Also known as:
St. Mesrop Mashtots, Mesrob Mashtots, Mesrop Mashtots;
Italian: Mesrop Mashtots
MESROP (Mesrob, Mastotz), Saint. - Doctor of the Armenian Church, b. in the village of Hatsekats (province of Taron) ca. the middle of the 4th century, a pupil of Nerses the Great in the Greek, Syriac and Persian languages. He first embraced the military life and became secretary to the king, then devoted himself to the eremitic and ecclesiastical life. He preached in the province of Golthen, giving everywhere examples of holiness and learning.
During this period, induced by the need to give the Armenian people the Holy Scriptures and the Ritual in their own language, he invented the Armenian characters, ca. 408, making use in large part of ancient types of Greek letters and creating others. Aided by the katholikós St. Sahak and by King Vramshabuh, he opened schools, sent Armenian youth to the cultural centers of the time and immediately set about translating the Holy Scriptures from the Syriac, a version which was then revised by St. Sahak against an Alexandrian Greek codex.
According to tradition and various scholars, such as K. Fendeklian, C. Fetter, M. is the author of theological and moral sermons called Jagiahhapatum. Tradition moreover attributes to him the hymns of the Lenten season. Although M. had a great part in the formation of the Armenian Ritual, nevertheless the Ritual "Mashtots" is probably linked to a namesake patriarch of the 9th century who gave it its definitive form.
After the death of St. Sahak (7 Sept. 438) M. was patriarchal vicar for six months and died on 7 Feb. 439.
Bibliography5 worksKorinu doctoris Mambre lectoris et Davidis Invicti opera, Venice 1833; M. Ciamcian, Storia armena, I, Venice 1781, pp. 483-84, 488, 489-95;
BIBL.: Korinu doctoris Mambre lectoris et Davidis Invicti opera, Venice 1833; M. Ciamcian, Storia armena, I, Venice 1781, pp. 483-84, 488, 489-95; Somalian Sukias, Quadro della storia letteraria di Armenia, Venice 1829, passim; Bardenhewer, V, pp. 197-202; Fendeklian Karnig, Vita di Mashtots (in Armenian), Jerusalem 1930.
Gianascian, Mesrob. “Mesrop (Mesrob, mastotz), santo.” In Enciclopedia Cattolica, vol. VIII, col. 757. Città del Vaticano: Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico, 1952. https://azioneromana.com/article/mesrop-mesrob-mastotz-santo.
MLA
Gianascian, Mesrob. “Mesrop (Mesrob, mastotz), santo.” Enciclopedia Cattolica, vol. VIII, Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico, 1952, col. 757. Azione Romana, https://azioneromana.com/article/mesrop-mesrob-mastotz-santo.
BibTeX
@incollection{ec8_mesrop_mesrob_mastotz_santo,
author = {Gianascian, Mesrob},
title = {Mesrop (Mesrob, mastotz), santo},
booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica},
volume = {VIII},
pages = {757},
note = {Cited by column},
publisher = {Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico},
address = {Città del Vaticano},
year = {1952},
url = {https://azioneromana.com/article/mesrop-mesrob-mastotz-santo}
}
One of some 20,000 entries brought back from the twelve printed volumes (1948–54). Spotted something? Help us improve it.
Click or scroll to zoom · drag to pan · Esc to close
