Work dossier · summary and historical context
The Old Armenian Lectionary is an anonymous liturgical compilation that preserves a calendar of scriptural readings and psalms for the feasts and memorials of the early Armenian Church. Surviving in a single manuscript tradition with the earliest witness dated to the 5th–6th centuries, the text reflects the liturgical year of Jerusalem in the 4th–5th centuries. It is traditionally attributed to the period after the invention of the Armenian alphabet (c. 405 CE). The lectionary influenced later Armenian liturgical books such as the Tonac‘oyc‘ and the Maštoc‘, and has been used in comparative studies of early Christian liturgy, particularly the Jerusalem rite.
The Old Armenian Lectionary is a crucial witness to the early development of Armenian liturgy and its dependence on the Jerusalem rite. It provides insight into the liturgical calendar and scriptural readings of the 5th–6th centuries, influencing later Armenian liturgical books. Its study aids in understanding the transmission of early Christian liturgical traditions from Jerusalem to the Armenian Church.
The Old Armenian Lectionary was likely compiled in the 5th–6th centuries in Armenia, shortly after the creation of the Armenian alphabet by Mesrop Mashtots (c. 405 CE). The text is preserved in a single manuscript tradition, with fragmentary copies collated in the TITUS edition. Its contents are closely tied to the liturgical practices of Jerusalem in the 4th–5th centuries, indicating that early Armenian liturgy was heavily influenced by the Jerusalem rite. The lectionary served as a practical guide for the liturgical year, organizing readings and psalms for feasts and memorials. Its transmission is limited, with no critical apparatus or detailed manuscript variants available in the TITUS edition. The work is anonymous, and its precise date and place of origin remain debated among scholars.
Apparatus · what the pipeline recorded
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