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p. 702 Ancient Syriac Documents.


Moses of Chorene. 3291

History of Armenia.

I. 3292

Reign of Abgar; Armenia becomes completely tributary to the Romans; war with Herod’s troops; his brother’s son, Joseph, is killed.


At the same period there was trouble between Abgar and Herod:  for Herod wished that his statue should be erected near to that of Cæsar in the temples of Armenia.  Abgar withstood this claim.  Moreover, Herod was but seeking a pretext to attack Abgar:  he sent an army of Thracians and Germans to make an incursion into the country of the Persians, with orders to pass through the territories of Abgar.  But Abgar, far from submitting to this, resisted, saying that the emperor’s command was to march the troops into Persia through the desert.  Herod, indignant, and unable to act by himself, overwhelmed with troubles, as a punishment for his wicked conduct towards Christ, as Josephus relates, sent his nephew to whom he had given his daughter, who had been married in the first instance to Phéror, his brother.  Herod’s lieutenant, at the head of a considerable army, hastened to reach Mesopotamia, met Abgar at the camp in the province of Pouknan, fell in the combat, and his troops were put to flight.  Soon afterwards, Herod died: Archelaus, his son, was appointed by Augustus ethnarch of Judæa.



This extract is taken from the edition, in two volumes, printed at Paris, of which the following is the title:  MOÏSE, DE KHORÈNE, auteur du Ve Siècle:  HISTOIRE D’ARMÉNIE, texte Arménien et traduction Francaise, avec notes explicatives et précis historiques sur l’Arménie, par P. E. Le Vaillant de Florival.


Book ii. chapter. xxvi.

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