The Book of Sirach in the Armenian Biblical Tradition: Yakob Nalean and His Commentary on Sirach

The extreme complexity of Sirach’s text at times makes it almost impossible to
come to one clear conclusion as regards certain issues. There are numerous
differences between various translations of this deuterocanonical text. In
addition, the Armenian translation, being a textual witness to not one but
multiple parent texts, has its own complications.
This research provides a sustained theological reading of the Armenian text of
Sirach on the basis of Yakob Nalean’s commentary written in the 18th century.
At the same time it places a great emphasis on the textual evaluation of the
various versions of Sirach in Armenian. In this respect an attempt has been made
to display the unique features of the Armenian Sirach within the wider scope of
the scholarship of this biblical text. Through a comprehensive linguistic and
theological analysis of some major parts of Sirach in Armenian, this study
assesses the extent to which this book was in use amongst Armenians throughout
the centuries. In particular, the numerous references to Sirach in both Armenian
and non-Armenian patristic literature are examined, with the aim of dating the
first translations into Armenian and tracing the development of the text in the
Armenian medieval schools