Background on the Commentary on Job

I've been presenting translations of the fragments of the commentary on Job by the 8th century Armenian theologian Stepanos Siwnetsi (or Stepanos of Siwnik) for over a year now but haven't yet said anything about where these fragments came from. So let me say a few words about this now that I'm almost through with all the fragments.

My translations are based on the text printed in a volume of the Matenagirk, or Book of Manuscripts, produced and published by the Catholicosate of the Great House of Cilicia in Antelias, Lebanon. This particular volume is devoted to works by 8th century authors. It also contains Stepanos' commentary on the Gospels, my translation of which was published earlier this year.

The fragments of the Job commentary were collected from several manuscripts. Only one of these, a 13th century manuscript housed in the Matenadaran library in Yerevan, Armenia, contains an original version of part of Stepanos' commentary, but unfortunately it is only one page of the beginning of the commentary. The remaining fragments come from manuscripts of the catena on Job of the 13th century Armenian scholar Vanakan Vardapet. Most of these fragments were published in print form by a Mekhitarist priest, Father Jrakean, in Venice in 1913. Jrakean appended the fragments to his edition of the Armenian version of the Job commentary of Hesychius of Jerusalem. The Matenagirk edition makes use of two manuscripts of Vanakan's catena, the 13th century manuscript containing the prologue to Stepanos' commentary as well as the printed edition.

At a time in which the situation of the Christians remaining in the Middle East appears especially bleak, preservation of the documents and materials of the Christian past in this region is especially urgent. It is hoped nevertheless that the Christian presence there remain alive and prosperous and not just be a dying relic of the past. We pray for justice and peace in these regions that have not experienced much of either.