The prince took the letter to that emir
Ullux-Beg. The latter
inquired: "Of what people and creed is that man"?
They replied: "The man is
a Christian (Yisei er)". [Ullux-Beg],
filled with anger, ordered all
Christians to apostasize or be
killed. Some few chose death,
while many lost the faith. Our
bishop Yovhannes (nicknamed Ch'anki because of his
captivity), went
and wrote these bitter tiding and brought them to us. Vay!
[20] Let us again return to our former
narration. That wicked
beast [Timur ] came to the gates of the city of Artske.
The prince of the city, Sahand,
went to him through the mediation
of Ordu Bugha of Her and Zarewand district. [Timur]
received him very affectionately
and the entire country was freed
of him and remained in peace. And he gave Archesh to
him. Suddenly, in a few days,
the entire land of Archesh came
to the city of Xlat' and reached
Tsghakk'. From evening to morning
[the] Kurd(s) plundered the tormented country. Going
to the troops of Sahand, they
brought them to Artske city.[g29]
Then they again commenced building,
for the entire land had been
ruined by the troops of the abominable and impious Chaghatai
[Timur]. Then [Timur] went to
the district of Tosp against
the fortress of Vana Hayots'.
But emir Ezdin ['Izz al-Din Shir]
of the line of Senek'erim did
not come out to him forthwith.
Rather, rebelling from him, he
stayed in the fortress with all
the troops and a multitude of Christians. Subsequently,
['Izz al-Din], descending from
the fortress, went to [Timur]
who seized and bound him. Then
going against the fortress, he
subjected it to trouble for forty days, killing many of
the defenders. Suffering from
lack of bread and water they
were unable to withstand the
siege and surrendered the fortress.
Alas the disaster and bitter
affliction. Here could be witnessed
the fear and dread of the Day of Judgement, the weeping and lamenting
of the entire fortress, for the evil [21] tyrant had ordered that
the women and children be taken into slavery and that [men] believers
and unbelievers be hurled down from the fortress. So much did
[the valley below] fill up with the slain, that those hurled last
did not die.We heard about this from the holy father, the blessed
[g30] archbishop lord Zak'aria and from father vardapet
lord Poghos, [people] who saw these things with their own eyes.
They had been in the fortress but set free, since a Chaghatai
[Timurid] prince had set free his share of captives, and thus
was the cause of the few survivors. All the land around the keep
became saturated with the innocent blood of Christians and foreigners.
Now a certain Mughri [mukri, Qur'an reciter] with an extremely
loud voice ascended the minaret in the city of Berkri and cried
out: "Ghiamat'i salayn (the Last Day
has come)". The Day of Judgement has arrived.
The loathsome, pitiless [Timur] listened
and asked: "What is that noise"? People about him replied:
"The Day of Judgement which Jesus will bring about, has come;
and you caused it, today". The mukri cried out like
a wailing horn. [Timur] said: "May that mouth be broken;
had it cried out a little earlier, I would never have killed a
single man". At once he ordered that those remaining alive
not be hurled down, and he freed all of them. But who can relate
the number of captives or the killing of the innocent; only God,
Who [22] created all, counted them all. For the entire world filled
up with Armenian slaves. Priests, laymen, believers and unbelievers
alike died.
All of this befell us because of our
sins, especially from the laxity of the clergy (kargaworats')
and the apostate cheats. [Timur] returned whence he came, with
captives and booty. Then the dear ones of those slain came and
saw the incurable wounds of Armenia, and they lamented for the
land. One cried: "Vay, my son"; another, "Vay,
my father"; the country and land filled up with weeping and
moaning, every single part of the district of Vaspurakan For there
was not a soul who did not have a dear one or friend vanished
and unlocatable. Woe and alas for all Armenia, for the entire
country was ruined. From Archesh to Georgia and to the Kur river
in Aghbania was smeared with the blood of the innocent, with torture,
killing and captivity. After the departure [of Timur] from our
land, a severe famine befell us, spreading everywhere. [The people]
ate dogs and cats, then roasted their sons and daughters; man
and woman killed one another, ate, but were not satiated, and
subsequently themselves died. I cannot relate our bitterness which
I saw with my own eyes and heard with my own ears. For human life
was exterminated especially in the Haykazean district. The vision
and command [23] of the great [kat'oghikos] Nerses
was realized, that, "theNation of Archers will wipe out the
house of Aram". So much on this for now.
