The Church, for its part, stood loyally
behind the Mamikoneans. Not only does the cleric Ghazar make Vardan,
Hmayeak, Vasak, and Vahan into saints, but he openly expresses
the Church's gratitude in at least two passages. Thus the captive
Ghewondean priests courageously told Yazdgard II, "We are
Vardan's vardapets and we supported and encouraged him
in everything (159)". When Vahan returned from Iran to Armenia
as marzpan, sparapet, and lord of the Mamikoneans, he was
met by Catholicos Yovhan bearing the Cross and the relics of St.
Gregory, who is called Vahan's ancestor (160). At a church service
soon afterward, Yovhan read to an overflowing congregation, including
Vahan, the fitting passages in Kings concerning Solomon's coronation
by David (161). One feels very strongly that the Armenian Church
is metaphorically anointing the country's new "king"--Vahan.
Though military men, both Vardan and
Vahan are compassionate, noble in war and peace. When, for example,
Vardan comes upon Ira nian warriors unprepared for battle near
Tghmut in Ayrarat, he does not attack (162). Later, during battle,
he tells his brother, the rear-guard Hamazaspean, not to compel
the troops to fight or forcibly prevent desertion (163). Vardan
frets about the sons of Vasak Siwni and Ashusha, the bdeshx
held hostage in Iran (164), just as later Vahan fears for the
safety of his younger brother Vard, also a hostage in Iran (165).
Caring for the welfare of the poor is said to be Vahan's custom
and he does it fre- quently throughout his rebellion (166). Furthermore,
Vardan and Vahan are also shown as democratic leaders. Thus in
Albania, Vardan seems to ask his men's advice before engaging
in battle (167). Vahan refuses to negotiate with Nixor Vshnaspdat's
representatives in private. Instead he bids the envoys to "speak
out before all the soldiers (168)". He insists that the
demands made of Valash are not his demands, but the demands of
his men (169).
P' arpec' i's History contains
a defense of the Mamikonean family. Part of this defense is entrusted
to Vardan and Vahan who denounce the naxarars as untrustworthy
and unappreciative. The History also contains Ghazar's
own defense of the Mamikoneans. For example, when the bdeshx
Ashusha obtained from Mihr Nerseh and Yazdgard II the right to
raise Hmayeak Mamikonean's children, Ghazar denounces Ashusha
and makes him seem as ridiculous as possible (170). Similarly,
P'arpec'i defends the young Mamikonean princes Vahan, Vasak, and
Artashes from the attacks of jealous naxarars (171).
P'arpec'i equates the Mamikoneans with
the highest Iranian nobility (or the monarchy) in a variety of
ways. First he establishes Mamikonean primacy in Armenian affairs.
In I..8, where King Arshak flees to the west, P'arpec'i writes
that the Arsacid family is no longer worthy of Ayrarat. Who then
is worthy of Ayrarat? Ghazar does not say. But some of his statements
imply that power in Armenia belongs to the Mamikoneans who, though
not Arsacids, were part of the old royal court and have inherited
Armenia in the absence of the land's bnik ters. He is very
careful to stress, in speeches placed in the mouths of both Vardan
and Vahan, the hoary association of the Mamikoneans with Armenian
affairs. The sparapets say that their family's history
is known to the naxarars from writings (172); and the
naxarars trying to persuade Vardan to convert allude to
these old histories (173). Valash made Vahan sparapet
"according to the law of his ancestors" (174). In the
absence of Armenia's bnik ters, the family with the oldest
claims to participate in Armenia's affairs is the Mamikonean.
They are like the kings. Ghazar implies this again in his description
of Vahan's military maneuvers around Erez, for at that city "everyone
obeyed Vahan as though he were king (175). In the absence of
Arsacid royalty then, the Mamikonean family has become the royalty
to Ghazar. As Armenian royalty, or at least the highest nobility,
the Mamikoneans may always interact with the Iranian nobility
on terms of equality.
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