Month: June 2024

From ancient times, nations have glorified their ancestors—Fathers, Forefathers, and their deeds—immortalizing their heroics through stories and myths passed down from generation to generation.

Many of these epic narratives, transmitted orally, have undergone changes over time, yet they have always preserved their spirit and essence, inspiring generations.

“The memory of great men is no less important to us than their living presence,” declared the wise of the ancient world.

In the Armenian calendar, during the Festival of the Sun, on the day of Aram in the month of Navasard, the mighty, wise, and caring Fathers of Armenia are honored. On the day of Mazdaz in the month of Tre (September 22), it is the Festival of the Wise Patriarchs, and on the day of Aram in the month of Arats (November 18), the day is dedicated to the righteous and just Kings who enriched and cultivated the land.

Referring to the devoted leaders of the Armenian nation, Khorenatsi eloquently testifies to the profound love that the Haykazuni dynasty held for their glorious ancestors.

“This man (Haykian Aram), being diligent and patriotic, as the same historian shows, considered it better to die for the homeland than to witness foreign peoples trample upon the borders of his country, and see strangers rule over his blood relatives.”

“This Aram, a few years before Ninos took power over the Assyrians and Nineveh, having been oppressed by the neighboring nations, gathered a multitude of his brave, skilled archers and kin—about fifty thousand men. Among them were many strong young spearmen, well-trained, courageous, and skilled in warfare.

He encountered the warriors of the Medes near the borders of Armenia, led by a certain Nyukar Mades, a proud and war-loving man, as the same historian shows. Once, like the Kushans, they ravaged the borders of Armenia with their hooves, and Mades subjected Armenia to his rule for two years.”

Aram, launching a sudden attack before sunrise, slaughtered a large number of Nyukar’s troops. He captured Nyukar himself, also called Mades, and brought him to Armavir. There, he ordered that Nyukar be nailed to the wall at the top of a tower, driving an iron stake into his forehead, displaying him to passersby and all who came. Aram then subjugated Nyukar’s land up to the mountain called Zarasp, making it pay tribute until the reign of Ninos over Assyria and Nineveh.

Regarding Tigran Ervanduni, the same historian Khorenatsi writes: “But let us now proceed to write about Tigran and his deeds, for he was the mightiest and wisest of our kings, and the bravest of them all. He assisted Cyrus in overthrowing the Median rule and, for quite some time, subdued the Greeks, bringing them under his control. By expanding our borders, he extended them to the furthest reaches of our ancient territories.

He became the envy of all his contemporaries and, to us who came after, both he and his era remain highly esteemed. He rose as a leader among men, demonstrating bravery, elevating our nation, and turning us, who were once under the yoke, into those who placed the yoke on many others and demanded tribute.”

“This and many other such things were brought to our land by this fair-haired Tigran of the Yervanduni dynasty, with curly tips of his hair, a colorful face, a sweet gaze, strong calves, beautiful feet, well-built and broad-shouldered, temperate in food and drink, moderate in celebrations, wise and eloquent, and full of all the qualities that are fitting for a man.”

In Classical Armenian (Grabar): “These and many other such things were brought to our land by this fair-haired and curly-tipped Yervanduni Tigran, colorful of face and sweet-eyed, strong of body and broad-shouldered, upright in speech and graceful in form, temperate in food and drink, moderate in celebrations, of whom the ancients, who sang in praise, said that even in bodily desires, he was measured. He was wise and eloquent, and in all things that benefit mankind, he excelled.”

“For this reason, I love to call by valor these names—Hayk, Aram, Tigran. For it is the brave who are born of the brave. As for those in between, let them be called as each sees fit. But from a mythological perspective, our claim is also true.” (Khorenatsi, Book One, Chapter 31)

Studies on the initial stages of Christian community formation in Armenia and beyond offer a glimpse into that era.

“An ancient tradition of the Eastern Mediterranean, later formalized as doctrine, narrates the story of Christ-God, who took human form, suffered, and was crucified for the salvation of mankind. This doctrine provided a sense of comfort and solace. But when the apostles who were fishermen were succeeded by popes and patriarchs wielding both pastoral staff and royal scepter, faith turned into a nightmare.
These early Christians were, in fact, barbarians themselves: they first tortured their prophet, crucified him, and then knelt before his mutilated body. This faith was adopted by anonymous people, Jews of the diaspora, and Assyrians.
They were homeless and without a homeland. They lived in ports, under sacks of goods being unloaded, in the slums of Rome. Dirty and in tatters, they crowded the markets and public squares, eating rotten bananas and oranges, offering their services to passersby. Mary’s actions are dubious, Paul was a criminal, Magdalene a prostitute, and Judas shared the same table as the Son of God.
And the question remains: who was the greater barbarian, the Christian Alaric or Attila, who had no faith but still brought destruction to Rome alongside him?

