The Life of Mashtots

his "enlightened teachings," through which one learns of Mashtots's instructional and literary activity, and finally to present the "angelic virtues of the Vardapet's life," that is, his exemplary inner life (I. 1). It was not possible, he says, to offer a detailed history of the life of the Vardapet, rich in achievements; for this reason, "leaving behind the more frequent occurrences and selecting from the noteworthy episodes, we have arranged a summary," taking into consideration the most important ones, following the example of the Evangelist (John 21:25): "skipping over the many deeds of the Saint in order to avoid being overly detailed" (XX. 2).

The biography is written to make known the saintly life of Sahak, and especially Mashtots, and their deeds beneficial to the soul, to the future generation, "as an example and encouragement to their own spiritual children and to those who may be students of theirs among various nations" (XX. 2). He has before his eyes a Saint, a person dedicated to God, for whom he had qualms about writing a biography, as to whether such an enterprise is permissible for a mortal. With this feeling, he approached the work and was careful about touching upon any issue or event that concerns secular life, political and municipal life. He avoided speaking even of church history or dogmatic disputes, which occupied minds inside and outside the country. His attention is focused only on those points that concern Mashtots's work of enlightenment, the literary movement, apostolic activity, and inner life; therefore, he followed the plan he had drawn in the preface, which he adhered to precisely.

However brief Koriwn may have been in this modest plan, he has given much. Whatever we know of the years 387—441, we owe to him. He presents us the events through the acting characters and the places where they occurred, though not always with chronological indications. He has written as an eyewitness and one who heard, accurately and clearly. "We have not arranged this by being informed and recording from ancient rumors," he writes, "but as those who were ourselves eyewitnesses to the forms and companions of the spiritual deeds, and hearers of the grace-filled teachings, and attendants of theirs according to the evangelical commands. We have not become clever speakers of false tales..." And his reliability is trustworthy. Those of our philologists who considered his truthfulness suspicious have been unjust to him. If some passages in his writing gave occasion for this skepticism, the cause must be sought not with the Author, but with the unfaithful copyists of his writing.

6. Content: An extensive Preface precedes the Life. The author reveals here first that while he was ruminating in his heart to write the Life and show the coming generation from whom, when, and how the Armenian alphabet was found, the order reached him from the locum tenens katoghikos Hovsep to write the Life of Mashtots quickly and without delay. Compelled to obey the Highest Order, he sets his hand to the work. But with qualms, a question arises before him: Is it possible...