After this Xosrov Kotak ruled [A.D.
330-339], grandson of Xosrov, and son of the brave and virtuous
king Trdat [III, the Great, 303-330]. In [Xosrov's] day Gregory's
senior son Vrt'anes came and became the chief priest [sitting]
on the throne of his father, in place of his father and brother.
During the years of their [tenure in the land of Armenia] there
grew and multiplied peace and cultivation, population, health,
[g18] fertility, abundance of goods, profitability, great divine
worship and good, God-pleasing behavior. The blessed Vrt'anes
illuminated and led [the Armenians] as had his father and his
brother. Law and justice flourished in that age.
In that period Vrt'anes the archbishop
went to the Taron country where the great, first, and mother church
of Armenia was located. [It was here that] long ago, during the
days of the great chief-priest Gregory's miracles, the altars/idols
of the temples [ur nshanok'n eghelok' korcanec'an bagink' mehenic'n]
had been destroyed. Having gone [to Taron, Vrt'anes] performed
there, in accordance with his constant custom, a mass of thanksgiving
for the salvation provided by the [4] Lord's crucifixion, and
communion in memory of the torments of our lord Jesus Christ,
the son of God, Whose body and blood brought life and freedom.
For it was the custom of the archbishops of Armenia [translating
episkoposapet' as "archbishop", and k'ahanayapet
as "chief priest"] , together with the kings, grandees,
naxarars and lay multitude, to revere the same places which
previously had been the sites of the images of idols [or yarhaj
ein teghik' patkerac' krhoc'n] but subsequently had been sanctified
in the name of divinity, becoming houses of prayer and places
of pilgrimage for all. They were especially accustomed to assemble
in the principal church of the place and celebrate the memory
of the saints who had been there, on the seventh of the month of Sahmi
[Translator's note: The text reads ami ami ewt'n angam.
We translate according to the emendation of Norayr (also followed
by Malxasyanc') which substitutes Sahmi (the 3rd month of the
Armenian calendar=March) for ami.] The same custom was
adhered to even more in the great chapel of the prophet John;
in the chapels of the Lord's Apostolic students and in the martyriums
of heros [where] each year [people] gathered to joyously commemorate
their days [designated for observing] their habits, and the brave
deeds of their lives. Now on this occasion an event took place
when the great chief-priest Vrt'anes was going about with a few
[attendants] to perform the mass of blessing. Those people who
had retained the old pagan worship of idols in secret until that
time, had assembled together some 2,000 of [5] them, and planned
amongst themselves to kill God's chief priest Vrt'anes. The king's
wife had encouraged them somewhat in this [g19] since the blessed
[Vrt'anes] had reprimanded her for prostitute's behavior, for
secret adultery. They came and surrounded the great wall of the
church of Ashtishat, and while [Vrt'anes] was inside performing
the service, a large number of troops on the outside wanted to
shut him in and besiege him. But the arms of every man in the
brigade were drawn back upon their shoulders and miraculously
bound there without any [material] binding. Thus tied, bound and
defeated all of them (belonging to the world-devouring, world-destroying
evil-doing tohms and azgs of [pagan] priests) fell
to the ground speechless and unable to move from the spot. As
the mob was thus bound and massed on the church portico, Vrt'anes
himself emerged and inquired: "Who are you, whence do you
come, where are you going, and what do you want"? Then they
began to speak the truth and confessed: "We came to destroy
this place and to kill you, daring to do this by order of the
great queen of Armenia. But the Lord God revealed His strength
and showed us that He alone is God. And now we acknowledge and
believe that He alone is God. Thus we are now bound and unable
even to move from the place". The venerable Vrt'anes then
spoke words of doctrine and confirmed them in the faith of the
one Lord Jesus Christ, saying a great deal to them. Then he offered
prayes and asked God to heal and [6] release them from the invisible
bonds and the incredible confinement of torments. As soon as they
were freed from this they all fell before him and asked for the
medicine of repentance. [Vrt'anes] stipulated a time of atonement
for them. Having taught them the faith of the united holy Trinity,
he then baptized some 2,000 [men], to say nothing of their women
and children. Thus did he join them to the faith and released
them cleansed and believers. [g20]
In that period a great agitation arose
in the land of Armenia. For two great naxarars and princes,
holders of districts and lords of lands [gawarhakalk' ashxarhateark']
became each other's enemies and, with great rancour stirred up
a fight, warring with one another without justice. The prince
of the Manawazean tohm and the nahapet of the Orduni
tohm thus disturbed the great land of Armenia. They engaged
each other in great warfare and many people were killed. King
Xosrov and the great archbishop Vrt'anes sent the great and honorable
bishop Aghbianos into their midst to speak of reconciliation and
peace. The venerable Aghbianos went amongst them to correct and
subdue them and make them achieve reconciliation with each other.