It should be known that it was not merely corporal famine that was given to us, but spiritual famine, [for] not heeding the word of the Lord. Now there were two schools (dasatunk') in the land of Siwnik', one at the blessed congregation of Aprakunik' [headed by] the great professor Grigor a student of great Yovhannes Orotnets'i for twenty-eight years. It was two years that he had occupied the doctoral chair, teaching. His closest (hamshirak) brothers had left him: the great Yakob, who had studied with Yovhannes Orotnets'i for twenty years went to the Araratean country and settled in the holy congregation of Saghmosavank; and vardapet Grigor with his students went to Erznka in Ekeghets'eats' district; while others dispersed hither and thither. Now the great Grigor, with a few students, went to Aprakunik' in winter reaping time. In springtime he went to the blessed congregation and the grace-filled seat of the apostle Stat'e and to the house of the Orbeleans to prince Smbat son of Iwane, grandson of Burt'el. After awhile he assembled many students, and by the mercy of God, illuminated our people with true and orthodox doctrine and faith. Creating hymns (harts'munk'), he [also] wrote answers [24] against all critics, as well as two volumes of sermons, one for summer, one for winter; selections from the Old and New Testaments, [g33] and explanations of secular writings. He did not leave there until 867 of the Armenian Era [1418]. But for some reason [he] came to the K'ajberuni country. We [clerics], twelve brothers, were students of the great Sargis we went and stayed with him for two years. There was neither tranquility nor the calm of peace, because of the wickedness of the infidels. [Grigor] promised all of us that he was going to go to Jerusalem and detach himself from worldly pursuits and teaching. Once again, regarding the excommunication of the disobedient seat of Aght'amar, he preached a return to obedience.
The lord of Tabriz, the tyrant Yusup'
[Qara Yusuf] again took Orotn from prince Smbat. In order to intercede
with them [Grigor] arrived. But [Qara Yusuf] did not heed the
vardapet's pleas. For an entire year [Grigor] resided at
the blessed congregation of Metsob. He gathered about him ten
vardapets and eighty monks, and consoled them with correct
instruction and doctrine. The next year he departed and that same
year death called him to the Holy City. He was an eloquent and
rich speaker, without an equal among all [25] peoples in the past
or present, a second John Chrysostom the theologian. While teaching
and when closing his eyes we saw [g34] an old man seated by him.
And sometimes he shared out bread,and sometimes apples. Lucky
was the one who saw and heard him for he had an awe-inspiring
appearance, and we frequently heard people say that Christ had
come to earth in just such a form. [Grigor] was the one who freed
the Archesh country from the fetters (kapanats'n)
of Aght'amar through a night vision. So much about this. [We]
departed from the narration for the edification of the vardapets
of the Church.
We now return to our historical progression.
The great vardapet Sargis who headed the blessed congregation
of Astapat, departed thence and came to the city of Her with a
few students in the same bitter year. It was there that he passed
those days of bitter, oppressive famine. [Sargis] sent one of
his students, named Yovhannes (nicknamed Sadagh), a holy man with
a pure soul to go to the K'ajberuni country to get a dwelling
place for themselves. Yovhannes came to that wonder-working, divine
dwelling place, the congregation of the Mother of God (Tiramor
Astuatsatsnin) in the capital(city) monastery (i
mayrak'aghak' vansn) of Surxar now called Xarabast
monastery, to the blessed and meek man, the venerable lord Zak'eos,
bishop of the district, so that [Zak'eos] give them a place of
habitation. [26] Now that very night the soulful vardapet-monk
Yovhannes saw an astounding vision.[g35] (It is perhaps due to
humility only that Yovhannes did not take the scepter of vardapet,
but he was an advisor and teacher of all by words, deeds and virtues.)
