The Manuscript the "Key of Truth": a clue to antiquity or a riddle text of modern times

Type: 
Lecture
Audience: 
Open to the Public
Building: 
Nador u. 13
Room: 
002
Thursday, November 28, 2013 - 6:00pm
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Date: 
Thursday, November 28, 2013 - 6:00pm to 7:30pm

Medieval “heresies” have always been fascinating themes for starting disputes and bringing forth new hypothesis. The attempts of linking modern “sectarian” texts to medieval “heretical” ones were frequent in the romantic nineteenth century, which to some extent prolong nowadays. The talk explores a disputative eighteenth century Armenian “sectarian” manuscript, entitled the “Key of Truth.” Several scholars (Conybear F.C., Garsoian N., et al.) identified in the manuscript notoriously known Paulician and Tondrakite “heretical” doctrines, and suggested the text refashioned such doctrinal principles. The talk focuses on the intention of attributing modern texts to the middle ages as well as on the elimination of speculations concerning the “antiquity” of the manuscript the “Key of Truth”.

Anna Ohanjanyan is Assistant Professor at the Department of Theology of Yerevan State University. She is also affiliated to the Institute of Ancient Manuscripts, “Matenadaran” in Yerevan. She received her Ph.D. in 2011 from the Institute of Archeology and Ethnography of Academy of Sciences jointly with the Department of Theology of Yerevan State University. Currently she is a research fellow at CEMS, CEU. Her interests cover medieval theology and exegetics, polemical literature, monastic folklore and hagiography.