Part 2 (2/2)
was his attendant spirit, whose chief business it was to watch over mankind, recording their good and evil deeds. [53] Upon the death of a person ”Grogh” conducted the soul of the departed before his master, who opened the great book, and balancing the good and evil deeds, a.s.signed a reward or punishment. Grogh is also the personification of hope and fear, and the expression ”may Grogh take you” is still very commonly used among the people, especially by servant girls and those whose language has not undergone the purification of a season of ”Sturm und Drang.” It is interesting to note that this and some other expressions owe their survival to usage among women rather than among men, which is not difficult of explanation when one considers the social restrictions that women are generally subject to. ”Viele Seiten des alten heidnischen Glaubens sind in dem heutigen Volksglauben, besonders bei den tiefer stehenden Volksschichten, bei alten Bauerinnen, als uberbleibsel der Vergangenheit erhalten.” [54]
The G.o.d Mihr represented fire, and was the son of Aramazd. [55]
He guided heroes in battle, and was commemorated by a festival held in the beginning of spring. Fires were kindled in the open market place in his honor, and a lantern lit from one of these fires was kept burning in his temple throughout the year. [56] It is still a festival among the people, although it has a different significance, and will be described more in detail later on. This is practiced not only by the Armenians, but also by the Syrian Maronites who reside in the Lebanon. I have seen the mountainsides literally aglow with a thousand fires in celebration of a Christian festival that has its roots in the pagan ceremony in honor of Mihr. The practice of a continually burning lantern was also carried over by some branches of the Christian church.
Both Persians and Armenians were wors.h.i.+ppers of Mihr (fire-wors.h.i.+p), although there was a very distinct difference between the two. The Armenian sacred fire was invisible, whereas the Persian was material and kept up throughout the whole year. It is for this reason that the Armenians called the Persians fire-wors.h.i.+ppers. The only visible fire-G.o.d wors.h.i.+pped by the Armenians was the sun, to which temples were dedicated, and after which the Armenian calendar month ”Areg” was named. [57] The ”Children of the Sun” as they were called, offered the most persistent opposition to the introduction of Christianity, and a community of them continued their wors.h.i.+p in the face of persecution after Christianity became the religion of the state. The phrase ”let me die for your sun,” and the oath ”let the sun of my son be witness,”
are language survivals of this particular wors.h.i.+p.
The Greek wors.h.i.+p, introduced first during the Seleucid dynasty, and emphasized and encouraged by the line of Arsacidae kings up to the introduction of Christianity, exercised an even stronger influence than the Persian. Many of the Greek divinities were rechristened and adopted by the people. Chief of these was Anahit, ”Mother of Chast.i.ty,” known also as the ”Pure and Spotless G.o.ddess,” who was the daughter of Aramazd, and corresponded to the Greek Artemid and the Roman Diana. [58] She was also regarded as the benefactress of the people. Writes Agathangelus: ”Through her (Anahit) the Armenian land exists; from her it draws its life, she is the glory of our nation and its protectress.” [59] Images and shrines were dedicated to her name under the t.i.tles, ”The Golden Mother,” ”The Being of Golden Birth.” A summer festival was celebrated in her honor at which a dove and a rose were offered to her golden image. The day was called ”Vartavar,”
meaning ”the flaming of the rose.” The temples of Anahit and the golden image were destroyed with the conversion of the people to Christianity, but the festival has continued as a regular church festival under the same name ”Vartavar” though of course with a different meaning.
The second and third daughters of Aramazd were Astghik, the G.o.ddess of beauty, and Nane, or Noone, the G.o.ddess of contrivance. [60] The former was the wife of Vahakn, the mythical king-G.o.d, the legend in respect to whom has been told, and corresponded to the Phoenician and Sidonian Astarte. It is stated by Raffi that the G.o.ddess of contrivance was a necessary power to womankind, for then as now woman had to make big things out of small. Sandaramet, the wife of Aramazd, was an invisible G.o.ddess and personification of the earth. Her master sent rain upon her, and brought forth vegetation. Later she became the synonym for Hades. Perhaps the best summary of Armenian wors.h.i.+p as existing before the Christian time is that given by St. Martin.
