Collection of songs, tales and religious texts

This material is held atBritish Library Asia, Pacific and Africa Collections

  • Reference
    • GB 59 Or 16004
  • Dates of Creation
    • 18th century
  • Language of Material
    • Armenian Turkish
  • Physical Description
    • Codex 481 ff Paper. 481 leaves. 19 x 14.5 cm (written surface 14 x 11 cm). Text in a single column of 16 lines. Text is in bolorgir in black ink, with titles in red ink. Binding is dark-brown calf over wooden boards, with flap, tooling, holes for pins, doublures of printed linen with leaf designs in red and black.

Scope and Content

An Armenian manuscript containing:. f.1r Blank. f.1v Beautiful chant, except for the title it is written in Turkish in Armenian letters. f.2r Blank. ff.2v-3r Chant of happiness. ff.3v-4r List of contents. f.4v Blank. ff.5r-53v Vardan vardapet Aygekts'i, 'Commentary on the ten sacraments for the merchants'. ff.53v-64v The question of Bishop Mik'ayēl of Antioch, 'How is man created in the image of God?' The answer of Vardan vardapet Aygekts'i. ff.65r-75r Sermon on the six steps by which man reaches up to God through good deeds. ff.75r-88v Concerning the sleepless sons. ff.88v-104r A fearful, awesome and surprising vision, which came to a priest in a village in Cyprus, belonging to the order of the monks of 'Grass-eaters'. ff.104r-110r Confession of the Holy Trinity and one God. ff.110r-117v On the vision of the Holy Virgin Mother of God. ff.118r-129v The vision of the apostle Paul speaking to an angel. ff.129v-140v History of St Gregory the Enlightener and the question he put to the angel while in the convent of Maneay. ff.140v-154r The coming of the Lord and the end of the world. ff.145v-149v Blank. ff.150r-163r Yovhannēs Erznkats'i, 'Advice to Christians, priests'. ff.163r-170v Concerning adultery and false confession. ff.170v-178v Concerning blasphemy and cursing. ff.179r-183v Concerning prayer. ff.184r-187v Concerning charity and Lent. ff.188r-197v Story of the boy and girl who asked each other concerning happiness. ff.198r-204r History of King Nushravan. ff.204r-211v History of the great and proud Andigonos, King of the Babylonians. ff.212r-v Blank, contains two seals of 'Martiros, servant of Christ'. ff.213r-236v The Story of Joseph the beautiful. ff.236v-241v History of the city of Antioch. ff.241v-248r Aṛak'el Shnorhali, Praise to the Holy Virgin Mary in verse. ff.248r-266v Sermon on the First Coming of Christ. ff.267r-283r History of the Holy Cross and its return from Persia. ff.283v-309v History of the Armenian nation composed in verse by Vahram vardapet. ff.309v-316v On the capture of the city of Constantinople in AE 902 (1453 CE). ff.316v-318v The turmoil caused by the Turks among the Greeks concerning the date for the celebration of Easter, AE 455 (1006 CE). ff.318v-351r Epiphanius, Archbishop of Cyprus, 'Sermon on Intercession'. ff.351v-358r Love chants (tagh). ff.358v-371v The Apostolic Canon. ff.372r-385v An awesome and surprising vision... [Repeating the text of ff.88v-104r]. ff.386r-411v Story of the bronze city. ff.412r-416r Selection of fables (Aghvesagirk, Book of the Fox). ff.416r-417r Chant in praise of Jerusalem. ff.417v-421v Blank. ff.422r-436v Selection of chants and elegies. ff.437r-455v The life of St. Alek'sios. ff.456r-481v The story of Ahikar [incomplete].

Access Information

Not Public Record(s)

Unrestricted

Other Finding Aids

For more information, see Nersessian, Vrej. 2012. A Catalogue of the Armenian Manuscripts in the British Library acquired since the year 1913 and of collections of other libraries in the United Kingdom, Volume Two. London: The British Library. pp 792-800.

Bibliography

Thomson, R.W. 1995. A Bibliography of Classical Armenian Literature to AD 1500. Turnhout: Brepols.