AGATHANGELOS
History of St. Gregory and the
Conversion of Armenia
Introduction
Though we cannot date Agathangelos' History
precisely, we know that it was written earlier than the tenth century, and most
likely did not receive its final form before the year 450. There are several
versions of the History, and there is also at least one other Armenian
account of Saint Gregory's life which differs considerably from Agathangelos' in
the facts and details its presents.
The name "Agathangelos" (which in Greek appropriately
means "good news") is probably fictional, even though the writer introduces
himself in the Prologue as a man from the great city of Rome who is well versed in
literary skills and knows several languages. The Prologue also tells us that
Agathangelos was an eyewitness to the events he describes. It is unlikely that
this is true, especially because some of the words he uses are taken directly
from the life of Mesrob Mashdotz written by that great monk's student, Koriun
(about which you can read in the first volume of this
series).
What, then, is this History? It is a piece of
hagiography (a biography of a saint, written usually with affection and
admiration rather than impartial judgment) which contains many of the
traditional characteristics of that genre. It is customary for a hagiographer to
say he witnessed the events he writes about, for example. It is also typical for
the writer to describe the saints' tortures at the hands of pagans in great
detail, as Agathangelos does here. The long public prayers which Gregory recites
as he is being tortured, and his seeming imperviousness to the pain being
inflicted on him, are typical of the descriptions in many lives of saints.
Another thing that often appears, as it does here, is a "text" of an
anti-Christian edict that a pagan king makes when the Christians threaten his
price and power.
If so much of the History, including its writer's
name, is fictitious, how can we accept it as a piece of history? What does it
offer to the modern reader? In fact it offers a very great deal. Agathangelos
does give us a history of Gregory's life and times; the people and events he
writes about really existed and had a great impact on the life of the Christian
Church and the Armenian people.
But we cannot look at this History as merely an
impartial recording of events, for it was not written to be that. Agathangelos
has produced an account which is meant to describe Christian faith and its
powerful effects, and to inspire those who read it to greater faith. We can see
this in many of the History's characteristics. First, the biblical
references and similes are innumerable. The prologue uses the nautical imagery
so popular in Agathangelos' time, and ties it directly to the Bible's story of
the search for the pearl of great price. The long prayers of Gregory and of
Hripsime are filled with Biblical phrases and references of those who preceded
them in suffering and enduring for the Lord.
Even when Agathangelos describes well-known events, he
borrows from the Bible. Diocletian's persecution of the Church is talked about
completely in Bible images, with no reference to any actual events. Gregory is
nourished in the terrible pit as Elijah was; Drtad's bestial transformation
recalls that of Nebuchadnezzar. There are also countless references to
liturgical and patristic writings, and it is unfortunate that we modern readers
miss so many of these. Agathangelos presumed on the part of his readers an
intimate familiarity with the Scriptures, Liturgy, and spiritual writings that
most of us today simply do not possess.
Agathangelos had a purpose in mind as he wrote about
Gregory. That purpose is reflected in some of the differences in emphasis
between Agathangelos' work about the saint and the work of others. For example,
Movses Khorenatsi gives us much more detail about Gregory's origins, and tries
to tie him to the first enlightener, Thaddeus. In general, he gives more detail
about all aspects of Gregory's life than Agathangelos does. But Agathangelos is
not interested in establishing an apostolic tie for Gregory, or presenting his
life in detail. His purpose is mainly to enhance Gregory's role as the first
bishop, first church builder, and first establisher of a hierarchy in the
Armenian Church. He wants to show the importance of the hierarchical structure
of the Church, and emphasize the authority of the patriarch's position, and this
he does by tying both to the great saint so highly venerated in the
Church.
Central to this effort is Agathangelos' description of
Gregory's vision of the burial place of the martyrs. Gregory is shown a golden
base where the cathedral at Vagharshapat (later Etchmiadzin) is to be built.
Thus Agathangelos establishes a divine foundation for the cathedral and for the
church leaders who will reside there so again, he makes a case for the
"rightness" of the hierarchs and the hierarchical structure of the
Church.
The History is, as we have said, hagiographical.
To some people this means that its value is diminished because of it is
invented, some facts are embroidered, and the writer is consciously trying to
make his subject "look good." In many modern dictionaries of saints' lives, you
will see events dismissed impatiently as "merely legendary" or "invented by a
pious biographer." But we must remember that historical writing is always
interpretive. Nobody can write about things that happened and not assign some
meaning to them. And the truth is that the Christian saints and martyrs did
stand up against the most powerful rulers the earth had ever known, so powerful
that they were traditionally considered to be divine. The truth is that saints
changed the world in ways that nobody else has ever done, and that they are
known throughout the world despite the absence of "advanced" communications
equipment in their time. They were persecuted by hard-headed kings; they
did change history; they did bring whole nations to
Christ.
Agathangelos wrote as those of his day wrote. It is not
the way we write today, and perhaps we can grumble that he did not "stick to the
facts." But if we believe that the greatest fact is Christ and His salvation,
then the History is a factual work. It does give us the truth, for all
the people in it lived through the things it describes. But it gives us that
truth in light of the coming of Christ. In all the world, there is no brighter
or clearer light than that to illumine the truth.
Prologue
The
fervent wish of sailors, as their journey nears its end, is to reach port
safely. So amidst surging billows and tempestuous winds they spur on their
steeds made of wood and iron and held together by nails. They fly over the
mounting waves until, finally escaping the troubled waters, they race to their
homelands. They tell their loved ones how they braved the fearful tumult of the
sea in order to come back home with the spoils of their perilous sea journey.
With their profits they settle debts, free their families from servitude to
kings and overlords, and make a name for themselves as being generous and
rich.
