Traduire Grégoire de Nazianze en syriaque. Choix lexicaux et enjeux philologiques dans les deux versions syriaques conservées du Discours sur le philosophe Héron (Oratio 25)

Abstract

Gregory of Nazianzus’ Oration 25, delivered in 380 in Constantinople, is a panegyric de- dicated to the philosopher Maximus the Cynic (Heron). This Greek text has come down to us in Armenian and Georgian translations, as well as in Syriac, the latter preserved in two dis- tinct forms: an early version (S1), dated to the fifth or sixth century, and a later version (S2), produced by Paul of Edessa in 623–624. The aim of this article is to examine how the Greek terms were rendered in Syriac, highlighting the divergences between these two translations.

Lexical discrepancies are recorded in a table that specifies, for each Greek term, its exact reference in the Patrologia Graeca (PG 25, col. 1197 A – 1225 B), together with the equiva- lents proposed by S1 and S2. The subsequent analysis focuses on a selection of terms, compa- ring, where relevant, their treatment in other Orations already published in Syriac. The study concludes with an attempt to systematize the lexical choices made by the translators, in order to identify the principles underlying their translation strategies.