[The following] are the princes who
had gone to Vaghes, the emperor of Byzantium from the great king
Arshak, from the land of Armenia:
The great archbishop of Armenia, Nerses
himself,
the great nahapet of the Mamikonean
tohm, named Vardan the brother of this great stratelate
of Armenia, named Vasak (they were the dayeaks and nourishers
of king Arshak),
Mehen, the nahapet of Rhshtunik',
Meharh, the nahapet of Anjewac'
ik',
Garjoyl Maghaz, the nahapet of
Xorhxorunik',
Mushk, the nahapet of Saharhunik',
Demet, the nahapet of Gnt'unik',
Gishken, the nahapet of Bagenk',
Surik, the nahapet of Hesijor,
Vrken, the nahapet of Habuzhenk'.
These [individuals] went to the emperor
Vaghes in an embassy [to confirm] affection and unity. But emperor
Vaghes detained and exiled the great chief priest Nerses, releasing
in his place king Arshak's nephews (brother's sons), Gnel and
Tirit'. [Vaghes] also sent much, inestimable treasure to placate
the mind of king Arshak, entrusting this to Vardan and those with
him, The emissaries who had left the emperor came to king Arshak
of Greater Armenia [102] presenting him with the emperor's hrovartak
and with it a document of displeasure and accusation. For the
emperor had written to Arshak, the king of Armenia about the blessed
Nerses, saying that he had killed his only son, and therefore
had been arrested. "And so that you will not in any way blame
us, accept the two freed hostages, the brother's sons of Arshak,
Gnel and Tirit'". [The emissaries] also Iaid before the king
countless treasures of wealth [Unein ew zant'iw karasi ganjuc'n
arhaji t'agaworin].
Now when king Arshak heard and saw alI
of this, he was ungrateful to the giver and to the bearers of
the wealth. He was [g113] moved to intense anger against the emperor,
[wondering] how he dared to detain a man [such as Nerses], great
and honorable, the head, vardapet, and leader of the land
and realm. He said: "[May] many rocks [fall] upon the emperor
and upon you, the bearers. We too have many rocks with which to
knock out your teeth and his. How can I stand this wickedness
done to us? Now I will repay him for this favor". He commanded
Vasak, his general to assemble a force, to organize brigades,
and to go and loot the Cappadocian areas [Tayr hraman Vasakay
iwrum zoravarin zor zhoghovel, zgunds bovandakel, (one ms.
has vandakel) elanel harkanel ew awar arhnul zkoghmans
Gamrac'] . [103] The general and sparapet Vasak immediately
implemented the orders given him; he assembled in one place some
260,000 troops, and looted the Cappadocian areas as far as the
city of Ankura [harkaner awar arhnoyr zkoghmans Gamrac' minch'ew
I k'aghak'n yankurac'woc']. For six years, one after the other,
he destroyed the land on the borders of Byzantium. They filled
up with much loot and diverse sorts of greatness, visiting upon
those areas violence with great, intense emnity [Lc'an awaraw
bazmaw ew pespes mecut'eamb, brhnut'eamb sastiw mecaw tshnamut'eamb
end koghmans end aynosik].
This man, Xad, was a native of the Karin
district, from the village of Marag. He had been raised by the
archbishop Nerses and nourished before him. He displayed mental
quickness, prominence in the faith, in his position he was trustworthy
in all things, especially displaying love for the Church of God.
Then the blessed Nerses also entrusted him with superintendency
of [g114] the poor [apa aghk'atac' ews tesch'ut'iwn i srboyn
Nersese sma hawatac'aw]. In this too he revealed his special
consideration.
Now before the archbishop Nerses left
on his journey to the country of Byzantium, he ordained this Xad
into the episcopate of [104] Bagrawand and Arsharunik'. He left
him as his locum tenens and departed. Meanwhile the entire
land of Armenian language was plunged into mourning over the loss
of their shepherd and leader, who had left them: in the different
districts and regions and areas, the grandees, holders of lands,
lords of districts, nahapets, chiefs of the azgs,
the entire covenant of the priesthood, and the united assembly
of the people [Isk ashxarh amenayn Hayoc' lezuin, i gawarhac'
gawarhac', koghmanc' koghmanc', tegheac' tegheac' mecameck' ashxarhakalk'
gawarhateark' nahapetk' mecazgeac'k' ew amenayn uxt k'ahanayut'ean,
zhoghovk' miabanakan zhoghovrdoc'n...]. The blessed bishop
Xad commanded the entire land to pray and supplicate [God] that
the holy Nerses be returned to them. And the entire period that
he was in detention, the people prayed for him with fasting. Xad
led them in everything in no way inferior than their natural shepherd,
Nerses, until his return, until the Lord fulfilled the requests
of the land and returned the blessed Nerses to his place.
