Reconsidering the Birthplace of the Oldest Romanian Translation of the Psalter: Moldavia or Mount Athos?

Abstract The Hurmuzaki Psalter occupies a central position among the earliest extant Romanian translations of the Psalter (15 th -16 th centuries) due to its archaic character and its role in shaping later versions. Yet, the origin of the earliest Romanian translation and the dating of the manuscript remain disputed. Recent studies place both of these in the 15 th century, either in Moldavia or within the Athonite milieu, in connection with Moldavian or Aromanian monks. This study critically reassesses these hypotheses by correlating historical, codicological and philological evidence to reconsider the context of production and transmission. It concludes that none of the proposed theories is fully convincing and that the question of origin and dating remains open.