Such
people risk their lives not because they are greedy, but because they really
want to make their lives better. Some of them then use their wealth for their
country's good. They give the king treasures of every description. They create
jobs for the poor; from their sea journeys they bring back new and wonderful
things such as herbs that are beneficial to health. And for this they are
willing to put themselves at the mercy of the sea, and allow the tumultuous
winds to plot their course.
Like
them, the one who writes this history now sets sail on the perilous sea of
wisdom. Like them, the writer is at the mercy of another power that of the
princes who command that an account of past events should be written. It is
impossible to oppose royal commands, so here is the history, written to show
forth the glory of God's workers, the saints. They shine like the priceless
pearls, adorning the crowns of kings and consoling, refreshing, enlightening
even the poorest in the kingdoms. They give rest and hope to the work-worn, and
enrich the land by their prayers. They are guideposts on the road to God's
Kingdom. They were tortured and died for God, and they gained life, leaving the
fruits of their triumph for us to enjoy. They fed the hungry, clothed the naked,
and opened the gates of Christ's compassion to all of us.
They
battled through the sea of sin, and when they reached the heavenly port they
offered the King of Light their prayers for us. Through their intercession we
receive God's mercy and love. And what can we offer to be worthy of such a gift?
Only a heart ready to hear God's word. If we bow our heads we will receive the
spiritual crown. If we merely wash ourselves of sin, we will be clothed with an
everlasting shining garment that makes us more splendid than the lily. If we
just let ourselves be thirsty for His love, a living spring will satisfy us
eternally.
From
these historical writings, readers may gain some spiritual wisdom. Therefore I
have set them down, I, Agathangelos from the great city of Rome and trained in the
art of the ancients, proficient in Latin and Greek, a not unskilled literary
practitioner.
And
so we come to the Arsacid court during the reign of Drtad, who has ordered me to
narrate not a false account of his brave deeds, but what really happened in the
battles, the plundering of provinces, the capture of towns, the struggles of men
for renown or revenge. Here are the deeds of the brave King Khosrov, and the
equally valorous exploits of his son Drtad, and the works of God's beloved
martyrs who rose like stars to scatter the mist of darkness from this land of Armenia. These martyrs died for God's
truth, and He had mercy on the land, showing miracles through one man who
endured countless afflictions and then triumphed for Christ, even making the
mighty Drtad accept a salvation he had known nothing about.
This
history will tell how the teaching of the Gospel came to be honored in
Armenia, by the king and then by all
his subjects. We shall see how they undertook to destroy the pagan temples and
establish the foundations of the Holy Church, and how they appointed a man as
shepherd of the land and benefited by his teaching. We shall see how Drtad
visited and made a covenant with Emperor Constantine, and returned to glory and
honor, dedicating many places to God.
All
this we shall relate in detail, with the teaching of St. Gregory who became
bishop and inherited the patriarchal title as a champion of virtue who he
was, and from what descent and family he came.
Then,
when future generations look to their past, they will open this book and come to
know what happened. They will read how the Gospel was preached in
Armenia, and how a man appointed by
divine grace did teach and endure tortures, and how by his love for God the
cults were crushed. They will read how the first churches were built, and how
the people were pulled from the treacherous sea of sin by his
preaching.
Part
1
Artashir,
a Sassanian prince from the province of Stahr, put an end to the Parthian kingdom
when he murdered the Parthian ruler Artavan. He had united the Persian forces,
and now they rejected Parthian sovereignty and chose him as their
leader.
Khosrov,
king of the Armenians, was greatly distressed by this news and soon took up arms
to avenge Artavan's death. He gathered Albanian and Georgian forces, and called
on the Huns to invade Persian territory. Khosrov and his armies ravaged the
land, destroying towns and cities, trying to overthrow the Persian kingdom and
wipe out its civilization. Even though the Parthians refused to help him, having
attached themselves to Artashir, Khosrov was able to inflict devastating losses
on the Persians.
Then
Khosrov returned victoriously to the Armenian city of Vagharshapat to celebrate
his conquests and reward his soldiers, whom he showered with gifts and sent
home. He also honored his family's ancestral worship sites, with white oxen,
white rams, white horses and mules, and he gave a fifth of all his plundered
booty to the priests. He similarly honored the temples of the idol-worshipping
cults throughout the land.
The
following year, still full of his intoxicating victory, Khosrov called his
armies together again, and for the next ten years they freely plundered all the
far-reaching lands under Persian rule. So completely did they scatter the
enemy's forces that finally the Persian king could stand it no longer. He called
together all the governors, princes, generals, and nobles of his kingdom, and
said to them: "If a man can be found to take vengeance against this bloody
Khosrov, I will elevate him to the second rank in the kingdom. Only I will be
above him, no matter how humble or honorable his origin. I will bestow gifts and
rewards without measure upon him if only he will avenge
me!"
Among
the king's council was a leading Parthian chieftain named Anak. He stood up,
strode forward, and offered to carry out the king's wish. And the king said to
him: "If you can manage this, Anak, I shall honor you with a crown." Anak agreed
to the plan, asking only that the king look after the rest of his family during
his absence.
Then
he and his brother, along with their wives and children, made their way to
Armenia. Anak presented himself to
King Khosrov at the winter quarters in Khalkhal, saying he was emigrating to
Armenia in revolt against the Persian
king. Khosrov received him gladly, honored him, and passed the long winter days
with him in good cheer and happiness.
But
when spring came, thoughts of the Persian king's promises stirred in Anak's
mind. He began to yearn for his own country of Pahlav. So he made a plan with
his brother, and together they got Khosrov alone as if they wanted to speak with
him. Then they raised their swords and struck the king dead.
When
the Armenian princes realized what had happened, they split into groups to scour
the countryside and find the killers. This they did, and cast them from a bridge
into the swollen waters of the Araxes River. An then, according to the king's
deathbed decree, they slaughtered the murderers' families. But two infant sons
were saved by their nurses, one of whom fled with her charge to Persian and the
other to Greek territory.