[He saw] the church of the blessed Mother of God filled with lamps,
with each lamp blazing like the sun, and the belfry gleaming with
the light of candle lamps. Awakening from sleep he blessed God
and thanked Him, saying inwardly: "God is pleased that [we]
came here to dwell with the great vardapet Sargis, a man
with the soul of prophecy who recognizes everyone by the look
of eye and face, a man without equal among the sons of Adam with
regard to humility" . Throughout his entire life until the
day of his death, he ate no meat and drank no wine. His visage
inspired awe and amazement in everyone, especially the foreigners,
including Chaghatai's [Timur's] people who came to revere Yovhannes.
He was an evangelist and teacher, preaching the Gospel.
Vardapet
Sargis came and dwelt in the heavenly congregation of the blessed
Mother of God and sat in the chair of doctoral teaching (yator
vardapetut'ean). He assembled about himself many students
of writing, of the clerics and researchers, more [g36] than sixty
clerics and scholars. He schooled the entire seacoast of the Vaspurakan
district with learning and knowledge,services and masses. And
people regarded the holy congregation as heavenly [27] Jerusalem
from the year 838 of the Armenian Era [1389] to the year 851 A.E.
[1402]. He died a gentle death and passed to Christ. Sargis was
buried in a tomb close to the holy bishops Xach'atur and Zak'eos,
to the glory of our God.
But it is known that vardapet
Sargis bore much grief and bitterness from his students. For when
he was in the Siwnik' country, a vardapet named Karapet
(nicknamed Chagaraker) had set as a lesson their [Roman Catholic]
Book of Virtues (das edeal
zgirs arak'inut'eants' iwreants').
An Aght'arma [Roman Catholic] monk came to him and said: "I
was once a monk from among you, but satan ruined me and made me
Chalcedonian and my heart is ever wounded by your disrespect and
cursing [of Chalcedon]. But you should know that Karapet set as
a lesson the Book of Virtues and they want
to come to you to ask questions about it. Now here is the Book
of Virtues so that you may reply to them".
Sargis, delighted, glorified God with
great thanksgiving.[g37] Two days later, two Aght'arma [Roman
Catholic] monks came to the vardapet and inquired: "What
is virtue and what is its definition"? He responded correctly,
and they went to their vardapet. Once again they came and
asked: "What is the definition of faith"? And he replied
with what he had learned from the vardapets. In shame [the
questioners] returned to the monastery of K'rna. Now the students
of great Sargis [28] pleadingly forced him to lecture about their
Book of Virtues. [Sargis] meekly and simply,
taking refuge in the spirit of God, began to instruct them in
doctrine. But his students, since they were ignorant, did not
get the flavor of the doctrine of the blessed church of great
Gregory the Illuminator, Gregory the Theologian, Athanasius, Cyril
and our [Armenian] theologians Step'annos of Siwnik', Anania Shirakats'i,
Poghos Taronats'i, Yovhannes, Sargis Haghpartats'i, Dawit' the
philosopher, Movses k'ert'oghahayr, Asoghik
the translator and other blessed vardapets.
Now those who do not get the taste of
correct doctrine, easily erring, die spiritually, just as a lamb
soon dies if it does not take its mother's milk. Just in this
fashion did [g38] Sargis' students quickly weaken in the faith
and wanted to become Aght'arma [Roman Catholic], not knowing the
vardapet. One of the priests at the holy congregation (the
attendant and warden of the blessed congregation of Aprakunik')
through the influence of the Holy Spirit saw a dream-vision in
which the Erasx [Arax] river swelled up and approached, carrying
off the students and destroying them one and all; while the vardapet
Sargis and the warden Step'annos swam and escaped by a hairsbreadth
drowning in the river. [The dreamer] awakening from sleep, went
to the vardapet and to the hermit [29] Maghak'ia and related
to him the dream and the plan of his false and incredulous students.
