)

in translation:

this e d i t o r ' s a d d i t i o n or e x p l a n a t i o n

~

reversed w o r d order

+

a d d s , a d d ( a u t h o r i t y or a u t h o r i t i e s q u o t e d )

\

in apparatus:

l°,2°,etc.

after

letter

reading j u d g e d superior b y this e d i t o r or

word:

first, s e c o n d , e t c . , o c c u r r e n c e of letter in

w o r d / w o r d in verse / line A*

w o r d as originally w r i t t e n (in cases of s u b s e q u e n t correction)

A° 1

c o r r e c t i o n b y original scribe 2

A , A , etc. A

c

later c o r r e c t o r s , i n d e p e n d e n t l y identified unidentifiable later c o r r e c t o r

xvi

TRANSCRIPTION OF THE ARMENIAN ALPHABET

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a

9

b

q 1

g d

2

s

b

e

n

0

q t

z

I

c'

e

H

P

n

3

I

P

t'

n

J r

z

u

p

if

m

J

y n

V

s V

i

1

in

t

*>

X

P

r

k

c k