Early Armenian exegesis of Noah in the tenth-century manuscript Matenadaran M2679

Abstract

This article examines an early Armenian parabiblical text concerning Noah preserved in manuscript M2679 (981 CE), the oldest surviving paper manuscript in Armenian. The text provides a distinctive interpretation of the biblical name-midrash on Noah found in Genesis 5:29, demonstrating how Armenian exegetical traditions both preserved and transformed biblical source material. In addition to presenting a comparative analysis of the Armenian text and its reading of its biblical source, this study reveals significant hermeneutical aspects of early medieval Armenian biblical interpretation.