The Armenian schools and universities and their outpour of great
scholars and writers have already been spoken of, but of course
Armenian youths, eager for the best of the world's learning,
did not confine themselves to their own country; they studied in
Constantinople, Athens, Antioch, Alexandria, and wherever great
teachers were located. All were zealous Christians, and the books
they have left behind were Christian literature, not works of mere
enjoyment. A very rich and valuable literature it is, too, in my
judgment the most so of any single body that exists; though much of
it has perished in the recent destruction of everything Christian
the Turks can reach. My readers will not credit my opinion of it,
because most of it has never been translated, but that makes it all
the more valuable now, it has so much that is new to add to the stores
of the world. It is not necessary to give them all, but to point out
the chief writers.
The fifth century is called the Golden Age of Armenian
literature. First in point of time as well as importance comes the
Armenian Bible. The furious opposition of the Church in the Middle Ages
to letting the people have the Bible to read in their own tongues seems
perfectly ridiculous, when we remember that in the early Christian
church every people had it in their own language, and it was thought
to be the greatest work for a heathen people that could be done, to
translate the Bible for them. It was not thought needful then to keep
the word of God in a strange tongue, so that the people could neither
read it for themselves nor understand it when it was read to them.
There were probably some books of popular tales and songs in Armenia
before the fifth century, for we are told that there was an Armenian
alphabet to write them in as early as the second, but if so they
have all perished, and the alphabet was doubtless a poor and meager
one. Armenian scholars and writers read Greek or Latin books, and
occasionally Hebrew or Syriac ones, and wrote in Greek or Latin
themselves; if it was necessary to write Armenian, as in letters,
they made the Greek, Syriac, or Persian characters, which of course
were insufficient to give the Armenian sounds. They would have got
along with this, however, if it had not been for the eagerness of
Christian enthusiasm which made them wish to give the Bible to Armenia;
it was to spread the word of God, not to write books, that they were
anxious. St. Mesrob set to work and invented a very perfect alphabet
of thirty-six letters, to which two have been added since. According
to one of his disciples, having vainly sought help from the learned,
he prayed to God, and received the new alphabet in a vision. This was
about 405. He and Sahag the Pontiff at once began to translate the New
Testament and the Book of Proverbs from a poor Greek version, the best
they had, with the assistance of two pupils, John of Eghueghiatz and
Joseph of Baghin. This was finished in 406. Many years later (seemingly
about the time Persian Armenia was made a satrapy), they undertook the
translation of the Old Testament; but as the Persians had destroyed
all the Greek MSS., it was necessary to use a Syriac version. The
same two assistants aided them; but being sent to the Council of
Ephesus in 431, they brought back copies of the Greek Septuagint,
and the old translation was at once dropped, and a new one put under
way. But all found their knowledge of Greek too imperfect to rely on,
and the pupils were sent to Alexandria and Athens to complete their
education; on their return they seem to have brought a new Alexandrian
version, and corrections were made from that, and the work completed,
most likely about 435.
The Bible completed, they turned to other labors. The Saints Sahag and
Mesrob are said to have written six hundred books themselves, all in
Christian theology and instruction; and the pupils from the schools
St. Nierses and themselves had founded--the chief of their own were at
Noravank, Ayri, and Vochkhoroz--wrote great numbers besides. The first
original work of Sahag was one on Pastoral Theology, setting forth
that the Church of Christ is the Bride of Christ, and the ministers
must therefore be holy, pure, and obedient. He wrote many epistles to
kings and emperors, all of whom reverenced and were greatly influenced
by him. He wrote a large part of the Armenian Church History, composed
many hymns, and translated many commentaries and theological works
from the Greek.
Fortunately during this period the government of Armenia was very good,
with the exception of one period of two years or so; even after its
partition, for close on forty years it had practically self-government
in internal affairs, and for another decade the Christians enjoyed full
rights of worship. Bahram IV of Persia (389-399), who helped divide
it, was a monarch who loved peace above all things, both with foreign
countries and his own people; his successor, Yazdegerd I (399-420),
went even further, employed the Catholicos or Pontiff on embassies
to Constantinople, and as mediator with his own brother, and made
his son, Shahpur, governor of Persian Armenia, continuing the Arsacid
dynasty. He was murdered by his nobles, instigated by the Zoroastrian
priests, for being too tolerant to the Christians, and his successor
Bahram V, who got the throne by favor of the rebellious elements,
tried to please them by persecuting the Christians; this involved him
in a war with Rome, as I have said, and after a couple of years he
made peace and gave toleration again. The turning of Persian Armenia
into a satrapy in 428 I have already told; but no fresh persecution
was undertaken till that of Yazdegerd II, in 439, ending in Vartan's
revolt just detailed. Shahpur of Armenia was a prince of great wisdom,
generosity, and public spirit; he patronized men of learning, founded
schools, made large grants from the treasury for scholarship, and
sent scholars to all the great seats of learning to teach and acquire
the languages, literature, and history of other nations, after which
they wrote and translated hundreds of volumes. Among them were Tavit,
Khosrov, Mampre, and Zazar; a great historian, Eghishe (Elisaeus),
author of the Life of Vartan; and a great philosopher, Yeznic. These
are only a few out of scores worthy of mention.
Dr. Philip Schaff says:--"In spite of the unfavorable state of
political and social affairs in Armenia during this epoch, more than
six hundred Greek and Syrian works were translated within the first
forty years after the translation of the Bible; and as in many cases
the original works have perished, while the translations have been
preserved, the great importance of this whole literary activity is
apparent. Among works which in this way have come down to us are
several books by Philo-Alexandrinus, on Providence, on reason,
commentaries, etc.; the Chronicle of Eusebius, nearly complete;
the epistles of Ignatius, translated from a Syrian version; fifteen
Homilies by Severianus; the exegetical writings of Ephraim Syrus,
previously completely unknown, on the historical books of the Old
Testament, the synoptical gospels, the parables of Jesus, and the
fourteen Pauline epistles; the Hexahemeron of Basil the Great; the
Catechesis of Cyril of Jerusalem; several homilies by Chrysostom,
etc. The period, however, was not characterized by translations
only. Several of the disciples of Mesrob and Sahak left original
works. Esnik wrote four books against heretics, printed at Venice
in 1826, and translated into French by Le Vailliant de Florival,
Paris, 1853. A biography of Mesrob by Koriun, homilies by Mambres,
and various writings by the Philosopher David, have been published;
and the works of Moses Chorenensis, published in Venice in 1842,
and again in 1864, have acquired a wide celebrity; his history of
Armenia has been translated into Latin, French, Italian, and Russian."