In that period, Arshak, the king of
Armenia, did not traverse the path of God, to any great extent.
Just as in his childhood he had acted in accordance with divine
wisdom, so to the same extent as an adult he was mired in debauched
lewdness [noynch'ap' yawagut'eann i lknut'ean i shaghashatut'ean
hataw]. [105] Although the blessed shepherd Xad reprimanded
and reproached [him] many times, he was ignored. In that period
the king built himself a dastakert in the so-called valley
of the district of Kog [Zaynu zhamanakaw shineac' iwr ark'ayn
dastaker . [Nerses] offered many thanks to God that he found his
spiritual son Xad [had acted] as he had wanted, in accordance
with his wishes. He found him as he wished. But when Xad told
him about all the impieities and the crooked path of wickednees
that the king had travelled, he was saddened and mourned and wept,
lamenting with excess and with very deep sighs [trtmer layr
oghbayr ew kocer mecamec hececanok']. [He was concerned] especially
about the city of Arshakawan, since it had been built with impiety,
wickedness, ravishment, and many sins.
So the blessed patriarch Nerses went
to the king and spoke with him, saying: "Why have you forgotten
the Lord and abandoned His commandments, the Creator Who created
everything out of nothing, the Father of orphans and the judge
for widows, Who for our sake [111] descended into poverty, Who
does not abandon the poor but in His humanity has nourished them?
God is the righteous judge, the mighty, the broad-minded Who heeds
all the downtrodden and accepts no contempt. How and why did you
dare to scorn His commandments? Was your father not betrayed into
ruination for such impudence? But you still have not remembered
Him Who did not recall the sins of your father, but placed you
in his position, that is [granting] you your father's throne and
crown, But you have begun to be impious before the Lord your God
and dare to openly boast as you relate your impudence, impiety
and injustice so like that of the Sodomites. The entire country
is weeping and lamenting for those dispossessions and ravishments
by which you wanted to grow great. You were not satiated by the
great and extensive abundance of the realms given to you by Christ,
the Lord of all [ew och' yagec'oyc' zk'ez mec ew bazum t'agaworut'eanc'n
yghp'ut'iwnk'n zor etn k'ez ter amenayni K'ristos]. [g119]
Now heed what I tell you and do it to
try to preserve yourself and spare yourself from the wrath of
God. Let not the wretched land of Armenia be lost because of you.
For I have seen in a vision that destruction and demolition is
about to come over the ruined land of Armenia. Now command that
that place [Arshakawan], [112] be completely demolished, and that
the people whom you aesembled be dispersed to their own places,
and that each return what he owes, so that you will not be plunged
into the depths of wicked anger and be destroyed. As for the sins
which you have committed we will command all the land to fast
and supplicate for you and we shall enter into atonement with
you. Who knows, maybe the Lord will forgive the unbelievable sins
which you have committed. If you are so desirous of having that
place [Arshakawan], I myself will [re]build it with justice, and
keep it flourishing before you".
Now the king ridiculed and scoffed at
the kat'oghikos' words. But [Nerses] becoming even angrier,
repeated: "Know, oh king, that all of this was prophesied
by the prophets of God, saying: "Woe is him who builds his
house, not with justice, and constructs the upper story not with
right", and "They will lament as a proverb, saying,
woe to him who greedily seizes what is not his, for if they be
beautiful and very great houses, they will turn to ruin, and no
human will dwell in them. Rather, they will be pasture for flocks,
resting places for beasts, dens for wild animals, lairs for hyenas,
rabits, and foxes, nests for cranes and ravens, and fields for
sowing. Thus will the works of your hand be ruined, and not be
[re]built, and all the impious inhabitants will perish in them.
They will become resting places for oxen, pasture for [113] onagers,
and foxes will enter and exit their floors. They will not be [re]built
nor inhabited for eternity".