But they dishonored him [7] and did not heed his intercession.
They ridiculed the man who had been sent to them, dispatched the
bishop with great insults, and took and ruined the royal tun.
Severely enraged they promptly commenced warring with each other.
With great anger and wrath the king sent against them Vach'e,
son of Artawazd, nahapet of the Mamikonean tohm,
from the azg of the sparapetut'iwn of Armenia, a
great general with his troops, to kill and destroy those two azgs.
The general Vach'e went and struck at those two azgs and
did not leave a single male child alive [ew och' t'oghoyr zerkoc'unc'
tohmac'n zorj koriwn ew och' mi]. Then he returned to king
Xosrov, the monarch of Armenia [arh ark'ayn Xosrov t'agaworn
Hayoc'], and to the archbishop Vrt'anes. And [the king] gave
to the bishop Aghbianos for the Church the awan and the
bun residential village of the nahapet of the Manawazean
[Ew et zawann ew zbun gahoyic' gewghn...], [namely] Manawazakert
with all of its borders and [g21] the small district lying about
them (which was in the area of the Euphrates river). They also
gave the bun village of the Ordunis (which was named Ordoru
whence came the bishop of Basen) with all of its borders. He himself
was from the Basen country [Translator's note: The text is corrupt:
Ew etun zbun gewghn Ordunwoc', oroy anun er Ordoru. usti episkopos
Basanu amenayn sahmanok' handerj, or ink'n isk e yerkrin Basanu.
Malxasyanc believes that the Orduni land was given to the bishop
of Basen.]
Vrt'anes and Aristakes were sons of
the great chief priest Gregory. Aristakes, who had been a pure
celebate from childhood, was first [after Gregory] to sit on the
patrimonial throne of the episcopate, despite the fact that he
was the younger son. Vrt'anes had been married, but was childless.
For a long time he beseeched God not to deprive him of the blessing
of a son a fruit of his own which he would place in the Lord's
service. In [Vrt'anes'] old age the Lord heard his prayers, his
wife became pregnant and bore twin sons. [Vrt'anes] named one
of them after his father Gregory, and the other, Yusik. They were
raised in the presence of the king of Armenia and they took care
to give them an education [ew usman groc' p'oyt' i veray usuc'anel
znosa]. Subsequently, the senior son, Grigoris, who was an
attractive virtuous individual, full of spiritual accomplishments
and knowledge of God, attained the episcopate of the areas of
Aghbania and Iberia [Georgia]. He did not marry, but already at
the age of fifteen became bishop of the land of Iberia and Aghbania,
that is to say, of the borders of the Mazk'ut'k'. Going there,
he rennovated the churches with luminous orders, resembling his
[grand]father Gregory in his actions.
[9] Tiran [339-350], son of king Xosrov,
raised Yusik. The king's son Tiran gave his daughter in marriage
to Yusik, son of Vrt'anes. His wife became pregnant after Yusik
(then still a lad) entered her on the first night. In a vision
[Yusik] saw as though it were reality that [his wife would bear]
two lads not suitable for the Lord God's service [g22] and he
regretted his marriage. He wept and beseeched God and did penance
with great tribulation. It was the king who had forced him as
a lad to marry. But this was also accomplished by God's will,
since in the future he had to provide principal shepherds who
must serve the Apostolic commands for the benefit of the land
and the profit of serving the churches [i shah mshakut'ean
ekeghec'eac']. But after that one evening, he did not couple
with his wife again. [Later] his wife bore twins as he had forseen
in the vision; they named the first Pap and the second At'anagines.
With his boyish virtue, after coupling
with his wife that one night, he did not approach her again. It
was not that he regarded marriage as an evil thing, but rather,
he had doubts because of the vision he had seen, [wondering] why
such despicable children should issue from him. For he had not
wanted [ordinary] earthly children, but such who would stand in
service to the lord God. In general [Yusik] scorned every mundane
thing [10] regarding as good, not the transitory, but the sublime.
