Holy Translators
Encyclopedia
The Holy Translators is a group of literary figures, and saints of the Armenian Apostolic Church
, who founded the Armenian alphabet
, translated the Bible
, and started a movement of writing and translating important works into Armenian language
.
The Holy Translators are:
The translation of the Bible was finished by the Holy Translators in 425. The first words written in Armenian were:
The first Armenian translation of Bible is among the world's oldest, has survived and is still used in the liturgy of the Armenian Church.
The Armenian Church remembers Holy Translators on the Feast of the Holy Translators in October. Churches of Holy Translators are established in Armenia
and different diaspora communities (USA, Iran
etc.).
According to Dennis Papazian, "the Holy Translators are highly revered in the Armenian church. Many of the works translated have since been lost in their Greek or Syriac original, but have been preserved in the Armenian."
Armenian Apostolic Church
The Armenian Apostolic Church is the world's oldest National Church, is part of Oriental Orthodoxy, and is one of the most ancient Christian communities. Armenia was the first country to adopt Christianity as its official religion in 301 AD, in establishing this church...
, who founded the Armenian alphabet
Armenian alphabet
The Armenian alphabet is an alphabet that has been used to write the Armenian language since the year 405 or 406. It was devised by Saint Mesrop Mashtots, an Armenian linguist and ecclesiastical leader, and contained originally 36 letters. Two more letters, օ and ֆ, were added in the Middle Ages...
, translated the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
, and started a movement of writing and translating important works into Armenian language
Armenian language
The Armenian language is an Indo-European language spoken by the Armenian people. It is the official language of the Republic of Armenia as well as in the region of Nagorno-Karabakh. The language is also widely spoken by Armenian communities in the Armenian diaspora...
.
The Holy Translators are:
- St. Mesrop Mashtots
- St. Sahak Partev
- Moses of Chorene
- Yeghishe
The translation of the Bible was finished by the Holy Translators in 425. The first words written in Armenian were:
"To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding". (Proverbs 1:2)
The first Armenian translation of Bible is among the world's oldest, has survived and is still used in the liturgy of the Armenian Church.
The Armenian Church remembers Holy Translators on the Feast of the Holy Translators in October. Churches of Holy Translators are established in Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
and different diaspora communities (USA, Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
etc.).
According to Dennis Papazian, "the Holy Translators are highly revered in the Armenian church. Many of the works translated have since been lost in their Greek or Syriac original, but have been preserved in the Armenian."