So spoke the patriarch Nerses. He left
the king and went and circulated throughout the districts of [his]
pupillage, arranging, correcting and confirming the churches in
[g120] all the districts of Armenia. Three days after the venerable
Nerses had spoken these words the Lord subjected the town of Arshakawan
to misfortunes [matneac' ter zgewghak'aghak'n zArshakawann
i jerhs haruacoc'n]. Ulcers, or what others call pestilence
started to afflict [the inhabitants] appearing on people and animals
[Ew sksaw harkanel zor ch'arakeghn imn koch'en, isk kesk'n
zhand anuanen]. These tribulations were visited upon them
no more than three days, until [the city] was devoid of people.
Of 20,000 households not a single person remained alive [k'an
zk'san hazark' satakec'an erdk' mardkan]. For they all perished
and were destroyed suddenly, and death was general.
After this the king hinself sought out
the patriarch Nerses. Finding him, [Arshak] requested that he
offer prayers for him lest he too perish (for he was quite terrified).
Then [114] the archbishop Nerses began to speak with the king,
saying: "Because the righteous and the sinners are mixed
together in this land, the sinners are temporarily spared because
of the righteous. It is because of the righteous that the lives
of the sinners are prolonged in this land. Just as the weed, sown
by the enemy in the midst of clean grain, grows
together with it and is spared (so that in plucking out the weed
the grain is not also pulled out), so the weed, as the grain is
temporarily nourished by the dew, the rain, irrigation, warmth,
and the bright light of the sun. So it will continue until harvest
time when the harvest of grain is reaped and gathered into the
grainneries of the Kingdom, while the weed is thrown into eternal
fire and burned. This reaping takes place at the end of time [g121]
when the Son of God will come and will order the heavenly mshaks
who descend Him, to harvest all those who have reposed in the
grave and [at that time] come forth.Then will He choose. The righteous,
like the grain, He will take with Him to the Kingdom while the
sinners, like the weed, He will order cast into the eternal inextinguishable
fires.
"Now you, even before the harvest
has begun, weeded the tares from the grain, and prematurely gathered
them without the grain. And so prematurely the fire came and destroyed
the weeds [115] which were gathered together. But beware lest
you and this land be destroyed on your account". The king,
on bended knees, beseechingly requested that [Nerses] be reconciled
with him, and he made a vow that he would never again deviate
from [Nerses'] word.
Now the mardpet Hayr was a man,
more wicked and foul morally more impious and unjust than the
previous mardpets, styled "Hayr" ["Father"]
[Ew er mardpetn Hayr ayr ch'ar ew zhant baroyiwk', anoren ew
aniraw k'an zarajin Hayr anun mardpetsn]. It was he who destroyed
all the azgs of naxarars in the period of the reign of king Tiran;
and similarly, during the reign of Arshak, he committed even more
evils toward everyone than anyone[had]. Now he went and circulated
about his mardpetut'iwn, and Hayr mardpet descended
into the district of Taron to see his villages [apa ekn ej
Hayr mardpet i gawarhn Taronoy end iwr gewghsn tesanel].
At that time the blessed Nerses was
circulating about his own [area] of authority [Zayn zhamanakaw
surbn Nerses shrjer end iwr jerhakan ishxanut'iwnsn]. For
they held those fifteen districts under [g122] their personal
authority as sephakan, naturally [zi hngetasan gawarh
zayn jerhakan ishxanut'ean unein ibrew sephakan i bnme]; they
had been stipulated as their's privately. And the principal of
those [116] districts were these:
Ayrarat,
Daranaghe,
Ekegheac',
Taron,
Bznunik',
Cop'k',
and what was within and around them
[ew or mej noc'a ew or shurj znok'ok']. Now when Hayr mardpet
went to circulate about his principality, the blessed kat'oghikos
Nerses had also gone to that foremost place where Gregory had
built the first church and the tombs of the martyrs to perform
the memorial [services] for the saints. It happened that Hayr
mardpet was crossing those places and wanted to go to the
blessed places of Ashtishat to pray and to receive a greeting
from the holy archbishop Nerses. They prayed and greeted each
other. Then the blessed patriarch Nerses ordered that a meal be
prepared for those who had arrived. While they were preparing
something befitting his senior status [? Ew minch' derh nok'a
patrastein inch' est nma arzhani awagoren spas], [Hayr] went
for a walk from the episcopal residence to the chapels of the
saints, strolling in the large and beautiful [117] place. When
he saw the beauty of those places, its lofty elevation and the
view which stretched out below (which was very captivating), he
placed [his] evil eye on it.