The
Persian king rejoiced at his enemy's death. He took the opportunity to invade
Armenia, correctly surmising that the
stunned and grieving people would not offer much resistance. One of Khosrov's
sons, Drtad, survived this terrible raid; his tutors took him to the emperor's
court in Greek territory. Meanwhile, the Persian king imposed his own name on
Armenia, sending the Greek army in
retreat back to its own borders. He drove out the inhabitants of the land he had
conquered and made it his own.
Drtad
was raised and educated in the house of a count named Licinius. The other exile,
Gregory, was raised as a devout Christian in Caesarea, capital of Cappadocia. In an effort to make amends for what his
father had done, he offered himself to Drtad as a servant, without ever
revealing his parentage. But Drtad had been taught to hate and persecute the
Christian Church, and when he heard that Gregory belonged to it he made
frightening threats, even imprisoning and tormenting Gregory in order to get him
to renounce the worship of Christ, and worship instead the pagan gods of
Armenia.
At
about the same time, the king of the Goths sent a message to the Greek emperor.
It said: "Why should both our countries suffer the devastation of war? Instead,
let you and I come forth as the single champions of our armies, and fight. If I
win, your Greeks will submit to my rule. And if you win, my people shall become
your subjects."
The
Greek king, not a physically strong man, was terrified by this proposal. He
called all his troops and their commanders in from the fields of battle to meet
with him. Among those answering the summons were the count, Licinius, and his
soldiers, including Drtad. At a place where they camped overnight there was no
forage available for the hungry horses. But there was a vast pile of hay locked
in a pen with a wall so high that no one though it could be breached. No one,
that is, except Drtad, who climbed over and tossed back heaps of hay until there
was plenty for all the horses.
Licinius,
amazed by this feat, hastened to meet with the emperor as soon as they reached
him the next morning. He told the king what Drtad had done, and together they
agreed that his young man from the family of the Armenian king must be the one
to meet the challenge of the Goths. Drtad was called into the emperor's
presence, and everything was explained to him. Having obtained his consent, the
emperor arranged a duel for the very next morning.
So
the "false emperor," dressed in royal purple and wearing the royal emblem, went
out to meet the king of the Goths. He beat the king handily, and was duly
honored by the Emperor. Drtad returned to Armenia with a
great army. He beat back the Persians who had subdued his native land, and
brought it under his own rule.
During
the first year of his reign, Drtad and his courtiers visited a provincial town
to sacrifice to the goddess Anahid in her temple there. He ordered Gregory to
venerate her statue, and when Gregory refused Drtad asked him: "You have served
me well these many years. Why in this one matter do you refuse to do my
will?"
Gregory
answered: "You speak truly. I have served you as God commands us to serve our
earthly lords. But He alone is the creator of angels and men, of heaven and
earth. We can worship only Him."
Drtad
frowned and said: "By saying this you render all your service to me completely
worthless. I shall punish rather than reward you as I had planned. It will be
prison and bondage for you unless you honor the goddess Anahid."
Gregory
replied: "My service to you is not worthless; God values it as He promised
always to value our efforts for Him. It is He I seek to please. And if you
punish me, I rejoice, for my lord Christ suffered affliction and death, and I
will gladly follow Him into death so that I can be with Him in everlasting life.
You speak of Anahit, and perhaps demons did once bedazzle men into building
temples for them and worshipping them. But I will not worship lifeless objects
of stone. We must worship the One who lives and gives life."
Drtad
then asked Gregory to tell him more about this living One. Gregory proceeded to
explain that Christ is the Lord of creation and the true light for those in the
darkness of idolatry. He exhorted the king to use his intelligence and put away
the mulishly stupid devotion to mere images.
Drtad
exploded in anger. He shouted: "You have insulted the gods and insulted me by
calling me stupid for worshipping them. You had the audacity to speak to me as
if you were my equal. You said I was stupid as a mule; now you shall feel the
burden of such words."
With
that he ordered Gregory to be bound and strung up, with a muzzle over his mouth
and a heavy block of salt hung on his back. After a week of this torture Gregory
was brought before the kin, who said: "Now like a mule you have carried a load.
But worse things can happen to you if you further insult our
deities."
Gregory,
however, had not been subdued by his suffering. He told the king that he did not
mind tortures, and that only those who worship idols need fear the Lord's
wrath.
So
Drtad tortured him further, hanging him by one foot for seven days. But Gregory
passed the time in prayer. He recalled in his prayer how God had prepared
mankind for eternal life, a gift which we threw away with our disobedience. Yet
God did not abandon us rather He sent the prophets, and finally His own
Son, to show us His will. Christ became the image of God so that we, who love to
worship images, might finally worship the Truth. He gave us a wooden cross
rather than wooden idols. He called us to sacrifice as Christ had sacrificed,
and to partake of His body and blood as we had once eaten sacrificial
animals.
After
recalling these wonderful acts of God, Gregory asked Him for strength and grace
to endure torments and to fight for the truth, receiving the crown promised to
those who are steadfast. Then Gregory praised God's creation of the light and
the darkness, with the sun and moon as their rulers. Finally, he prayed that his
tormentors might be shown the truth, and turn from false worship, so that they
could live everlastingly in God's Kingdom, along with those whose faith was
always true.
Even
this terrible torture, which broke his body, did not sway Gregory. After a week
of it, he was again brought before Drtad, who asked him once more to pay homage
to the idols. Gregory again refused, and Drtad submitted him to many more
hideous tortures. But Gregory withstood them all and told the king: "I can
endure all this not through my own power but by the Lord's grace. Now you will
see that nothing can separate us from His love."
