Uta Koschmieder / Agathangelos

Martin-Luther-Universität / Universität Leipzig

The “History of the Armenians” attributed to Agathangelos was composed in the second half of the 5th c. AD in Armenian. The text deals with the conversion of king Trdat of Armenia to Christianity at the beginning of the 4th c. AD. The prologue in which the author pretends to be an eyewitness of the described events resulted in the assumption that he has been the scribe of King Trdat. However, studies have shown that the text was created more than one and a half century later. The editors of the FHG support the view that an unknown Christian author revised the original work of the secretary of king Trdat. The addition of legends and inventions based on biblical and hagiographical material belittle the historical value of the work. Nevertheless, it is an important source for the described era (301-330). A Greek version that has come down to us was made soon after the Armenian text. There exist various secondary versions in different languages like Arabic, Latin, Syriac etc.