Then the eunuch [returned], entered
[the dining room], sat down and began eating and drinking. When
he was good and drunk he started speaking arrogantly and presumptuously.
He insulted king Trdat, and the dead and living Armenian kings
of the Arshacid azg , race, and tohm [azgi ew
taki ew tohmi arshakuneac' t'agaworac'n Hayoc']. He said:
"Why were such places as these given not to men, but to people
wearing women's dress"? Scorning and deriding the holy places,
he continued: "We shall demolish these places, for a royal
mansion should be built here. And if I, Hayr mardpet, return alive
to the king, I will replace what is here, remove the people here,
and construct a royal chamber" [or inch' ast ic'e, zayn
i bac' p'oxec'ic'. ew or ast ic'en, ase, znosa hanic', ew zteghis
ark'uni seneak kazmec'ic']. [g123]
When the blessed archbishop heard this,
he said: "Our Lord Jesus Christ first chose this place to
bear His name, by which name everyplace is glorified together
with His Father and the Holy Spirit. He commanded [us] not to
covet or desire the belongings [118] of another. Now whoever greedily
desires and covets what has been dedicated to Him, that person
will not achieve what he has threatened; rather, his many sins
will hinder the intention". After this Hayr mardpet
left the holy places, and descended to the banks of the Euphrates
river, in a valley dense with forests of wild-plum trees, near
the confluence of two rivers where in ancient times Sanatruk the
king had built the city named Mcurk'.
Now when he reached this place the judgement
of the Lord's anger was visited upon the impious Hayr for his
deeds and words. He was betrayed into the hands of a man named
Shawasp, a remnant of the Arcrunik' azg. While [Hayr]
was seated in a wagon and was travelling on the road, Shawasp
approached and began to tell the mardpet a fictitious story,
saying: "I saw a bear as white as the snow". And he
charmed the mardpet into getting out of the wagon, and
mounting a steed. Then they entered the forest and lay in wait.
When they were in the bushes, Shawasp remained somewhat behind.
He hit the eunuch Hayr with an arrow from behind that went right
through him. [Hayr] fell to the ground and perished. Thus the
words of the man of God had been fulfilled immediately. For no
word of [a] man of God falls [unheeded] to the ground. [g124]
In those times there was a beautiful
[woman] named P'arhanjem who was the daughter of a certain Andovk,
one of the naxarars of the nahapet of Siwnik' [mi
i naxararac'n nahapetin Siwneac']. She was extremely well
known for her beauty and modesty. The lad Gnel, the king's nephew
(brother's son) married her. The girl's renown for beauty spread
about, and her reputation as a beauty grew and increased [Ew
hambaw geghec'kut'ean aghchkann end vayrsn taracec'aw, ew hambaw
geghoy nora yachaxeal bazmanayr ew hnch'er]. Now another of
Gnel's cousins (father's brother's son) named Tirit' became passionately
inflamed [for her] and so concealed [his desire] until he was
able to make her his [Apa arh hambaw c'ankut'ean anuann trp'eal
liner min ews horeghborordin Gneloy, orum anun Tirit' koch'er:
Vasn oroy anganer i gaghtagoghons, minch' zi znun iwr tesanel
karasc'e]. After [Tirit'] had attained his wish and had seen
[P'aranjem], he sought means by which he might destroy her husband
so that afterwards he might be able to ravish her [o gite kni
nora nma hnar lic'i yap'shtakel].
Tirit' began to think up treacherous strategems, and he hired many assistants and supporters to carry forward his slander. He treacherously spoke false slander about Gnel to king Arshak, saying: "Gnel wants to rule, and to kill you. All the grandees, [120] the naxarars and the azats like Gnel and all the naxarars of the land prefer his lordship over them than yours. Now they say, 'look and see what you do, king, so that you can save yourself"'. [g125] Thus did they agitate king Arshak with such words until they had confirmed their statements in the king's mind.
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