Now they struck their faces and tore
their beards, beating their heads and lamenting with inconsolable
mourning as if for the dead, weeping for their spiritual death
and destruction. The great vardapet then decided to send
the hermit Maghak'ia to the renowned and celebrated vardapet
Yovhannes (nicknamed kaxik [suspended]) to come to the
aid of this meek man of God before the scandal of the wicked ignorance
of his students reached the Aght'arma [Roman Catholics], apostasizers
of the truth, and [the students] not flee. [g39]
The blessed and venerable vardapet Yovhannes came with students and numerous priests from the Orotan country to the gracious seat of the apostle Stat'e, to the Ernjak country, to the blessed congregation of Aprakunik'. He summoned all clerics and laymen and ascertained from them all the evil of the ignorant students. He ordered that the students be brought and set opposite him in the square; and they were found guilty. They were placed in prison. Some were placed in fetters [yerkat'i hareal] and some were beaten.
[30] Vardapet Sargis grumbled
about them, and subsequently all were punished by God: some drowned,
some, disgraced, circulated around naked, half of them fled to
the land of the Franks where they said wicked things and were
placed into a copper [kettle] and cooked. Half of them sought
repentance, such as Atom Mokats'i who repented and went to Jerusalem,
returned to his district yet bore physical punishment, for his
heart was punctured. And in a year, the air quit his heart and
he gave up the ghost in repentance.
After the death [of Sargis] the chair
of the vardapetut'iwn was occupied by the blessed man,
cherished by angels and mortals alike, the venerable, learned
vardapet Vardan. [Vardan], [g40] was from the blessed congregation
of Hogwots' monastery and was superior in wisdom, knowledge and
virtue to all the vardapets of Armenia , so much so that
people said that the dead should ressurect and seek forgiveness
for their sins from him, [and] from his own students. For four
years he illuminated the blessed congregation and the entire K'ajberuni
country with correct doctrine and classes. By the prayers of [Vardan]
and of his brother the hermit Eghis- who was a deacon who throughout
his entire life stood praying before God- the capital city monastery
of the Mother of God and the whole Archesh country gushed like
a spring with temporal goods and mercy. However, persecuted by
the infidels he took his students and went to [31]the Tosp country.
There he reposed in Christ in the blessed congregation of Salnapat
in the year 855 of the Armenian Era [1406]. Blessed be his memory.
His chair was then occupied by the great
vardapet and martyr, compassionate to all, Grigor, son
of an old man loyal to God. Grigor was from the city of Xlat'
one of the students of the great Sargis, one of his close (hamshirak),
spiritual brothers. But [he did not occupy the seat] in the same
Suxaru congregation of the Mother of God, rather in the city of
[g41] Artske, Bznunik' country, at the blessed congregation of
Step'annos the martyr, called Ts'ipna. He did not occupy himself
with doctrinal teaching because of the chily behavior of the investigators
among our people [vasn sarnats'eal baruts'
usumnakanats' merum azgi]. Instead, day and
night he wrote, fed all the poor, loved mercy and encouraged all
the vardapets and clerics toward the same. He had no equal
for compassion and humanity and as an attendant to the poor and
destitute. God had given him wisdom superior to all the vardapets,
for on three occasions he published histories in question and
answer form, and books about the holy martyrs and witnesses called
Yaysmawurk', concise and precise, composed [32] by holy
vardapets ancient and modern, thereby illuminating the
doors of our darkened Church. No one could know the wisdom he
concealed inside, only God. For fifty years he wrote books, day
and night, with unquiet fervor, as someone who knew a secret.
He himself left many canticles (gandz) and verses (tagh).
He was a man so loving of [religious] holidays and so reverencing
of the saints that his equal has not and will not be met.
