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40-629: Ghazar is possibly the first Armenian historian whose identity and time of writing are not the subject of dispute. He was born in the village of Parpi (near the town of Ashtarak in Armenia, then under Sasanian rule) around 441–43 or 453, and was raised by a princess of the Mamikonian family. His family was part of the lower or middle nobility. They may have been relatives of the Mamikonians or were otherwise closely connected to them. Following

80-495: A brief introduction, which in Grigor Khalatiants's view was written by one of Ghazar's students. Ghazar wrote his history in the last few years of the fifth century or at the beginning of the sixth century at the request of Vahan Mamikonian. After summarizing the contents of the previous histories attributed to Agathangelos and Faustus of Byzantium , Ghazar begins his own history with the partition of Armenia between

120-610: A garden in Karbi , a villager (?), and three hostels, in the year 693 /AD 1244. This article about a location in Aragatsotn Province, Armenia is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Isaac of Armenia Isaac or Sahak of Armenia ( c.  350 – c.  438 ) was the catholicos (or patriarch) of the Armenian Church from c.  387 until c.  438 . He

160-400: A period of chaos both would be restored to their respective thrones; his daughter Sahakanoysh would give birth to "powerful and pious men." The passage about Sahak's vision is thought by some scholars to be a later interpolation into Ghazar's sixth-century history, although Gohar Muradyan considers it possible that Ghazar himself wrote it, perhaps drawing from an existing source. Sahak's vision

200-644: A solid education, for assistance while making the alphabet. Their translation from the Syriac Peshitta was revised by means of the Septuagint , and even, it seems, from the Hebrew text (between 410 and 430). The liturgy also, hitherto Syrian, was translated into Armenian, drawing at the same time on the liturgy of Saint Basil of Caesarea , so as to obtain for the new service a national color. Isaac had already established schools for higher education with

240-577: Is co-authored with Mashtots and concerns confessional matters. It is a reply to a letter sent by Proclus ( Epistola II: Ad Armenios, de fide ) to the Armenian clergy, which has been preserved in Greek and Armenian translation. The letter to Acacius is also a reply; Acacius's letter to Isaac, and another addressed to the Armenians, have been preserved in Armenian. Some authors have doubted the authenticity of

280-563: Is home to the 5th-century Tsiranavor Church, with 7th- and 10th-century modifications. There is also S. Grigor or S. Grigor Lusavorich ( Gregory the Illuminator ) Church and the 7th-century (rebuilt 10th-11th century) Targmanchats ( Holy Translator ) Church located in a medieval-modern cemetery on a hill to the east. Nearby is a cave with a working door, used as a place of refuge between the 16th and 18th centuries. The 5th- to 6th-century Armenian chronicler and historian Ghazar Parpetsi

320-578: Is sometimes called the "Armenian Herodotus ." Dickran Kouymjian notes that his reliability is also strengthened by his personal closeness to several important figures involved in the events he described, although it also formed his strong biases in favor of the Mamikonians and their relatives. Parpi Parpi ( Armenian : Փարպի ) is a village in the Ashtarak Municipality of the Aragatsotn Province of Armenia . It

360-647: Is sometimes known as Isaac the Great or Sahak the Parthian ( Armenian : Սահակ Պարթեւ , Sahak Part῾ew ) in reference to his father's Parthian origin. He was the last Armenian patriarch who was directly descended from Gregory the Illuminator , who converted the Kingdom of Armenia to Christianity in the early fourth century and became the first head of the Armenian Church. He supported Mesrop Mashtots in

400-695: Is venerated as a saint in the Armenian Apostolic and Roman Catholic churches. In the Armenian Apostolic Church, his memorial day is marked twice a year: first, on the Saturday preceding the penultimate Sunday before Lent, thus falling between January 24 and February 28; second, together with Saint Mesrop Mashtots, on the Thursday following the fourth Sunday after Pentecost , thus falling between June 1 and July 16. The end of

