“Plein de science en arménien, et plus encore en grec”: Scholars and Texts between Byzantium and Armenia

Although the Armenians’ familiarity with Greek predates the creation of their own writing system—with numerous Armenian students attending the renowned schools of Antioch and Athens—it was the invention of the Armenian alphabet that decisively strengthened literary relations between the two cultures, initiating a sustained and fruitful exchange in the centuries that followed. Central to this process was the activity of the so-called Translators, whose first generation devoted itself primarily to rendering religious texts into Armenian, thereby contributing significantly to the linguistic refinement and expressive maturity of fifth-century Armenian literature. The subsequent generation, however, turned its attention to grammatical and rhetorical works, including Dionysius Thrax’s Grammar and Theon of Alexandria’s Progymnasmata, texts intended to provide the theoretical foundations for the composition of rhetorically effective writings in Armenian. This paper aims to offer an overview of the intense literary interactions between the Armenian and Byzantine worlds, approached through the lens of the rhetorical texts received and studied within Armenian intellectual circles. It will examine not only the categories of works that were translated and valued—particularly those concerned with grammar and rhetoric—but also the ways in which the assimilation of Greek rhetorical theory influenced Armenian authors of the same period, shaping the conceptual framework of early Armenian literary production.