We must not judge the ability and reputation of men in their own
ages solely by the familiarity of their names to us; those that have
come down to us are a mere handful, and not by any means always the
greatest of their time. Much depends on chance--the preservation
of certain works, and the loss of others, or certain men happening
to do something dramatic. Great orators are especially likely to be
forgotten; they leave no written works of their own, and not being in
political life, the common histories do not mention them. The name of
Barouyr is wholly unknown to this age; but we have the testimony of
a contemporary writer, Eunapius of Sardis,--not a countryman of his,
and therefore free from all suspicion of patriotic brag, and most
unlikely to make out an Armenian greater than he was,--that he was the
most wonderful orator of his time, famous all over the Roman world,
and greatly admired even by the emperors. He was one of those men to
whom all languages seem alike to come by nature, and his oratory was
as easy and as perfect in one as in the other; in Latin or Greek as
in his national Armenian. The only comparison I can give in modern
times is Louis Kossuth. That Barouyr has not the fame of Cicero or
Demosthenes, Kossuth or Gladstone, is probably because under the
circumstances of the time he could not engage in political life;
military service or high birth were about the only avenues to that. I
will quote in substance what Eunapius says of this brilliant orator,
whom he probably knew all about, as our boys know Gladstone,--for he
was born in 347, and Barouyr was certainly alive in the time of the
Emperor Julian, who came to the throne in 361:--
Barouyr lived to be ninety, and was beautiful even in old age, having
the vigor of youth in his looks. He was eight feet high. When a boy he
left Armenia and went to Antioch, the first seat of the Christians,
and entered the school of oratory under the celebrated Albianos,
where he shortly became the foremost pupil. Thence he went to Athens
and studied under Julian, the greatest of the teachers of oratory
there,--supporting himself by working meantime, as he was very poor;
in no long time he was recognized as the leading orator of Athens,
and taught the art to the Athenians. The other teachers were so angry
that they bribed the governor to banish him; but on the governor's
removal some time after, he was permitted to return. The new governor
instituted an oratorical competition; whoever could deliver the best
extempore oration on a subject to be given out on the spot, should
receive great honors. Barouyr took part on condition that the auditors
should take careful notes, and should not cheer; but they were so
fascinated that they broke both conditions, listening in rapture and
applauding repeatedly. The governor offered him his chair, and honored
him as the greatest orator in Athens. Later, the Emperor Constans was
so struck with his wisdom and oratorical power that he called him first
to Gaul and then to Rome, where he delivered his greatest orations,
and the Romans erected a bronze monument in his honor, inscribed
"Regina Rerum Romae, Regi Eloquentiae" (Rome Queen of Affairs, to the
King of Eloquence). From Rome he returned to Athens, and taught there
many years with great repute, up to the time of the Emperor Julian,
who honored him, and spoke as follows of him: "Barouyr was a flowing
river of oratory, and in power and persuasiveness of speech was
like Pericles." And I must add that with all this he was a thorough
Christian man,--not a priest, but a great Christian layman and teacher.