Two Armenian Historians: Kirakos of Gandzak and Ukhtanes of Edessa

IX
I N T R O D U C T I O N.

Now, in 973, the New Year or the 1st of the Armenian month of Navasard the first month of the Armenian calendar corresponding to March 28, the 11th of Tré the fourth month of the Armenian calendar corresponded to July 6, a Sunday.

In 980, a leap year, the 1st of Navasard corresponding to March 26, the 11th of Tré coincided with July 4, a Sunday.

Finally, in 987, 1 Navasard = March 25, the 11th of Tré = July 3, a Sunday.

In these three years, July 6, 4, and 3 did indeed fall on a Sunday; for the vague Armenian calendar, without leap years, brings back the same days of the week every seven years. ¹)

It is necessary to say, before going further, that Abbot Anania is known in Armenian literature as a learned philosopher and a distinguished polemicist, having written against the Paulician or Thondrakian sectarian movements in Armenia sectarians; Quadro della st. lett. di Arm. p. 61; Tchamitch, II, 824, 887. We have no positive information on Philippos, his emissary, nor on the priest Simon, the envoy of Oukhtanès. As for the latter, he is himself no better known than the others. * He says nothing of the place or time of his birth, makes no allusion to any other circumstances of his life, and those who speak of him provide us only with his name and a dry title. Father Somal is completely silent about him in his Quadro; Mkhithar of Aïrivank, in his list of Armenian authors, p. 25 of the French translation, names him "Oukhtanès, Bishop," between Ghevond, 8th century, and John the Catholicos, 9th—10th century; Vardan, Ven. p. 42, cites him simply without any qualification, but the editor, Father Alichan, ibid. n. 2, qualifies him as Bishop of Sebaste and historian, a notice no doubt drawn from Stephanos Orbelian, History of Siounie, p. 63; all others, such as: our Kirakos, p. 4, 24; Tchamitch, I, 18; Garegin, History of Armenian Literature, p. 307, 630, call him "Bishop of Ourha, historian." Father Tchamitch himself, in his Preface loc. cit., says he did not have the book of Oukhtanès in his hands, and yet he only cites it in Vol. II of his History, p. 301, in the account of the secession of the Iberians from the Armenians, but under the title: "Letters of Kyron and of Abraham," which suggests that he did not possess the complete work. I do not know that there exists any other testimony, and I remain undecided between the two episcopal residences attributed to him.

conformity of sound with ორი? "two" and სამი? "three," in Georgian; finally ოთხი?, the 4th month, is not without some phonetic analogy with ოთხი? "four," in the same language.

1. Here is the proof of these calculations:
   In 973 1 Navasard = March 28;
   11 Tré 100 days after.