The Vita Silvestri and Its Armenian Versions in the Context of the Apostolic Foundation of the Patriarchates and Papacy

Shirinian, Manya Erna · 2024

Examines the diffusion of the Greek and Armenian versions of the Vita beati Silvestri, a text Shirinian argues has been consistently underestimated. She shows how these versions are entangled with larger questions, above all the claim of apostolic foundation for the papacy and for the patriarchates. The Vita also fed later forgeries built on its content, including the Donation of Constantine and the Armenian Letter of Love and Concord. She concludes that the textual tradition around Sylvester remains an unresolved question that can only be settled by taking all surviving versions, Armenian included, into account.

Citation checked against the publisher's record on 2026-07-13.