It
was about this time that a prince of the court told Drtad that Gregory was the
murderer Anak's son. Upon hearing this, Drtad ordered Gregory to be put in a
deep pit until he died. As it turned out, Gregory would be there for thirteen
years.
Part 2
King
Drtad spent much of his reign devastating the Persian kingdom. One of the
proverbial sayings of the Armenians was: "Like the haughty Drtad, who in his
pride devastated the dikes of rivers and in his arrogance dried up the currents
of seas." He was exceedingly brave and daring, and also very proud. While Drtad
was thus flourishing, Gregory continued to survive, though still in a pit that
had killed all others condemned to it because of the filth, the snakes, and the
stench. But Gregory was secretly fed by a widow who had heard God command her in
a dream to toss a loaf of bread into the pit each day. So the two men, each in
his own way, were moving toward the day when they would meet
again.
Drtad,
still devoted to idol worship, remained an implacable foe of the Christian
faith. He issued two edicts, one commanding his people to pay proper homage to
the gods to insure that they would make Armenia prosper. The other edict
instructed all citizens to reveal any members of the cult of Christians, because
this cult was an insuperable obstacle to the proper worship of the gods. Drtad
even threatened those who dared to hide Christians, and reminded his subjects of
the severe way he had dealt with Gregory, a member of his own court. With
Christians, there could be no leniency.
During
these days the Emperor Diocletian was seeking a wife. He sent portrait painters
out into the kingdom to find lovely women and bring back portraits of them, so
that from these pictures he could choose a beautiful wife for
himself.
The
painters found, in the city, a group of nuns living a monastic life of constant
prayer and ascetic fasting. Their abbess was named Gayane, and one of them,
Hripsime, was very beautiful. The painters were quite taken with her, and rushed
to complete her portrait to show to the king. He was so smitten that he
immediately wanted to arrange a grand wedding. His arrogance and vanity led him
to persecute the Christian churches in order to show his power over
them.
This
was all terribly upsetting to the nuns. They were saddened by the persecution of
their fellow Christians, and worried by the king's unseemly interest in
Hripsime. They prayed fervently to God that he would enable them, like the
virgins in the parable, to keep their lamps filled with oil and that worldly
cares would not distract them from His service. They asked for His protection
against the pagan powers assailing them.
The
women decided to flee, and that was how they came to be in Vagharshapat, the
residence of the Armenian kings. They lived by selling the glass pearls which
one of them made. But in the very same city, King Drtad received an emissary
from Diocletian. He brought a royal edict which said: "Let my brother Drtad know
of the evils that constantly beset us because of this error-ridden sect, the
Christians. For they worship a dead man, adore a cross because he was crucified,
and consider their own death on his behalf to be glory and honor. They teach
dishonor for kings and hold as nothing the power of the sun and moon and stars.
Everywhere among our people they discourage the worship of the gods, and our
threats and punishments against hem are to no avail.
"I
happened to see among them a lovely young girl, and wanted to have her as my
wife. But she and her companions have insulted my majesty by fleeing to the
regions of your kingdom.
"So,
my brother, find them for me and take vengeance. Send her back to me
unless you wish to keep her for yourself. And may you be well by the worship of
the gods."
Drtad
immediately ordered a search, and the nuns were soon found. For it was ordained
by God that their light should not be hidden under a bushel, but shine out over
the world. And since word of the emperor's edict had spread across the land,
there were soon crowds of people straining to catch a glimpse of Hripsime's
now-famous beauty. The nuns, whose only wish was to have a holy and solitary
life, offered up constant prayers and lamentations to God.
Drtad,
having heard from those who saw her that she was indeed a great beauty, sent a
golden litter with attendants and filled with magnificent robes so that Hripsime
could adorn herself and come to meet him in the palace. Seeing all this, the
abbess Gayane told the younger woman: "Remember, my child, that you have
abandoned your father's throne (for Hripsime was of royal lineage) and longed
instead for the never-ending life of the Kingdom of Christ. Do not give up your choice now,
and rish your holy virtue with these infidels."
Inspired
by her abbess' words, Hripsime prayed intently, asking God to protect her as He
had protected all the Old Testament people who faced danger. Her sisters prayed
with her, and soon they heard a voice like thunder, assuring them of God's love
and care. The thunderous sound caused panic among the throngs of people looking
on they trampled each other in their confusion. But when King Drtad was
told what had happened, he was not at all frightened. He was furious that
Hripsime would not come to him, and ordered that she be brought to the palace by
force. So she was dragged along, with a great crowd following, and as she went
she prayed that like Daniel and Susanna, she would be saved from her
tormentors.
Drtad,
seeing her at last, was enthralled by her beauty and tried with all his great
strength to seduce her. But Hripsime, delicate as she was, struggled against him
so hard that he could not overcome her. Exhausted by his efforts, he ordered the
abbess Gayane to intercede with the young nun and tell her to accede. But Gayane
took the opportunity instead to strengthen Hripsime in her resistance to the
king. Drtad's attendants beat and threatened her, but she persisted in
encouraging the younger woman to stand firm and trust in God.
Hripsime
did so for many hours, and then finally escaped from the palace. She ran through
the city to the nuns' dwelling place to tell them what had happened. Then she
went out from the city to a high, sandy point near the main road to Artashat.
There she thanked God for keeping her safe. She prayed that soon she might be
allowed to leave the temptations of the world behind and enter, by His mercy,
the heavenly realm. She thanked Him for the certainty that if torments were to
come, He would be there with her. Hripsime ended her prayer with these words:
"Let the light of the Lord God be over us."
That
very night, Drtad's men came and tortured Hripsime to death. Other followers of
Christ were also killed, and so were many of those who came to wrap and bury
their bodies. But all of them prayed to God and thanked Him for making them
worthy of martyrdom. The king's men dragged their bodies out and threw them as
food for the prowling dogs.
