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ARMENIAN CHURCH MARKS FEAST OF HOLY TRANSLATORS ST. SAHAK AND ST. MESROP
12:54 10/07/2014 >> SOCIETY
The Armenian Church marks the Feast of Holy Translators St. Sahak
and St. Mesrop on Thursday following the fourth week of Pentecost.
Catholicos St. Sahak Partev and Archimandrite St. Mesrop (Vardapet)
Mashtots are the founders of Armenian literature and ecclesiastical
bibliography.
St. Sahak Partev was the elder son of Catholicos St. Nersess the
Great, and the last Catholicos of the Armenian Church who descended
from the lineage of St. Gregory the Illuminator. He became Catholicos
of All Armenians in 387 A.D., and reigned for an astounding 52 years.
Being talented in music, and educated in the rhetorical arts,
philosophy and linguistics, St. Sahak greatly contributed to the
development of Armenian national culture. He was the strongest advocate
for the creation of an Armenian Alphabet, and became its chief patron.
St. Mesrop Mashtots was born in 360 A.D. and studied the Greek and
Persian languages from childhood. He initially served as a scribe in
the royal court. Leaving secular life behind, he becomes a monk and
lives an ascetic life. During his preaching of the Gospel, St. Mesrop
feels the necessity to create a distinct Armenian Alphabet and to
have the Holy Bible translated into Armenian. For in those years, the
Bible was only available in Greek and Syriac. In Armenia, there once
were ciphers, or symbols, which were used by the former pagan priests.
Following the Great Conversion of the Armenian nation to Christianity,
the symbols fell into disuse, and the only remaining copy was in
Mesopotamia with a bishop named Daniel the Syrian. Upon the order
of King Vramshapouh, the symbols are brought to Armenia from Bishop
Daniel. However, while teaching his new students by means of those
symbols for a short period of time, Mesrop soon finds them to be
lacking, as they were imperfect and defective. Together with his
students he departs for Mesopotamia, and visits the cities of Antioch,
Edessa, and Samosata, to conduct further research. In 404/405 A.D.,
St. Mesrop creates the Armenian Alphabet through Divine Grace. For
the first time in the history of the nation, the Armenian people had
a specific and distinctive alphabet.
Following the creation of the Armenian Alphabet, St. Sahak and St.
Mesrop opened a school for translators in the city of Vagharshapat
(Etchmiadzin). There they begin the translation of the Holy Bible into
Armenian and did it so perfectly, that centuries hence the Armenian
Translation is called the "Queen Translation of the Breath of God."
The first sentence translated from the Holy Bible is the opening
verse of the Book of Proverbs: "To know wisdom and instruction,
to perceive the words of understanding."
St. Mesrop Mashtots passed away in Vagharshapat, and was buried
in his home village of Oshakan. According to tradition, during the
entire journey of transferring the remains of St. Mesrop to Oshakan,
a canopy of light fell upon the pilgrims and accompanied them until
they reached the tomb. The Church of St. Mesrop Mashtots, which exists
to this day, was built over his grave.
http://www.panorama.am/en/society/2014/07/10/targmanchac-ton/
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
12:54 10/07/2014 >> SOCIETY
The Armenian Church marks the Feast of Holy Translators St. Sahak
and St. Mesrop on Thursday following the fourth week of Pentecost.
Catholicos St. Sahak Partev and Archimandrite St. Mesrop (Vardapet)
Mashtots are the founders of Armenian literature and ecclesiastical
bibliography.
St. Sahak Partev was the elder son of Catholicos St. Nersess the
Great, and the last Catholicos of the Armenian Church who descended
from the lineage of St. Gregory the Illuminator. He became Catholicos
of All Armenians in 387 A.D., and reigned for an astounding 52 years.
Being talented in music, and educated in the rhetorical arts,
philosophy and linguistics, St. Sahak greatly contributed to the
development of Armenian national culture. He was the strongest advocate
for the creation of an Armenian Alphabet, and became its chief patron.
St. Mesrop Mashtots was born in 360 A.D. and studied the Greek and
Persian languages from childhood. He initially served as a scribe in
the royal court. Leaving secular life behind, he becomes a monk and
lives an ascetic life. During his preaching of the Gospel, St. Mesrop
feels the necessity to create a distinct Armenian Alphabet and to
have the Holy Bible translated into Armenian. For in those years, the
Bible was only available in Greek and Syriac. In Armenia, there once
were ciphers, or symbols, which were used by the former pagan priests.
Following the Great Conversion of the Armenian nation to Christianity,
the symbols fell into disuse, and the only remaining copy was in
Mesopotamia with a bishop named Daniel the Syrian. Upon the order
of King Vramshapouh, the symbols are brought to Armenia from Bishop
Daniel. However, while teaching his new students by means of those
symbols for a short period of time, Mesrop soon finds them to be
lacking, as they were imperfect and defective. Together with his
students he departs for Mesopotamia, and visits the cities of Antioch,
Edessa, and Samosata, to conduct further research. In 404/405 A.D.,
St. Mesrop creates the Armenian Alphabet through Divine Grace. For
the first time in the history of the nation, the Armenian people had
a specific and distinctive alphabet.
Following the creation of the Armenian Alphabet, St. Sahak and St.
Mesrop opened a school for translators in the city of Vagharshapat
(Etchmiadzin). There they begin the translation of the Holy Bible into
Armenian and did it so perfectly, that centuries hence the Armenian
Translation is called the "Queen Translation of the Breath of God."
The first sentence translated from the Holy Bible is the opening
verse of the Book of Proverbs: "To know wisdom and instruction,
to perceive the words of understanding."
St. Mesrop Mashtots passed away in Vagharshapat, and was buried
in his home village of Oshakan. According to tradition, during the
entire journey of transferring the remains of St. Mesrop to Oshakan,
a canopy of light fell upon the pilgrims and accompanied them until
they reached the tomb. The Church of St. Mesrop Mashtots, which exists
to this day, was built over his grave.
http://www.panorama.am/en/society/2014/07/10/targmanchac-ton/
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress