I’ve translated three-quarters of Agapius. Today I completed the first fifty pages of the remaining portion. Each portion is around 150 pages, so still some way to go here. I will prepare the next chunk of 50 pages at the weekend and carry on.
Mind you, I got to the end of this chunk with relief! Agapius is unbelievably verbose. He talked about one event of biblical history — the reign of Athaliah — FOUR TIMES, saying the same thing in different words again and again. By the fourth time, I was ready to scream.
I now understand why so many historical works from Byzantine times onwards are published only in a truncated form, omitting the earlier legendary or biblical material that appears endlessly in them all. Who could face wading through this tripe?
Dear Roger,
Hope you are enjoying your holiday and the heat!
When you come back, could you please update us on the stage you have reached in your translation of Agapius? Are you translating the bit that talks about the appearance of Islam up to the second year of the Caliphate of Mahdi?
I wish that I *were* on holiday — I’m working in these temperatures!
Agapius is in 4 parts, in the Patrologia Orientalis edition. The end of part 2 and start of part 3 deal with the life of Christ.
I’ve translated parts 3, 4 and 1 completely. I’m about half way through part 2. So yes, I have done the bits on Islam.
I should get some holiday in July and will finish Agapius then — I am determined on it. It isn’t hard, but I’ve been distracted by the chance to make progress on my Greek translator programme.
Thanks, Roger.
🙂
Are the parts you have done online?
I mean the bits after 622 AD.
None of it is yet online. When I’ve reached the end, I need to go through it all and make sure it’s OK, add page numbers etc. The stuff I did first was a bit ragged and will need some work doing on it. (The Islamic stuff will probably be fine). It will all go online when I’m ready.