440-686: The Buzandaran Patmutʻiwnkʻ , neither names Nerses's wife nor mentions his time in Caesarea, while Movses Khorenatsi writes that Nerses married the daughter of "the great noble Aspion" (who is not known from other sources) in Constantinople. During his father's patriarchate, Isaac studied for many years in Caesarea, Alexandria, and Constantinople. He learned Greek, Syriac and Persian. The Armenian historian Ghazar Parpetsi writes of him that he studied "among many learned Byzantines" and

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480-674: The Astvatsnkal Monastery built between the 5th and 13th centuries in the village of Hartavan . It reads as follows: By the grace and mercy of God, I Kurd, Prince of Princes, son of the great Vache, and my wife Khorishah, daughter of Marzpan, built the Holy Katoghike for the memory of our souls. We have decorated it with every kind of precious ornament and offered the garden bought by us in Parpi , virgin land in Oshakan,

520-594: The Armenian alphabet sped up the process of the Christianization of the Armenian population. In 428, the last Arsacid king of Armenia Artashir was deposed by the Sasanian king with the help of most of the Armenian nobles. Isaac was against this and was himself removed from his position as Catholicos. An Armenian named Surmak was appointed in his place but was soon replaced by the Syrian bishop Brkisho. Isaac

560-598: The Byzantine and Sasanian empires in 387, the year that Faustus's history ends. Ghazar's History is composed of three parts. The first is about political events in Armenia from the partition of 387, including the efforts of the Sasanians to solidify their rule over Armenia, the invention of the Armenian alphabet by Mesrop Mashtots , the deposition of the last Armenian Arsacid king Artaxias IV in 428, and ending with

600-528: The Church of St. Gregory. Melik Hakobjan, who accompanied us, was not feeling well and we stayed the night there. In the morning, after services, we went down to Oshakan . The melik went to Yerevan via Yeghvard , but we stayed the night there. We left at dawn and arrived at Holy Echmiadzin . The village is also mentioned in a 13th-century inscription on the southern wall of the Katoghike Church of

640-521: The Gregorid line, his house's territories of Taron, Bagrevand and Acilisene passed to the Mamikonians through Isaac's daughter Sahakanoysh, who was married to the Mamikonian prince Hamazasp. According to Abraham Terian, the identifiable works attributed to Isaac consist of canons and his two letters to Archbishop Proclus of Constantinople and Bishop Acacius of Melitene . The letter to Proclus

680-711: The Mamikonian-led rebels. However, he accepted Armenia's place as a province of the Sasanian Empire, seeing as evil Yazdegerd II's attempts to force the Iranian religion and political control upon Armenia. Critics have valued the organization of Ghazar's history and his approach to historical writing. He has been dubbed "the rhetor" in the Armenian tradition and praised for his "language and integrity" and sometimes compared to Thucydides for his "clarity and historical sense," in contrast with Movses Khorenatsi, who

720-439: The Sasanian Empire, as well as about Georgia, Caucasian Albania , and the nomadic empires to the north. According to Robert Bedrosian, he is a "reasonably trustworthy historian," although his biases, especially religious ones, sometimes cause him to misidentify the causes of some events. As a Christian and a supporter of the Mamikonians, he is extremely hostile towards Sasanian Iran and the Armenian nobles who sided with Iran against

760-781: The Sasanians, the Battle of Avarayr , as well as its consequences. The third part is based on the author's own memories and focuses on the successful rebellion led by Vahan Mamikonian in 482–484, the consequent signing of the Nvarsak Treaty in 484, and Vahan's appointment as marzpan of Armenia. The main sources he uses in History are the primary works of previous Armenian historians, Agathangelos , Koryun , and Faustus, although he apparently made use of other historians' works, including Eusebius of Caesarea 's Historia Ecclesiastica . He also relied on living informants who participated in

800-401: The aid of disciples whom he had sent to study at Edessa , Melitene , Constantinople, and elsewhere. Through them he now had the principal masterpieces of Greek and Syrian Christian literature translated, e.g., the writings of Athanasius of Alexandria , Cyril of Jerusalem , Basil , Gregory of Nazianzus , Gregory of Nyssa , John Chrysostom , Ephrem the Syrian , and others. The invention of

