Faustus of Byzantium (also Faustus the Byzantine, hy, Փաւստոս Բուզանդ, translit=P'awstos Buzand) was an
Armenian
Armenian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent
** Armenian Diaspora, Armenian communities across the ...
historian of the 5th century. Faustus' ''History of the Armenians'' (also known as ''
Buzandaran Patmut'iwnk''') exists in four "books", beginning with Book 3 ("Beginning") and ending with Book 6 ("Ending"), which appears to be due to the work of a later editor of the surviving manuscript. The ''History'' describes events from the military, socio-cultural and political life of 4th-century Armenia. Pavstos describes in detail the reigns of
Arsaces (Arshak) II and his son
Papas (Pap), and portrays the
Mamikonians
Mamikonian or Mamikonean ( Classical hy, Մամիկոնեան; reformed orthography: Մամիկոնյան; Western Armenian pronunciation: ''Mamigonian'') was an aristocratic dynasty which dominated Armenian politics between the 4th and 8th c ...
as defenders par excellence of Armenia.
The identity of Pavstos and the referent of Buzand remain unsolved. Buzand is either interpreted as meaning "the Byzantine" or, alternatively, "composer of epics". If the latter interpretation is true, then ''Buzandaran'' could be translated as "Epic Histories." Faustus' ostensible Byzantine origin was placed under doubt by another early Armenian historian,
Ghazar Parpetsi
Ghazar Parpetsi ( hy, Ղազար Փարպեցի, translit=Łazar P῾arpec῾i) was a 5th to 6th century Armenian chronicler and historian. He had close ties with the powerful Mamikonian noble family and is most prominent for writing a history of ...
, who believed that the history attributed to Faustus was of too low quality to have been produced by someone educated in Byzantium. This view was shared by most later Armenian historians. Scholars have long speculated about Faustus' ethnic background (whether he was Armenian, Greek or of another ethnicity) and the original language of his ''History''.
Notes
Bibliography
Primary
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Secondary
* Ferguson, Everett; McHugh, Michael P.; Norris, Frederick W. (1990). ''Encyclopedia of Early Christianity.'' New York: Garland Publishing.
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External links
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English translation of the History of the Armenians*__NOTOC__
{{DEFAULTSORT:Faustus of Byzantium
5th-century Armenian historians
Byzantine people of Armenian descent