Drtad
was unashamed of what he had done. Indeed his heart was more inflamed against
the Christians and especially against Gayane, who had counseled his wonderful
Hripsime not to yield to him. He commanded that the abbess should be killed, and
so she was taken to the place used for criminals' executions. But like her
companions, Gayane was unafraid, and expressed her wish to join her sisters
speedily. She died as they had, with a prayer on her lips.
King
Drtad was not an introspective man, and after a week of grieving over Hripsime's
death, he had to have some strenuous activity. He arranged to go hunting, and
when the hounds and nets and traps and beaters were all ready, he climbed into
his chariot to leave the city for the plain where he loved to
hunt.
Suddenly,
Drtad fell from the chariot, as if struck down by a demon. He began to rave and
grunt, like an animal. As their king was crazed, so all the people suddenly
seemed to be, and there was chaos and ruin throughout the city and from the
highest to the lowest of the king's household.
But
one person had a solution. The king's sister, Khosrovitookht, had a heavenly
vision which told her that only the prisoner in the pit, Gregory, could end the
terrible nightmare. At first people said she too was mad; Gregory must be dead
after so many years in the awful place. But the vision came to her again and
again, and each time it disturbed her more. So it was finally decided to send
one of the young princes to Artashat. When he arrived, the prince convinced some
people there to lower long ropes into the pit, and he called out: "Gregory, if
you are down there, let us know!" They felt a tug on the rope, and pulled it up
out of the pit. There was Gregory, his body blackened by dirt to the color of
coal. The people helped him get clean, and brought clean clothing for him, and
he was taken to Vagharshapat with joy and high hopes that he could remedy the
situation there.
A
pitiful sight greeted him in the great city the people, raving and foaming
at the mouth, rushed toward him like wild dogs. He knelt and prayed, and at once
the people regained at least enough of their senses to listen to him. The king
knelt before him and begged forgiveness. But Gregory pulled Drtad to his feet
and said: "I am just a man like you. The One who has had mercy on you is your
creator, the Lord and Creator of all things."
Gregory
gathered up the remains of those who had been martyred no dog had touched
the bodies, and they were not decomposed and he enshrouded them and took
them to the nuns' former dwelling place. He spent that night praying for the
salvation and repentance of the Armenian populace.
The
next morning, Drtad and a great crowd of people came to see Gregory, and asked
him: "Intercede with your God to save us, and not let us perish for all the
crimes we have committed against you." For they realized that whenever he left
them for a moment, the demons assailed them again.
Gregory
answered: "You say 'your God,' but the One you speak of created all things and
is your creator. Recognize Him, as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and you will
have everlasting life with Him. Do not be like those who, even though they are
His creatures, fail to recognize Him.
"You
see how much He loves those who believe in Him. He kept firm the maiden Hripsime
so that she could fulfill her vow of chastity. Even to such an unworthy one as
myself He gave the great privilege of suffering for His sake, and He granted me
the endurance to survive.
"Now
recognize Him, and throw off the yoke of evil. What you did to Hripsime and the
others you did in ignorance. Ask them to pray to God for His mercy on you. Know
God; put away your idols. He is long-suffering, pardoning, and nourishing in His
mercy, and He cares for you all.
"God
calls you; that is why He sent the martyrs to shine their light among you. They
were witnesses to the majesty of the Trinity, and sealed their faith with
martyrs' deaths. Recognize what they were showing you that the Son of God
humbled Himself in death so that we might be exalted. You tortured me, but my
sufferings did not kill me; they exalted me instead. I endured so that, by His
will, I could offer you spiritual healing. Now will you hear the teachings of
the Lord?"
All
the people fell down, and tore their clothes, and said that they did want to
hear God's word so that they might live and be pardoned for the things they had
done to Gregory. He began to teach them.
"You
have seen the power of God. For who but the One who made all things could change
their character as He wishes to? Yet God changed the poisonous snakes in the pit
into harmless creatures for your sake so that I, his unworthy servant,
would be saved and you would see the power of His miracles. And you saw a young
girl defeat a powerful giant of a man, your king. She was martyred so that you
might be healed. These are God's mighty works, done for your
sake.
"And if you will turn to Him, then I shall gladly tell you how He made the world
and showed Himself in it. For even though we cannot know Him, being only
creatures, still He sent men called prophets to tell of eternal and divine life.
They were men of the pious race of Hebrews, the seed of Abraham who is called
the father of all races. Among these luminous men who spread God's words was one
called Moses. He handed down tru knowledge through the generations. So by the
grace of the Spirit will I also try to teach you, trusting that He will place
the proper words in my mouth. Let us begin."
Part 3
So
Gregory taught the people about God and His desires for our salvation. Then he
urged the people to build chapels for the martyrs, as a way of showing reverence
for God and in order that the saints' intercessory prayers would enlighten them.
He encouraged them to fast, study, and pray to become ready for baptism, and
become worthy partakers in God's life and His eternal Kingdom. Having said all
this, he sent them home to get a good night's rest before beginning the work of
building the martyrs' sanctuaries.
But
King Drtad and the nobles would not leave Gregory's side because they were still
fearful and tormented. Day and night they fasted and sat on ashes, dressed in
hair shirts. Gregory used the time for they were like this for sixty-five
days to tell them the whole long history of God's salvation for mankind.
Many other people also came to hear Gregory's tales of the saints and his
explanations of the word of God. They were a huge crowd, attentive and filled
with wonder at what they were hearing.
On
the morning of the sixty-sixth day, the king and nobles and the crowd with them
approached Gregory and begged him to free them entirely from the torments which
had beset them all this time. The king especially was eager for this, because
his form was still more like a beast's than a man's. But it was God's will not
yet to heal them completely, and to give them only enough understanding to
comprehend Gregory's teaching. One way he taught them was by describing a
wonderful vision which had come to him, concerning the chapels for the
martyrs.