He wanted to look upon divine life. He regarded serving Christ
as the only good and glorious thing, and ignored such things as
the king's affection or honor and exaltation from him, or the
relationship of being the king's son-in-law. He turned his back
and rejected all of that, considering it foreign, loathesome and
illusory. Following that first incident he was no longer tricked
as a lad might be, but having received his patrimonial intellect
and the wisdom of an old man, he wisely tended toward the immortal.
He regarded insults [borne] for Christ preferable to the greatness
of kings. He chose for himself an ascetic life and from the age
of twelve he was virtuous. He resembled his fathers and followed
the example of his brother [g23] Gregory. To the end of his life
he bore the Christian yoke without any obstruction.
However the tun of the king was
angered at him. While his father-in-law was dishonoring hin for
[ignoring his wife], his wife died, and Yusik was freed from his
father-in-law [ew minch' derh vasn aynorik zzuein zna anerk'
nora, merhaw kin nora. Azateal liner Yusik i yaneroyn]. When
[Yusik] was worrying about the children, the issue of his marriage,
and was praying to the Lord, the Lord's angel appeared to him
in a vision and said: "Yusik, [grand]son of Gregory, fear
not. [11] For the Lord has heard your prayers. Behold, other children
will be born from your children, and they will be illuminators
of the land of Armenia [hayastan ashxarhis] and fountains
of spiritual wisdom. The graces of God's commandments will flow
from them and the Lord will grant through them much peace, and
the construction and establishment of many churches, with great
triumph and power. And many misguided [folk] will be turned onto
the path of Truth. Through them Christ will be glorified in many
languages [orov K'ristos bazum lezuok' p'arhaworesc'i nok'ok'].
They will be pillars of the churches, dispensers of the word of
Life, foundations of the faith, servants of Christ, and satellites
of the holy Spirit. For where the foundation of a structure is,
there the pinnacle will be found. By their cultivating hands many
fruit-bearing, profitable and useful plants will be planted in
the spiritual garden and be blessed by God. Those who do not want
to be planted by them and be watered by the spiritual dew of knowledge,
will be cursed and rejected, and their end will be in the burning
fires [of Hell]. For the sake of the Lord they will frequently
be subjected to the spite and envy of unworthy people. But they
will remain unmoved in the faith, as a rock, and will conquer
[the unworthy] with much patience. After them will reign falseness,
unbridled, self-indulgent, lovers of silver [12] cheaters, untrustworthy
despicable liars and slanderers, such that very few people will
remain who will be able to hold firmly the covenant of the faith".
When the lad Yusik heard all of [g24] this from the angel, with
great consolation he thanked the Lord God Who made him worthy
of such a revealed answer. And every day of his life he ceaselessly
gave thanks.
As regards bishop Grigoris (Vrt'anes'
son and Yusik's brother), he became the kat'olikos of the
Iberian and Aghbanian areas, occupying this office while he too
was still a lad. He built and rennovated all the churches of those
parts, extending into the districts of the Atrpatakan area. He
preached the truth of faith in Christ and appeared miraculous
and amazing before everyone with his severe, unbearable ascetical
conduct, keeping fasts, with his clean life, sleepless vigils
and ceaseless fervent prayers to the Lord God, for all people.
With the grace of God he perfectly conducted the Apostolic course
and superindencency of the blessed Church, taking care, encouraging
and exhorting everyone to goodness, with day and evening fasts
and prayers, inspiring everyone near and far with spiritual zeal,
supplications and perfect faith. Like a heroic warrior he trained
and kept himself ready for all sorts of trials and sorrows, so
[13] that he be able to emerge from every battle boldly [triumphant]
for the true faith of Christ.
When [Grigorisj had reformed and rennovated
all the churches in those parts, he reached the camp [ehas
na mich'ew i chambar banakin] of the Arsacid king of the the
Mazk'ut'k' named Sanesan. The Armenian kings and [the Mazk'ut'k']
kings were relatives, of the same tohm [K'anzi ew noc'a
ew Hayoc't'agaworac'n mi azgaworut'iwn er tohmin bnut'ean],
[Grigoris] went and [g25] presented himself to the king of the
Mazk'ut'k', the prince of a multitude of Honk' troops. In their
presence he began preaching Christ's Gospel to them, saying: "Recognize
God". At first they listened and accepted this. But subsequently
they began to examine the faith of Christ and learned from [Grigoris]
that God despised looting, ravaging, killing, greed, depriving
others, eating others [zayloc' kerut'iwn] and coveting
other people's goods. When they learned these facts they grew
angry at his words and said: "If we do not ravage, do not
loot, do not take the belongings of others, how will such a huge
multitude of troops as we live" ? Although [Grigoris] wanted
to win their hearts with a myriad of goodly words, they in no
way wanted to listen, but rather said to each other: "He
has come with such words to deprive us of [14] the bravery of
the hunt and to destroy our lives. If we should listen to him
and convert to the Christian faith, how will we live, for we will
be unable to mount a horse according to the natural laws of our
customs. This is the plan of the king of Armenia who has sent
him to us in order to stop our pillaging expeditions from going
to his land, by means of this teaching. Come, let us eliminate
him [ekayk' zsa pakasec'usc'uk' i mijoy], go invade Armenia,
and fill up our land with booty".
