On Fish and Chalcedon: a Letter by Grigor Magistros Pahlawuni

This study presents a commented translation and analysis of Letter 16 (K74) by the 11th-century Armenian scholar Grigor Magistros Pahlawuni, addressed to Prince T‘oṙnik Mamikonean. The letter, one of four surviving in their correspondence, humorously reproaches the prince for failing to send a promised gift of fish. Beneath its playful tone and elaborate rhetoric, the text reveals Grigor’s mastery of Byzantine epistolography, his erudite use of Greek and Biblical references, and his familiarity with classical mythology and late antique sources such as Clement of Alexandria and Eusebius. The commentary explores Grigor’s language, intertextual allusions, and the cultural significance of food imagery—particularly fish—as a vehicle for theological reflection. The discussion links the letter’s culinary and mythological metaphors to contemporary debates over fasting and the Council of Chalcedon, contrasting Grigor’s anti-Chalcedonian stance with T‘oṙnik’s acceptance of Chalcedonian doctrine. The article demonstrates how a seemingly humorous exchange about fish encapsulates broader issues of religious identity, translation, and Greek-Armenian intellectual exchange in the early 11th century.