The Appendices to the Gospel according to Mark. "(fll 



The above arguments make out a fairly strong case for the Syriac 

 parentage of the Armenian version and prove, moreover, that a trans- 

 lation into the Armenian was made not later than the end of the fourth 

 century, and that very probably the earliest version is to be dated 

 as early as the early part of that century (So Conybeare and Kenyon). 



That the Armenian Church existed before the middle of the third 

 century we know from the statement of Eusebius that Dionysius, 

 bishop of Alexandria (248—265 A.D.), wrote a letter to the Armenians, 

 the name of whose bishop was Meruzanes. 



But while the origin of the Armenian version is obscure, we have 

 clear testimony to its revision, for after the council of Ephesus (431 

 A.D.) the disciples of Mesrop brought to their master "certain trust- 

 worthy Greek codices" from Constantinople, by which the earlier 

 translation was revised. Conybeare dates this revision at 439 A.D. 

 (H.D.B. I. p. 153.) 



The Greek text from which this revision was made was, so far as 

 can be determined, not the Antiochean but one akin to SB, for there 

 are but few readings in the Armenian which are not attested by SB 

 or by the Old Syriac, and these few may have arisen from later chance 

 corruptions (so Burkitt, Encycl. Bib. W. col. 5011). 



The Armenian MSS known are most of them late, the earliest seem- 

 ing to be in Moscow, dated 887. We have a few MSS of the tenth 

 and eleventh centuries containing the Gospels, but the remaining 

 books of the N.T. are rarely found in MSS before the end of the thir- 

 teenth century. 



Kenyon 's assertion that the late MSS are less trustworthy, being 

 affected by the introduction of the Vulgate into the East, is flatly 

 denied by Conybeare, who declares, "One codex of the Armenian 

 Bible differs very slightly from another." 



The testimony of the Armenian MSS concerning the longer ending 

 is most interesting and significant. It is scarcely found in MSS be- 

 fore the thirteenth century (Conybeare) and is wanting in half the 

 MSS since the time of the crusades (Martin, quoted by Zahn). When 

 Armenian MSS do contain the longer Ending, after the words corre- 

 sponding to IcpopouvTo yap there is written the colophon "Here ends 

 Mark's Gospel" (Martin declares that in addition to the subscription 

 there is a jagged line) and then after a pause, they continue with 

 vs. 9-20 (So Conybeare). We are further told (WH Notes p. 30) 

 that among the more ancient MSS some have suayYeXiov xa^a Mapxov 

 after v. 8 and again after v. 20. These verses are omitted in Zohrab's 

 edition of the Armenian (So Horner in his edition of the Sahidic 

 Gospels notes). 