La religion Armenienne etait probablement un melange des opinions de Zoroastre, fort alteres par le cult des divinites grecques. On voyait dans les temples de l'Armenie un grand nombre de statues de divinites, auxquelles on faisait des sacrifices d'animaux, ce qui ne se pratiquait point dans la religion de Zoroastre, qui, a proprement parler, n'admettait pas l'existence d'autre divinite que le temps sans bornes, appele Zerwan. [61] Les plus puissants des dieux etaient Aramazd (Ormuzd), Anahid (Venus), Mihir (Mihr), ou Mithra. On y adorait encore d'autres divinites inferieures.
Anahit, however, was G.o.ddess of chast.i.ty, and did not therefore correspond to Venus. [62]
SECTION 2. LEGENDS OF ABGAR, THADDEUS, AND ST. BARTHOLOMEW
The first connection that Armenians had with Christianity occurred in the reign of King Abgar, whose capital was at Edessa (now Ourfa) during the time of Christ's teaching in Palestine. [63] The story is legendary and very popular. Abgar was called a great man because of his exceeding meekness and wisdom. As the result of several severe military campaigns, the health of the king began to give way. This led to complications which developed into a very painful disease. It was at this time that Abgar sent two of his messengers to the Roman governor, Marinus, to show the Roman a treaty of peace that had been made between Ardasches and his brother of Persia, who had quarreled and had been reconciled by their kinsman Abgar; for the Romans suspected that Abgar had gone to Persia in order to collect and direct a Persian-Armenian army against the Romans. [64] To clear himself of all suspicion, therefore, those two messengers were sent to show the treaty of peace to the Roman governor. On their return the messengers went up to Jerusalem in order to see Christ, having heard of his wonderful deeds. And when they returned to their king, Abgar, they told of the works of Christ, at which the king marveled, and believed him to be the very Son of G.o.d. The king, because of his sickness, sent Christ a letter asking him to come and heal him of his disease. The letter is quoted as follows:
The letter of Abgarus to our Saviour Jesus Christ. ”Abgarus, a prince of the world, unto Jesus the Saviour and Benefactor, who hast appeared in the City of Jerusalem, Greetings.
”I have heard of thee, and of the healings wrought by thy hands, without drugs and without roots; for it is said that thou givest sight to the blind, thou makest the lame to walk, and thou cleanest the lepers; thou curest those who have been long tormented by diseases, and raisest even the dead. And when I heard all this concerning thee, I thought that either thou art G.o.d come down from heaven that workest these things, or the Son of G.o.d. I have written unto thee, that thou shouldst trouble thyself to come unto me, and heal me of my disease. I have heard also that the Jews murmur against thee, and think to torture thee. My city is a small one, but it is beautiful, and it is sufficient for us twain.” [65]
The messengers delivered the message to Jesus in Jerusalem, to which the gospel bears witness in the words, ”There were some amongst the heathen that came up to him.” But Jesus could do no more than to send a letter in reply.
The answer to the letter of Abgarus, written at the command of our Saviour by the Apostle Thomas: ”Blessed is he who believeth on me, though he hath not seen me. For it is written concerning me thus: 'they that have seen me believed not on me, but they that have not seen me shall believe and live.' And concerning that which thou hast written unto me to come down unto thee, it is needful that I fulfill all that for which I was sent; and when I have fulfilled it I will ascend unto Him that sent me. And after my ascension I will send one of my disciples, who shall heal thee of thy disease, and give life unto thee and unto all that are with thee.” [66]
This letter was duly delivered to Abgar, with the image of the Saviour, which was still kept in Edessa at the time of Moses' writing. The legend concerning the image is somewhat as follows. One of the three messengers sent to Jesus with the letter of Abgar was an artist who was told to paint a portrait of Jesus in case the latter found it impossible to take the journey. The artist tried in vain to paint a good picture, and having noticed him, Jesus took a handkerchief and pa.s.sing it over his face a most exact likeness was stamped upon it, which he gave to the artist to be given to the king.
The quaint ending of Abgar's letter is worth the whole legend. What could be simpler or more seductive than the invitation, ”My city is a small one, but it is beautiful, and it is sufficient for us twain.”
The tradition of the Armenian church, or the Gregorian church, as it is more commonly called, acknowledges St. Thaddeus and St. Bartholomew as the original founders, who are therefore designated as the first illuminators of Armenia. [67] Concerning the recognition of the tradition of St. Bartholomew, which includes his apostolic journeys, his preaching, and his martyrdom in Armenia, all Christian churches are unanimous. The name Alba.n.u.s given as the place of his martyrdom, is the same as the name Albacus, hallowed by the Armenian tradition. His mission covered a period of sixteen years (A.D. 44-60). There is difference of opinion, however, in regard to the dates.
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