Movses Khorenatsi Մովսես Խորենացի | |
|---|---|
 A painting of Movses Khorenatsi by Hovnatan Hovnatanian (1730–1801) | |
| Born | c. 410 Kingdom of Armenia |
| Died | c. 490s Sasanian Armenia |
| Venerated in | Armenian Apostolic Church |
| Feast | Feast of the Holy Translators in October[1] |
| Patronage | Armenia |
Movses Khorenatsi (c. 410–490s AD; Armenian: Մովսէս Խորենացի, pronounced [mɔvˈsɛs χɔɾɛnɑˈtsʰi])[a] was a prominent Armenian historian from late antiquity and the author of the History of the Armenians.
Movses's History of the Armenians was the first attempt at a universal history of Armenia and remains the only known general account of early Armenian history. It traces Armenian history from its origins to the fifth century, during which Movses claimed to have lived. His history had an enormous impact on Armenian historiography and was used and quoted extensively by later medieval Armenian authors. He is called the "father of Armenian history" (patmahayr) in Armenian, and is sometimes referred to as the "Armenian Herodotus".[2] Movses's history is also valued for its unique material on the old oral traditions in Armenia before its conversion to Christianity.
Movses identified himself as a young disciple of Mesrop Mashtots, inventor of the Armenian alphabet. Moreover, he claimed to have written his history at the behest of Prince Sahak of the Bagratuni dynasty. He is recognized by the Armenian Apostolic Church as one of the Holy Translators.[3] The exact time period during which Movses lived and wrote has been the subject of some debate among scholars since the nineteenth century, with some scholars dating him to the seventh to ninth centuries rather than the fifth.[4]
- ^ See The Armenian Church. Holy Translators Archived 2009-04-06 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ Chahin, Mack. The Kingdom of Armenia: A History (London: RoutledgeCurzon, 2001), p. 181. ISBN 0-7007-1452-9.
- ^ (in Armenian) Traina, Giusto. "Movses Xorenac'ii «dasakan» avandowt'yownë Hayoc' patmowt'yan A grk'i 5-rd glowxin meǰ" [The 'Classical' Tradition of Movses Khorenatsi in Chapter 5 of Book I in the History of Armenians] Patma-Banasirakan Handes 134 (1992): pp. 28–32.
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