He reached deep old age, more than seventy-five
years. Now in 874 A. E. [1425], the wicked Mar people came to
Artske city in Armenia and went to the Ts'ipna retreat. The [g42]
infidels seized [Grigor] and tortured him greatly. He confessed
the correct doctrine of Christ God and the Lord. Just then they
sacrificed him like an innocent, spotless lamb, the blessed and
venerable Grigor in place of the lamb of Christ. He who was such
a great lover of martyrs received a martyr's crown. They buried
him in the holy congregation called Ts'ipna [dedicated to] the
proto-martyr Step'annos. His spiritual brother vardapet
Yakob the hermit, a desirable man, came and buried him with his
own sons, with bishop Step'annos and student, and attended his
grave for one year.
He grew weak, the law of nature and
on Ascension day, as the priests repeat "Our Lord ascended
to the sky", he gave [33] up his soul to the glory of Christ
our God. Subsequently, two years later the same K'urd, from the
Mar people of Baghish went to the Rshtuni country and the blessed,
prayerful, solemnity-loving vardapet Yakob Ovsannats'i
from the congregation of Antsghnapat was martyred. They placed
him close to the grave of Grigor of Narek'a monastery. And in
the same year vardapet Ghazar of Baghish [Bitlis], a renowned,
learned prayerful hermit, fled from the infidels and went to the
Sasun mountains. But infidels from the Mar people found him. They
said: "You say that Christ is God". He replied: "I
say it and teach it, while he who does not say and teach it goes
to eternal destruction". Striking him with a sword, [the
infidels] killed him, but he received a martyr's crown. Some three
or four months prior to this, they shot and killed with an arrow
a vardapet named T'ovma, a student of Simeon vardapet
of Rshtunik', a man learned in the subtlties of doctrine, a lover
of holiness and prayer, from the blessed congregation of Putlik
monastery. And they became worthy of Christian halos. Blessed
be the memory of these four vardapets who, in our day,
were slain by the infidels. Through their prayers may Christ have
mercy upon us. This occurred in 874 A.E. [1425], more or less.
You must forgive me, for I was old and commenced [writing] fifty
years later. Therefore I wrote going backward and forward [yet
ew yaraj grets'i].
[34] In 844 A.E. [1395], [Timur], the
loathsome tyrant of Khurasan, moved yet again and came [west]
by the Baghdad road. He destroyed Baghdad, all Asorestan, all
of Mesopotamian Diyarbakir (Tiarbak), came to the city of Amida,
took it, [g44] and killed the grandees with fire and sword, and
unspeakable, unrecordable tortures. They took male and female
children as captives to their own land. He came to Merdin, destroyed
the city [K.Shahnazarean, the editor, observed in note 24, p.
45 that Mardin was not captured by Timur, but came to terms.]
and captured fifteen villages of orthodox and true Christians--3,000
homes--and others, all told, 7,500 [Shahnazarean, note 25 p. 45:
four copies at St. Lazar read 700 and 500.]. He totally destroyed
four villages of the fire-worshipping Arewordi(k'): Shol, Shmrax,
Safari and Marashi. But subsequently, through the strategems of
satan, [the Arewordik'] again multiplied in Mardin and Amida.
[Timur] came east once again, going
against the city of Erznjan which he took by the sword, destroying
to the foundation the great cathedral of saint Sargis and ruining
all the churches through the defamation of Paron Taharten
(T'axrat'an) [Taharten, the Muslim Armenian governor of Erznjan,
is also mentioned in Embassy to Tamerlane,
written by the 15th century Spanish ambassador, Ruy Gonzales de
Clavijo. G. Le Strange, trans. (London, 1928) p.l25.] and all
the other Tachiks in the city. Our vardapet Georg, a student
of Yovhannes Orotnets'i went to [Timur], and from fear and dread
of that abomination, his lips cracked and blood flowed [35] down.
