ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Apart from many of my friends who have helped me in one way or another towards the completion of my studies in Oxford, I would like to express my deep gratitude to two of my supervisors: Dr. C. J. F. Dowsett, fellow of Pembroke College and Professor of Armenian Studies in the Faculty of Oriental Studies, and Revd. Dr. K. T. Ware, fellow of Pembroke College and Lecturer in Eastern Orthodox Studies in the Faculty of Theology. To the first, I am greatly indebted for his kind assistance given to me throughout my work of preparing a complete English translation of the Classical Armenian documents concerning the Armeno-Georgian church schism. He has not only enlightened me on many difficult passages, but also offered his invaluable suggestions on emending or clarifying some parts of our texts. These suggestions on certain specific points have been acknowledged in my notes. To the second, I am deeply grateful for the generous assistance I received at every stage of the writing of this work. His advice on the treatment of the subject in general, and on the discussion of certain theological questions in particular has greatly improved the content and the presentation of this work.
I am especially grateful to the Institute of Ancient Manuscripts at the Mastoct Anvan Matenadaran, Erevan, as well as to the Armenian Catholic religious community of Bzmmar in Lebanon, and the Mkhitarist Fathers in Venice and Vienna for allowing me access to their manuscripts of the Book of Letters.
I shall always remember the Order of Preachers (The Black Friars) in Oxford, in whose Priory of the Holy Spirit I lived while working on this work. I have not only enjoyed their Christian fellowship, but also received, in many ways, their kind assistance.
I should also like to acknowledge the assistance lent by Dr. S. Peter Cowe of UCLA in reading the various proofs while this work was in press.
Finally, I would like to thank in a special way the Armenian Department of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, which has supported me financially for several years during my studies in Oxford. I am also grateful to the Theological Education Fund, as well as the Benlian Trust in London for making substantial financial contributions towards the completion of this study.
This book represents fundamentally the documentation and argumentation I defended in thesis form back in 1977 without major revision or updating. The intervening two or so decades have taken me far from academic life into the service of the Church as the Primate of the Armenian Community in New-Julfa, Isfahan and Southern Iran. Consequently, regular access to research libraries and scholarly journals has proved impossible. Therefore, J have been unable to incorporate into the body of the text references to more recent studies of this intriguing period of Armeno-Georgian ecclesiastical relations.1 This work has been submitted for publication in the hope that making these primary sources available in English will encourage broader consideration of the the issues they raise and elicit greater interest in pursuing the development of Armenian theology beyond the fifth century, which has been the focus of much detailed investigation, to the comparatively lesser known but extremely significant writings of the seventh and eighth centuries. If the book succeeds in this humble endeavor, then I shall count my efforts amply rewarded.
1 Among other studies one might cite the following: L.B. Zekiyan, 'La rupture entre les Eglises g6orgienne et armenienne au debut de Vir siecle,' 'REA, XVI (1982), pp. 155-174; B. Martin-Hisard, 'Christianisme et Eglise dans le monde gdorgien,' in J.M. Mayeur, C. Pi6tri et al (eds.), Histoire du Christianisme, vol 4, Paris: Desclde, 1993, pp. 549-603; J.-P. Mah6, 'La rupture armeno-g6orgienne au d6but du VIP siecle et les reecritures historiographiques des IXe-XIc siecles,' // Caucaso: Cemierafra Culture dal Mediterraneo alia Persia (secoli IV-XI), Spoleto: Centre Italiano di Studi sull' Alto-Medievo, 1996, vol. 2, pp. 927-958.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .(iii)
EXPLANATORY NOTES .(v)
MAP (vii)
INTRODUCTION .(ix)
PART ONE : THE UNITY
Ch. 1: THE CONVERSION OF ARMENIA AND GEORGIA TO CHRISTIANITY..p. 3
I. The Political Background..p. 5
II. St. Gregory the Illuminator, Apostle of Armenia and Georgia..p. 14
Ch. 2: THE INVENTION OF THE ARMENIAN AND GEORGIAN ALPHABETS
I. The Historical Background..p. 31
II. St. Mastoc1, Father of the Armenian and Georgian Literatures ..p. 39
Ch. 3: THE POLITICAL AND RELIGIOUS SITUATION IN ARMENIA AND GEORGIA, 428-506 .53
Ch. 4- THE REJECTION OF THE COUNCIL OF CHALCEDON BY THE ARMENIAN AND GEORGIAN CHURCHES..p. 75
PART TWO: THE SCHISM
Ch. 1: THE POLITICAL AND ECCLESIASTICAL BACKGROUND TO THE SCHISM: ARMENIA DURING THE YEARS 506-570 103
Ch. 2: THE POLITICAL AND ECCLESIASTICAL SITUATION IN ARMENIA PRIOR TO THE SCHISM, 570-604 ..p. 129
Ch. 3: THE POLITICAL AND ECCLESIASTICAL SITUATION IN GEORGIA DURING THE YEARS 506-610 ..p.. 159
Ch. 4: AN OUTLINE OF THE ARMENO-GEORGIAN CHURCH SCHISM, 604-608/9 ..p. 183
PART THREE: THE DOCUMENTS
ENGLISH TRANSLATION OF THE CLASSICAL ARMENIAN
DOCUMENTS FOUND IN THE WORK OF UXTANES AND
THE BOOK OF LETTERS CONCERNING THE ARMENO-GEORGIAN
CHURCH SCHISM, WITH EMENDATIONS AND NOTES..p. 251
LIST OF DOCUMENTS . ..p..389
ABBREVIATIONS AND BIBLIOGRAPHY..p. 393
INDEX OF PERSONS..p...437
INDEX OF PLACES ..p. 450