Gregory
said: "One night I heard a fearful thunderous sound like roaring sea waves. The
firmament of heaven opened, and a man descended in the form of light. He called
my name; I looked up and saw him and fell to the ground, struck by terror. But
he commanded me to look up and see great wonders.
"I
did look up, and saw the firmament opened with the waters above it divided as is
the firmament itself. The waters were like valleys and mountaintops, with
infinite expanses that went far out of sight. Light flowed down to the earth,
and the light was filled with shining two-winged creatures, human in appearance
and with wings like fire. Their leader was a tall and fearful man who carried a
golden hammer. He flew down near the ground in the middle of the city, and
struck the earth. The rumbling sounded even in the depths of hell, and as far as
the eye could see the earth was struck as level as a plain.
"I
saw him in the middle of the city, near the palace, a circular base of gold as
big as a hill, with a column of fire on it. On top of the column was a capital
of clouds, and above that a cross of light. There were three other bases at the
sites where St. Gayane and St. Hripsime were martyred, and one near the wine
press where the nuns lived. These bases were blood-red, and they had columns of
clouds and capitals of fire. From the columns, marvelous vaults fitted into one
another and above this was a dome-shaped canopy of clouds. Under the canopy were
thirty-seven holy martyrs in shining light I cannot even describe
them.
"At
the summit of all this was a wonderful throne of fire with the Lord's cross
above it. Light spread out in every direction from it. And an abundant spring
gushed forth, flowing over and filling the plains as far as one could see. They
made a vast bluish sea, the color of heaven. There were numerous fiery altars
shining like stars, with a column on each altar and a cross on each
column.
"There
were herds of black goats, which when they passed through the water became
sparkling white sheep. They gave birth to more sheep, filling the land. But some
of these crossed to the other side of the water and became brown wolves which
attacked the flocks. But the flocks grew wings and flew up to join the shining
host, and a torrent of fire carried away the wolves.
"I
stood amazed at this sight. And the man who had earlier called my name and said:
"Why do you stand gaping? Pay attention to what is being revealed to you. The
heavens have been opened! Here is what the vision means. The voice like thunder
is the beginning of God's mercy raining down upon mankind. The gates of heaven
are opened, and also the waters above them. There is nothing to keep us mortals
from rising up, for those who were martyred here have made a path for
others.
"'The
light filling the land is the preaching of the Gospel, and the fearsome man is
the providence of God, who looks on the earth and it trembles, who touches the
mountains and they smoke, as the psalm tells us. This fear of God has flattened
and destroyed error on the earth.
"'The
golden base is God's true Church, gathering all His people, and the shining
cross above it is Christ Himself. The three blood-red bases are the martyrs'
torments. But the columns of cloud show how quickly they will rise to heaven at
the universal resurrection. The capital is fiery because they will love in the
fire of divine light. And the crosses show that they are fellow sufferers with
their lord Christ.
"'The
vaults joining the columns show the unity of the Church, and the cloud canopy
above shows the gathering place of all believers, the celestial city. The
throne, above which the whole structure is held together, is almighty God, the
head of the Church. The shining light around the throne is the Holy Spirit, who
glorifies the Son. The spreading waters are the grace of the Spirit, which will
save many through baptism and make earth like heaven (that is why the plains
became the color of heaven.) The herds of goats are sinners, washed clean by
God's mercy, and worthy of His Kingdom. The flocks of sheep give birth because
many generations will hear the preaching of the Word; but the flocks that became
wolves are like those who depart from the truth. They lead sheep astray with
their falsehoods. But the sheep that endure will rise to Christ's Kingdom, and
the wolves will be handed over to eternal fire.'"
Gregory
continued: "And when he had told me the vision's meaning, he said to be strong
because I had a great task. I was to build a temple to God on the place where
the gold base had been shown to me, and the martyrs' chapels in the places where
they suffered and died. After he told me all this, there was an earthquake, and
I could see him no more.
"God
showed me this vision of the future so that I could do His will among you. Let
us go now and build the chapels, giving the martyrs rest."
"So
all the people took up tools, and gathered materials, and set to work. Gregory
himself took the architect's measuring line and laid out the foundations. They
built three chapels, and made a casket for each saint's body. After Gregory had
sealed the caskets, the king and people brought sweet oils and incense and rich
robes. But Gregory said: "I am glad to see you honor these saints. But do not
offer gifts to the holy ones until you have been purified by baptism. One day,
we shall use all these beautiful things to adorn God's altar. But until true
worship is established in this land, let them remain in the royal
treasury."
The
time had come for the king and all the people to be completely freed from their
tormenting demons. Gregory knelt by the saints' caskets and prayed for Drtad and
all the rest. Then he turned to the king, and by Christ's grace cured his hands
and feet enough so that he was able with his own hands to dig graves and bury
the caskets in them. His wife Ashkhen and sister Khosrovitookht helped him to
arrange the places. With his prodigious strength Drtad carried stones from
Mount
Massis to make thresholds
for the chapels.
When
the chapels were ready, the martyrs were laid to rest in them. Gregory placed a
cross in front of each, and told the people that the proper place for worship
was in front of that saving sign of Jesus Christ. Then he took them to build a
high wall around the place where the golden base had been revealed, for that was
to be the site of the Lord's house. There too, a cross was placed so that people
could worship God truly.
Gregory
could see that the people were willing to heed his words, give up idol worship,
and give themselves to study, fasting, and prayer. He gathered them to pray
together for healing, and as they all prayed the king was fully restored to his
human appearance, and the people were freed from their various afflictions. The
news of this wonder spread through the land, inspiring people everywhere to come
to Ayrarat and hear about Jesus Christ, and learn how to live as He calls us to
do.