[Georg], the man of God, returned with tears and wailing for the
order had been given to pull down all the churches: and there
was great mourning. Coming to the upper part of the land [Timur]
besieged the fortress of Basen called Awnik, took it, bound its
prince named Msir, and the infidel, [g45] hurled one hundred souls
down from the fortress to their death. He went to the Araratean
district, destroying the entire land and stealing the goods; he
besieged and took the fort of the Bagratuni. [Here] he divided
30 Tachiks and 300 Christians from one another, saying: "We
shall kill the Christians and free the Tachiks". Now two
brothers of the city's bishop Mkrtich' went and mixed in with
the Tachik group. Putting their swords to work they killed the
Tachiks and freed the believers. Two Christians, however, raised
a clamor, saying: "We are Christ's servants, and believers,
they have spoken falsely". [The Timurids replied]: "Then
we shall not free you"; and they killed the two of them.
This caused the bishop great mourning, even though they did die
as true believers.
[The Timurids] came against the Chakututs' country of Surmari and Koghb, against Barnakut and the Archesh district. They tore apart these three districts, universally robbing everyone, but by the mercy of God the captives were freed [36] from their clutches. There was a great famine throughout the entire country. But in the same day the town (giwghak'aghak') of Koghb was robbed. Twenty-five buffaloes from upper Koghb were sent down the rock in the Archesh district [? k'san ew hing gomesh i verin Koghbav i k'aren i vayr zink'eans arkin i gawarin Archishov]. Putting their swords to work, [g46] the Christians sacrificed them, divided up the provisions, and reached the K'ajberuni country, with vardapets, bishops, priests, and the people. We arrived at Dara village, in Kogovit district. It was here that the blessed vardapet Step'annos died, a student of the great Yovhannes Orotnets'i and friend of the holy vardapet Yovhannes Metsob. Arriving, we saw our lands ruined, vacant, and devoid of all goods and lacking in spiritual virtues [having] neither divine service nor mass. Once again they commenced [re]building. Our country had been given to the paron of Archesh named Sahand. The next year [Qara] Yusuf the Turkmen came and again ravaged our lands. He took the city of Archesh and he killed the paron named Himat', together with thirty-four men, since he had killed the priest Step'annos, dzernawor of the city. Through the defamation and treachery of loveless Christians, they martyred a tanuter named Musefir, [scion] of a great family (metsazgi). And the entire city was burned with fire. Meanwhile, the lord of Ostan, emir 'Izz al-Din (Ezdin) with the Chaghatai [soldiers] came against Yusuf. [37] They battled for a few days and then were reconciled. [g47] The next day a paron Chaghatai from the fortress of Basen came with 400 men to the village of Aghi to help the emir. He requested peace from them and they replied that they had come in peace. He enslaved the village of Aghi until sunset, then returned to his dwelling place. Now the Christians pursued, stirring up sand and dust and [the enemy] left behind the captives and loot and fled. One pious man, our dear brother Yovhannes [travelling] like a mountain goat, reached the plain of Archesh and informed Yusuf and his brother Arali who came in the middle of the night, seized Chaghatai, robbed all of his troops, killing some, arresting their prince At'almish, and sending him to Egypt.
While there was this anguish in our
land, suddenly bad tiding of death and tidings worthy of tears
reached [us] to the effect that the troops of Chaghatai [Timur]
had filled up our country. Here one could witness calamities of
grief, fear and dread of the infidels. Then 15,000 men arrived
at Erishat village. We fled into the mountains and valleys, but
the infidels knew about this and surrounded the mountain for twelve
days and, as though hunting deer, they caught everyone. Some they
killed, some they enslaved, and our lands were given over to fire.
Vardapet Yovhannes with his students escaped [38] by a
hairsbreadth and went to the district of Rshtunik'. He remained
there for two years and received honor from Christ's believers.
[g48]
The impious Yusuf fled from Chaghatai
during the years 844 to 855 of the Armenian Era [1395-1406] and
was unable to come to our lands. Now in 846 A.E. [1397], Timur
sent the Chaghatai shaykh (shex) Ahmad to our lands.