Christianity is like the sacred river of Egypt, depositing mud along its banks. It overflowed, submerging an entire civilization under the mud it carried, creating fertile soil for new growth.”

“… The conversion began, and in the course of this conversion, an entire civilization was trampled.
Gregory the Parthian urges the king to demolish, destroy, and obliterate everything pagan, to eliminate any temptation so that no obstacles remain in the path…

… For the sake of common peace.
It was in this spirit that all massacres and the St. Bartholomew’s nights were born. The king complied with the Caesarian apostle’s request. He ordered that the old gods, once venerated by his ancestors and himself, be declared false gods and erased from memory.”

“… When faith merges with power, crime surfaces.
And it surfaced: in Artashat and later in Yeriza, the temples of the Great Anahit were torn down and burned.”

“And the apostle bearing the cross appeared” (…) “he rose, dismantled, and brought down all the temple structures.”

“The historian then adds, with satisfaction: ‘All this was carried out by the will of the merciful God through the hands of Gregory.’ And Gregory the Parthian, who destroyed ancient Armenian civilization by fire, was called ‘the Illuminator.’”

After the above excerpts from the book Mashtots by the distinguished linguist, historian, and doctor of philology Artashes Martirosyan, let us examine some passages from the article Assyrian Sources on the Armenian Church by Dr. Hayk Melkonyan:

“It has been determined that in these early Christian communities, representatives of various nations gathered, which meant that these organizations lacked a national character. Their unifying strength was this progressive ideology that called upon the oppressed, the despised, the abandoned, and the dissatisfied in society to unite.”

(…)

“Before addressing these traditions (later accounts, various ‘lives of saints,’ etc., K.A.), one should consult the work Jewish Antiquities by the 1st-century Jewish historian Flavius Josephus, which contains interesting information regarding the early Jewish preachers. According to this historian, around the mid-1st century AD, Jewish preachers Ananias and Eleazar of Galilee were spreading the Jewish religion in Charax-Spasini and Adiabene.”

(…)

“And when the question of Izates’ circumcision (son of Monobazus, king of Adiabene, K.A.) arose, Ananias believed that such a rite was unnecessary to become an adherent of the new religion.”

(…)

“We believe that this account from Josephus refers to Christianity, as in its early days, this new doctrine was known as the ‘Jewish religion’ outside of Judea. Furthermore, it is well documented that Mosaicism was a religion that strictly pertained to the Jewish nation and, by its principles, sought the salvation of the Jewish people alone, making it understandable that such a religion would not be preached among non-Jews.”

To disseminate a foreign religion, special schools were established in Armenia, where education was provided in three languages: Greek, Syriac, and Persian. Students were chosen from each province and region. According to Agathangelos, groups of children were forced to leave their native places to receive schooling.

The first educators in these schools were Greek and Syriac missionaries who had accompanied Gregory the Illuminator to Armenia. “He found many brothers, whom he convinced to join him to be ordained as priests in his country, gathering numerous groups, and he brought them with him,” Agathangelos recounts. “Later, the successors of the Illuminator emulated their ancestor. Armenia became crowded with foreign missionaries, who proved to be more of a burden than a boon,” writes Bishop Vahan Teryan.

For many generations, the Haykazunis, as noble and honorable Children of the Sun, stood in defense of their ancestors against the unimaginable pressures and persecutions of outsiders, preserving and passing down the doctrine of Hayk, along with Armenian traditions and values, from generation to generation.

In the writings of various periods and in medieval literature, there are mentions of the Children of the Sun, often distorted by the circumstances of the time and by ignorance.

“A parchment manuscript mentions the ancient Children of the Sun who settled on the plateau on the left bank of the Arax River. This area was called Arévik” … (A. Bakunts)

“…I too wish to be called a Child of the Sun. Indeed, I am a Child of the Sun” … (M. Saryan)

More in the next article to come.