Gregory
then asked the king for permission to overthrow and detroy the pagan shrines and
temples. Drtad readily issued an edict entrusting Gregory with this task, and
himself set out from the city to destroy shrines along the highways. Together
the men worked feverishly, and they distributed the temple treasures among the
poor. In all the cities he visited, Gregory marked sites for Christian churches,
but because he did not hold the rank of priest he did not erect any altars. At
each place he set a cross, and he also placed crosses along roads and at squares
and intersections.
Drtad
and his family members were then thoroughly instructed in the faith by Gregory.
When they had all been convinced to worship the only true God, Gregory and Drtad
began traveling to other parts of the country to instruct the people and to
destroy the altars of the false gods. In many of the provincial towns, demons in
the form of armed soldiers fought against the evangelist's efforts. They were
put to flight each time, and then Gregory would tell the people not to be
afraid, but to drive out their own personal demons of false worship, and follow
Christ. He performed miracles to show the people how loving and powerful God is.
And the king gave testimony about his sinful acts, and the miracles and mercy of
healing which God had shown him.
So
they traveled through the provinces and everywhere they spread the light of the
Gospel and destroyed the dark pagan superstitions which had held the people
captive.
After
they returned to Vagharshapat, Drtad called together all his courtiers and the
leaders from every corner of the land. The king wanted to make Gregory their
pastor, so that everyone could be baptized and begin in earnest to live the new
life in Christ. Gregory protested his unworthiness, but Drtad had a wonderful
vision from God urging him to carry out his plan, and the angelic vision also
appeared to Gregory, telling him not to thwart it. So Gregory said: "Let God's
will be done."
Drtad
then chose some of the leading princes to take Gregory to Caesarea, in
Cappadocia, with an edict for the bishop
Leontius. The edict gave the whole history of Armenia's pagan worship, the suffering of the
nuns, Gregory's witness and work among the people, and the king's own desire to
have Gregory be the spiritual leader of Armenia.
The
group set off with Gregory in a royal carriage, taking along gifts for each of
the churches they would pass. They were welcomed heartily in the land of the
Greeks, who rejoiced to hear of God's miracles and the great conversion which
had taken place. When the men reached Caesarea,
Gregory was duly ordained, and the bishops laid their hands on him and prayed
for him. He, too, was now consecrated as a bishop for God's
church.
With
joyous and loving farewells, the nobles and Gregory set out for home, and as
they stopped at various towns, Gregory persuaded some good Christian men to
return with him and be ordained to serve the people. In all the towns, crowds of
people gathered to see the new bishop pass, and to receive his
blessing.
Part 4
Back
within the borders of Armenia, Gregory heard that in a
certain region there was a large, richly-appointed temple devoted to the cult of
Vahagn. It was on a mountain peak near the Euphrates, and contained three altars, one for Vahagn, one
for his mother, and one for his spouse Astghig who corresponded to the Greek
Aphrodite. People still made sacrifices at these pagan altars.
Gregory
had brought from Cappadocia some relics of John
the Baptist and the martyr Athenogenes. He intended to take these up to the
mountain, destroy the pagan temples, and build chapels for the relics there. But
as his carriage neared a small valley, the horses halted and would not go any
farther. An angel appeared and said: "It has pleased God that the saints should
dwell here." So the entourage set to work and made a chapel for the
relics.
While
they were doing so, Gregory took some of the men with him to destroy the pagan
altars. Pound as they might, they could not batter down the gates. So Gregory
took the cross and held it up saying: "Let your angel drive the demons away,
Lord." And a wind like a hurricane blew from the cross and leveled the altars so
that later not a trace of them could be found. Many people seeing this cam to
believe in Jesus Christ, for as Gregory told them: "See, your stumbling blocks
have been removed." It was on that spot that Gregory first laid the foundations
of a church and erected an altar to the glory of God, and then arranged a
baptismal font. He was with the people for twenty days, and more than one
hundred and ninety thousand of them were baptized. This was the beginning of
Gregory's effort to fill the land with church buildings and priests. And in each
place he left a tiny portion of the saints' relics so they could be
venerated.
King
Drtad, informed that Gregory was back in the country, set out from Vagharshapat
to meet him. He had to wait a month, because Gregory was traveling far and wide
to provide every region with churches and priests to do services in them, and
was also baptizing scores of people.
Finally
Gregory did arrive, and the king went out to greet him on the banks of the
Euphrates. Everyone was filled with joy, and
the nobles who had gone with Gregory presented Drtad with Bishop Leontius' reply
to his edict. In it, the bishop praied God's loving mercy in showing the
Armenian people His will for them through the efforts of Gregory, whom they at
first had despised but who became their spiritual champion. The bishop quoted
Scripture: "The stone which the builders rejected has become the head of the
corner" (Matthew 21:42). He asked the new Christians to remember him in their
prayers, and wished them well.
When
the welcoming festivities were over, Gregory once again settled down to the task
of instructing the people, and ever more of them came to learn how to live in a
new way. Then he and the men he had recruited began a period of fasting and
prayer, vigils and tearful repentance. The royal camp also prayed and fasted for
a full month. Gregory built a church and placed in it the last of the relics he
had brought to Armenia. When all this was dome the
month of preparation was completed, the whole royal camp went down to the
Euphrates one morning at dawn, and he baptized
them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. As this was being done, a
bright light appeared over the water, with the cross above it. The people were
amazed and blessed God's glory. That evening they went forth, more than one
hundred fifty thousand new Christians, with lighted candles and in their white
garments, praising god with psalms and prayers. They received Holy Communion in
the new church which Gregory had built.
During
the next week, Gregory baptized more multitudes of people, and he fixed a date
for commemorating the martyrs. This date was the same as that of a former pagan
festival New Year's Day. He then continued to travel around the land to
give instruction and blessings to all the people, urging them to give up their
old worship and pagan feasts, and come instead to know and worship the one true
God.