The king listened to the words of his
troops and changed his mind. Taking a wild horse, they bound the
lad Grigoris, tied him to the horse's tail and let the horse run
free, across the plain which borders the great northern sea outside
their camp, in the Vatneay plain. Thus did they kill the virtuous
preacher of Christ, the lad Grigoris. Those who had accompanied
[Grigoris] from the district of Haband, took his body and brought
it to their district, Haband, on the border of Armenia, in the
Aghbanian area, to the village called Amaraz, They placed him
by the church which had been built by Grigoris' grandfather, the
first Gregory, the great chief priest of the country of Armenia
[ashxarhin Hayastan erkrin]. Every year the people of the
districts of those lands assembled there and commemorated with
joy the feast in honor of his bravery.[g26]
In that period Sanesan, king of the
Mazk'ut'k', grew unbelievably rancorously angry at his relative,
Xosrov, king of Armenia. He assembled all the troops of Honk'
and P'oxs, T'awaspars, Hechmataks, Izhmaxs, Gat's and Gghuars,
Gugars, Shch'bs and Chghbs and Baghaschs and Egersuans [The editors
recommend emending this to Egerac'woc' (Suaneanc') p. 27
n.1], with a multitude of other rabble, a countless army of nomadic
troops many of which he himself ruled. He crossed his border,
the great Kur river, and came and filled up the country of the
land of the Armenians. There was no counting the multitude of
[his] cavalry brigades or the infantry troops armed with spears
[shertawor hetewak zorun], and indeed, they themselves
were unable to count their own men. But when they came to some
notable spot and held a review by brigade, banner, and battalion
[gndi gndi, droshu droshu, vashtuc' vashtuc'], they ordered
that each man carry a stone, bring it and place it [to make] a
mound. However many stones there were would represent the number
of the multitude and this would remain for the future and awesome
symbol of bygone days. On intersecting points along the road they
left such symbols. They came and covered the entire country of
Armenia. [16] They demolished, enslaved and generally destroyed,
spreading through the borders as far as the small city of Satagh
[i p'ok'r k'aghak'ikn Sataghu], and as far as Ganjak in
the borders of Atrpatakan. They went to one designated place in
the Ayraratean district, where they assembled as one large army.
Xosrov, king of Armenia, eluded his
brothers, as well as [g27] Sanesan, king of the Mazk'ut'k' [Ew
xoys et t'agaworn Hayoc' Xosrov yiwrme eghbarc'n, noyn i Sanesanay
yark'ayen Mazk't'ac']. Taking the aged archbishop of Armenia
Vrt'anes with him, they went to the secure Darewnic' fortress
in the Kovg country. There they began to fast and to beseech God
to save them from such a bitter executioner. This they asked of
the Lord God. But [Sanesan] held and tyrranized over the entire
country for about a year. Then Vach'e (son of Artawazd) of the
Mamikonean tohm arrived, the general of all of Greater
Armenia. In that period he had gone on a long journey to the Byzantine
areas. He assembled all the bravest of the naxarars, organized
a very large brigade, and fell upon the [enemy] army at the time
of the morning worship. [Sanesan's men] were encamped on the mountain
called C'lu glux [Bull's Head]. [Vach'e] put them all to
the sword, not leaving anyone alive, and returned with a multitude
of captives. Then he collected the loot and descended into the
plain of the Ayraratean district. He went [17] and located Sanesan,
king of the Mazk'ut'k' with his main brigade [bun gndawn],
an inestimable, countless number of troops, in the city of Vagharsapat.
Vach'e took [his] brigade and suddently attacked the city, and
the Lord betrayed it into his hands.
When [the enemy] saw that [Vach'e] had
attacked them, they fled from the city on the rough road leading
to Oshakan fortress thinking that the desert and rocky places
would serve them as a refuge. There was an extremely severe battle.