840-440: The canons attributed to Isaac, although, according to Terian, these doubts are unjustified. Movses Khorenatsi's history quotes letters from Sahak to Eastern Roman emperor Theodosius II , the consul Anatolius , and Archbishop Atticus of Constantinople . Isaac is said to have been the author of liturgical hymns. Four sermons in the Armenian book of hours ( zhamagirk ) and many hymns ( sharakans ) are attributed to him. Isaac

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880-469: The creation of the Armenian alphabet and personally participated in the translation of the Bible into Armenian. Isaac was born c.  350 to the future Catholicos Nerses I ( r.   c.  353  –  c.  373 ). Through his father he was a descendant of Gregory the Illuminator , who converted the Kingdom of Armenia to Christianity in the early fourth century and became

920-473: The deaths of Catholicos Isaac and Mashtots in 438 and 439, respectively. The first part includes a prophetic vision attributed to Catholicos Isaac predicting the restoration of the Arsacid and Gregorid lines in Armenia, although this is judged to be a later interpolation into the text. The second part concerns the events leading up to the Armenian rebellion led by Vardan Mamikonian (uncle of Vahan) against

960-708: The defeat of the Armenians at the Battle of Avarayr in 451, Ghazar moved with the Mamikonians to the bdeashkh Arshusha's castle Tsurtav in Gugark (in modern-day Georgia), where he received his primary education. Studying under the auspices of Aghan ( Ałan ) Artsruni , he befriended the latter's nephew, Vahan Mamikonian . He excelled in his studies and went to Byzantine territory—possibly Constantinople —and continued his studies there from about 465 to 470, learning new languages and studying religion, literature, and Classical philosophy. Returning to Armenia, Ghazar busied himself with educational and spiritual activities in

1000-604: The district of Shirak , then part of the domains of the Kamsarakan family. From 484 to 486, he lived in Syunik until Vahan Mamikonian, who had recently been appointed the marzpan (governor) of Armenia by the Sasanians, invited him to oversee the reconstruction of a monastery being built in Vagharshapat . However, Ghazar soon came into conflict with other Armenian clergymen. Accused of heresy and receiving no help from

1040-413: The events about which they wrote. Thomson, on the other hand, notes, "[t]hat the two versions of the rebellion are related is clear from exact verbal correspondence at many points" and lists several reasons to believe that Elishe's work dates to later than the fifth century. Within the Armenian historical tradition, Ghazar's history does not appear to have had an immediate impact. Knowledge of his history

1080-418: The events described. According to Gohar Muradyan , Ghazar appears to have read the history of Elishe (although he never mentions or alludes to it), which purports to be a firsthand account of Vardan's rebellion, but there are no textual parallels between the two works. In Muradyan's view, the closeness between the two works is likely because of the fact that the authors were near-contemporaries and lived during

1120-492: The first head of the Armenian Church . Since that time, the descendants of Gregory had held the office of catholicos of Armenia hereditarily, with some interruptions. According to the anonymous Vita of St. Nerses, Isaac's mother was a Mamikonian princess called Sandukht, whom Nerses married in Caesarea prior to his consecration as catholicos. The Vita claims that Sandukht died after giving birth to Isaac. Another source,

1160-464: The first section of Ghazar Parpetsi's history contains a description of a vision supposedly seen by Sahak and narrated by him after he refused the request of the Armenian nobility to return to the patriarchal throne. In the vision, Sahak saw various symbols connected with the Church and faith and saw that the Arsacids of Armenia and Gregorids would fall from power and apparently disappear; however, after

1200-545: The head of the Armenian clergy, Catholicos Babgen, he left for the city of Amida in Byzantine territory in about 490. According to Stepan Melik-Bakhshian, Ghazar's educational activities provoked the ire of the "regressive clergy." In Robert W. Thomson's view, it is very unlikely that Ghazar was actually a heretic; rather, it was probably his strongly pro-Greek views, his antipathy towards Syrians and those unfamiliar with Greek learning, and his "obviously prickly attitude" that made him an unpopular figure and positioned him against