Gregory
was especially concerned with leadership and education. He made sure that each
church had a priest and each region had a bishop. Then he persuaded the king to
gather peasant children from all over the country so that they, too, might learn
from him and the men he had chosen. The king was willing also to have some
children taught to read and become better acquainted with the Scriptures and
other sacred writings. Some learned Syriac and some Greek, but all found new and
precious knowledge in the word of God.
So
Gregory's work continued. He spread the gospel message everywhere; he helped
many in distress and despair, and established monastic orders in the populous
plains and the isolated mountain caves. He educated many of the pagan priests'
children and when they were ready he made them bishops of the
Church.
The
first of these, Albianos, was often left in charge of the court so that Gregory
could retreat to a lonely place and live austerely with pupils from the
monasteries. They would give themselves to prayer and works of humility,
proclaiming god's strength by their own weakness. They did the worship services
together, studied the Bible, sang spiritual songs, and encouraged each other to
live according to God's way rather than the world's. But Gregory was always
ready to visit a city to work with the people in churches there, and met often
with priests and bishops. He was their best example of how to live and do their
work as the Lord would want, and constantly reminded them to teach others as
Christ had done.
Armenia's
light shone so brightly in the world in this wonderful time that other lands
truly admired her and felt she was blessed. Everything was flowering, and the
king continued to travel around the land to urge his people to follow Christ.
But Gregory no longer went with him; instead he lived in the desert where he
could pray and fast.
King
Drtad lamented Gregory's absence very much, but at about this time he learned
that from a youthful marriage Gregory had two sons, Vertanes and Aristakes. Both
had been raised to be priests, but Vertanes was living a secular life.
Aristakes, on the other hand, was living a stringently ascetical life of prayer
as a monk. Elated by the news, Drtad sent for them both. Aristakes was at first
reluctant to leave his desert hermitage, but fellow Christians persuaded him to
go and do whatever God called him to.
As
soon as they arrived at court, Drtad went out with them to seek their father.
They found him on the mountain called the Caves of Mane, in the province of Daranalik. Drtad asked Gregory to make
Aristakes a bishop, so he could carry on his father's work. This was done, and
Gregory himself visited some of the churches he had established.
Drtad
was also a tireless servant of the Lord, both in his witness to others and his
personal spiritual life. He kept the feasts and fasts, asked forgiveness for his
sins, and strove to do God's will. He used his royal authority to promote the
teaching of the Gospel everywhere, and tried to be a living example of it for
his people.
While
all this was going on in Armenia, Constantine became emperor in Spain and Gaul.
He was a Christian and made a covenant with his large and mighty army that they
would work together to glorify God.
So
with his soldiers, Constantine marched against the heathen kings
Diocletian, marcianos, Macimianos, Licinius and Maxentius. He rebuilt the
Christian churches they had destroyed during the persecutions, and built chapels
for those they had martyred. He destroyed the temples of idols and took the
cross as his sign. Constantine greatly fortified his rule over a
large part of the known world, honoring all who worshipped the true God and
fighting vigorously against all others.
King
Drtad was eager to pay his respects to another monarch who believed as he did.
He set out with Gregory, the bishops Aristakes and Albianos, and some of the
highest-ranking members of his own court. As they traveled from Vagharshapat
through Greek territory they were honorably received along the way, and when
they arrived in Rome the emperor and the great Patriarch
Eusebius greeted them warmly. After the lavish ceremonies, Constantine pressed them to tell about the miracles that
had come to pass in Armenia.
So
Drtad told his spiritual brother all that had happened, not even keeping back
the details of his own bestial transformation. He spoke about the brave
sacrifice of the martyrs, and introduced Gregory to the emperor as the man
through whom God's will had been done. Constantine was amazed by the story, and humbly
asked Gregory's blessing. The emperor was also able to tell Drtad more about the
martyrs, whom he had known of while they were still in his land. He spoke of how
he himself had come to know God, and made an alliance with his fellow king to
keep the love of Christ as a bond between their kingdoms.
When
they returned to Armenia, Drtad offered all the gold
and silver gifts they had received to the service of the Church, and placed
several precious articles in the martyrs' chapels. Gregory and Aristakes
continued their travels and teaching across the land. It was Aristakes, too, who
journeyed to the city of Nicaea when Constantine convened all
the Christian bishops there for an ecumenical council. At that council,
doctrines were expounded and canons were formed. Aristakes made these known when
he came back to Armenia, further strengthening the
Church and insuring good practices among the people.
Gregory
continued his teaching and writing to make the faithful think about things of
the Kingdom by his stories about things of this world. With fasting and prayers,
taking only minimal rest, Gregory spread forth the word of the Lord until the
end of his days. He had taught his students well, and they too spent time in
reading Scripture and urging each other to follow the words of Saint Paul: "Take care for
yourself and your teaching, and persevere in the same. If you do this you will
save yourself and those who hear you." (Timothy 4:13-16).
Thus
it was that Gregory spent the days of his life in acts like those of the
Apostles, following God's commands until he died. And immersed in the love of
Christ, he shone forth to all.
Now
according to your command, King Drtad, we have written all this down as a
chronicle in the literary style of the Greeks. Like the Old Testament prophets
and rulers, we have put down these events for future generations everywhere to
read and learn from; we have not set them down from old tales but according to
what we ourselves saw and heard.
An
like the writer Luke, we have put down the main points, not including each small
detail but passing over some things and describing only those that are most
important and illuminating. We have made our story not to honor those who have
already pleased God with their service, but to inspire their children and all
those in every land who will receive these words. May they come, one day, to say
to Him, "You are our God," and hear His life-giving answer, "You are my
people."
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