He came searching out our great vardapets Sargis Sorbets'i
and Yovhannes vardapet, director of Metsob monastery. He
built up our lands, collecting [the dispersed] here and there,
and was extremely kind and philo-Christian. All the dispersed
came forth and commenced reconstruction. And for eleven years,
in peace, through the mercy of God, the land blossomed forth with
scholars.
Now in 850 A.E. [1401], the greyed and
aged great vardapet Sargis reposed in Christ. He was succeeded
on his throne by his student, that marvellous man of God, the
great ascetic and vardapet of Armenia, Vardan, [who held
the position] for four years. He illuminated and made the district
of Archesh blaze more than before. There assembled about [Vardan]
numerous students, more than sixty clerics, in the imposing congregtation
and chief monastery of Tiramor Astuatsatsin [Mother of God]. And
for four years he illuminated and [g49] [39] made resplendent
the souls of all, with divine service and mass, with the study
of the Bible (usmamb grots') and psalmody. [Vardan]
fled from the infidels and went to blessed Salnapat where he died
and was buried. His soul rose in a chariot of cherubim and seraphim
to the ranks of our theologian vardapets and illuminators.
May his memory be blessed and his prayers upon the whole world.
Amen.
His orphaned students departed, and we went to the district of Siwnik' to the great Grigor, vardapet of all the Armenians, [our] second Illuminator and theologian without equal among all the ancient and modern scholars and vardapets. [Grigor] was delighted and received us affectionately, like his beloved, desired spiritual sons, for his father was from the city of Archesh, in the K'ajberuni district. Assembling many of his students: Mxit'ar from Tat'ew, Yovhannes from Ekegheats' Hermon monastery, Galust from st. Karapet [monastery] in Vaghandni Siwnik', Simon from Siwnik', Yakob Bostats'i, [g50] Grigor Araratean, Grigor and Matt'eos Jughayets'i, Awetis from Astapat, Eghia from Otsop', Yovhannes from Vaghandni monastery, Unan from Shamasa, Yovhannes karmir (red) from Kapan. There were also three students from other places: Matt'eos Uxtets'i, from the blessed congregation [40] of Gandzasar, Mkrtich' from P'aytakaran, and Step'annos from T'awriz, and more than sixty priests. [Grigor] began teaching the writings of secular philosophers (zgirs artakin imastasirats'n).
Grigor astonished all of them, more
so than the wise men of the Hellenes. [They studied also] the
fourteen letters of the Apostle Paul,and the work of Gregory the
Theologian Arh Ors. The director of the blessed
congregation was the holy bishop lord Arak'el, a man chosen from
the womb, the scholarly sister's son of the great doctor (varzhapet)
who had a fiery mentality and was a lover of all virtue. We were
the twelve brothers, students of great Sargis who became [Griqor's]
students after Sargis' death: Yakob, Margare, Yovhannes, Mkrtich',
Karapet, Melk'iset', Sargis, Matt'eos, Karapet, and I, the worthless
T'ovma. [Grigor] comforted [g51] us for two years with the Bible.
Persecuted by the infidels, he moved from the district of Siwnik',
taking us along, to the district of Archesh, and he established
his residence in the God-pleasing congregation of Metsob, by vardapet
Yovhannes the meek theologian and blessed man of God. And he was
delighted, for in that very year, 858 A.E. [1409] the new church
of the blessed Mother of God was completed.
[41] There assembled about [Grigor]
numerous vardapets: the martyr Grigor, the holy man from
Xlat', Yakob Ovsannats'i from Rshtunik', Margare from Varag, Yakob
from Aspisnk, Yovhannes from P'ap'lin, Step'annos from Berkri,
Mkrtich' from Hizan, Yovhannes from Baghesh (Bitlis), Sargis vardapet
Yarut', Melk'iset' from Erznka (Erznjan) and among the priests
and students, more than eighty monks. For a full year he comforted
all the brothers with indescribable joy. In class he commented
on three books: the Gospel of John the evangelist, the Book of
Job the martyr, and the writings of the two vardapets,
Georg Lambronats'i and Aristakes.
Return to Historical Sources Menu