The comrades--in-arms of the general of Armenia were:
Bagrat Bagratuni,
Mehundak and Garegin Erheshtunik'
Vahan, nahapet of the Amatunik'
tohm,
and Varaz Kaminakan.
They struck and killed the troops of
Alans, Mazk'ut'k', Honk' and other peoples, filling the rocky
plain with the corpses of the dead. An incredible amount of blood
coursed like a river, and there was no counting the dead troops.
They chased the few survivors before them as far as the land of
the Baghaschs, and they brought the head of the great king Sanesan
to the king of Armenia. [g28] [18] but when [Xosrov] saw this,
he began to weep, saying: "He was my brother, of the Arshakuni
azg". Then the king and the great archbishop of Armenia
came to the site of the battle where they viewed the corpses of
those who had been slain. The country stank with the stench of
the dead bodies. They ordered that irregular troops be called
up from the landl and that the slain be covered with rocks so
that the country not be polluted from the smell of the corpse's
bones [zi mi i sharawoy hotoyn merheloti oskerac'n erkirn pghcesc'i].
Then the country relaxed in peace for a full year. Thus was vengeance
exacted for saint Grigoris from king Sanesan and from his army.
None of them survived. Not a single one.
When the country of Armenia had been
calmed for awhile, Xosrov, king of Armenia ordered that gifts
be given to the brave men who had labored for him and [had been
willing to exchange their lives for the land of Greater Armenia
in all battles of the war. To general Vach'e he gave the sources
of [the] Janjanak [zakans Janjanakin], and Jrabashxik'
and C'lu glux [mountain] with all of its small [19] districts.
Similarly he gave very great gifts to the other naxarars,
He ordered his general to dig up many young trees, to bring wild
hazel-nut trees of the forests [hanel xashar yashxarhen bazum.
[Xashar appears only in P'awstos.] ew berel zvayreni
kaghin mayreac'] and plant them in the district of Ayrarat,
beginning from the secure royal fortress called Garhni and extending
to the plain of Mecamor to the hill called Duin which is on the
north side of the great city of Artashat. Thus they planted hazel-nut
trees south of the river as far as the Tiknuni palace [zgetn
xonarh minch'ew yaparansn Tiknuni]. He called this the Tachar
[Temple] forest. South of this in a reedy area [? Ew miws i
mayreac'n yeghegnaberanin i nmane i harawakoys lc'in zdashtn kaghnatun
tnkov...] they [g29] filled up the plain with another hazel-nut
forest, which they named Xosrovakert. There they built royal palaces,
walling and shutting in both sites, nor were the two [areas] joined
by a road, The forest[s] grew tall. Then the king ordered that
all kinds of game and wild beasts [zamenayn eres ew zgazans]
be gathered and placed behind the walls so that [the forests]
be places for diversionary hunting and pleasure in his kingdom.
General Vach'e immediately implemented what the king said.
[20] While [Xosrov] was involved with
planting the forests, unexpectedly bad news reached him from Her
and Zarawand district [yankarcaki guzhkan hasaner arh Xosrov
i Her ew i Zarawand gawarh. Malxasyanc' believes the text
is corrupt and believes the last word should be "gawarhe".]
saying that the Iranian troops are preparing to come to make war
on him. Then king Xosrov commanded Databe, nahapet of the
Bznunik', to call up a larger than usual number of irregular troops
from the land and with the muster of troops of the Matenik brigade
[Hraman et...gugaz nahel yashxarhe aweli k'an zch'ap'n. ew
zhamar zorsn matenik gndawn end arhaj noc'a xaghal... The
expression gugaz hanel appears on p. 29 also and apparently
in no other source], to go in advance of them and to strike at
and block the enemy. Databe went before the Iranian troops with
the multitude of Armenian troops. But when Databe arrived, he
made a plan of unity with the princes of the Iranian troops and
wanted to betray his lord, the king of Armenia, into their hands.
He ordered the enemy to ambush his own troops, to have his own
men put to the sword. Suddenly, in an unexpected fashion 40,000
Armenian troops were destroyed, while the other [surviving] troops
fled. The criminal Databe took the Iranian troops and wanted to
fall on the king of Armenia. Dut the fleeing troops quickly reached
the army of the king of Armenia bearing the bad news of the unbelievable
destruction which had occurred, and the crime of betrayal of the
impious Databe.
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