1240-466: The mainstream of Armenian church politics at the time, which was moving towards a break with Chalcedonian Christianity . It was in Amida that Ghazar wrote his Letter to Vahan Mamikonian , which includes biographical information about the author. Ghazar was eventually recalled by Vahan (probably around 493) and commissioned to write a history of Armenia. According to Armenian tradition, Ghazar was buried near

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1280-637: The ruins of an Armenian church in Parpi Canyon, south of a village named Lazrevan ( Ghazaravan ) in Armenia, although another tradition purports that he was buried the Arakelots Monastery near Muş . Ghazar's known works are his History of Armenia and his Letter to Vahan Mamikonian , appended to the history. The letter was written during Ghazar's time in Amida. It is a defense against the accusations of heresy and other accusations leveled against him by "slanderous monks." The letter contains

1320-513: Was "fully versed in musical notation, exhortatory rhetoric, and especially philosophy. He was later consecrated as a bishop and preached with his sixty students at Etchmiadzin Cathedral . His father died in c.  373 , purportedly poisoned by the Arsacid king of Armenia Pap . At some point, Isaac had a daughter named Sahakanoysh, who later married Hamazasp Mamikonian. It is assumed that his wife died before he became catholicos. Isaac

1360-412: Was absolutely prohibited, while Syriac was used. In this way the ancient culture of the Armenians was in danger of disappearing and national unity was seriously compromised. Isaac encouraged Mesrop Mashtots to invent the Armenian alphabet and himself translated and revised parts of the Bible. According to Ghazar Parpetsi, Mashtots and the first translators frequently turned to Isaac, who had received

1400-596: Was born at Parpi in AD 442. He is recognized for writing History of Armenia , sometime in the early 6th century. Parpi is known to have had a brief visit during October 1734 by Abraham Kretatsi during the time while he was serving the Catholicos Abraham II . He wrote: The next day, at my request, we went to Parpi and from there to Karbi , where we spent the night at the residences of Paron Khachatur and Paron Ohazar. The next day we traveled to Mughni to visit

1440-460: Was deposed as catholicos, but Khosrov's successor Vramshapuh managed to have him restored to his position. Through Isaac's efforts the churches and monasteries destroyed by the Persians were rebuilt, education was cared for in a generous way, Zoroastrianism which Shah Yazdegerd I tried to set up was cast out, and three councils held to re-establish ecclesiastical discipline. The catholicos

1480-425: Was elected catholicos c.  387 after the death of his predecessor, Aspuraces . He supported King Khosrov IV of Armenia in his efforts to reunite the Armenian realm, which had been partitioned into Roman and Sasanian parts in 387. Khosrov was imprisoned by the Sasanian king in about 389, possibly because of his nomination of Sahak as catholicos without Persian approval. After Khosrov's imprisonment, Isaac

1520-432: Was fairly rare before 1000. It was used without acknowledgment by Movses Khorenatsi and Tovma Artsruni (10th century). References to Ghazar become more frequent after Stepanos Asoghik (10th–11th centuries). His work is the main source for Armenian history in the fifth century. It also contains important information about fifth-century Iranian history and geography and the military hierarchy, administration and politics of

1560-568: Was imprisoned in Ctesiphon until 432, when he was allowed to return to Armenia and occupy certain offices within the church. Isaac refused to retake the patriarchate after the death of Catholicos Samuel, Brkisho's Syrian successor, in 437. Isaac died around 438 in the village of Blur in Bagrevand . His body was taken to Taron and buried in Ashtishat . Since Isaac was the last male of

1600-580: Was noted for his ascetic lifestyle. Prior to the invention of the Armenian alphabet, the languages of the Armenian Church were Greek and Syriac. Armenia had been divided into Roman and Sasanian client kingdoms in 387. In the Roman part, however, the Armenians were forbidden the use of the Syriac language and used Greek instead, and the country gradually Hellenized; in the Persian part, on the other hand, Greek

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