Verified Document

Koriun Vardapet Was An Armenian Scholar Of Term Paper

Koriun Vardapet was an Armenian scholar of the 5th Century and was among those who first translated the Bible into Armenian. His most valid contribution to Armenian literature must be the Life of Mashtots, a book based on the life of his mentor, St. Mashtots Vardapet, who created the "God-given alphabet of the Azkanazian nation and of the land of Armenia" (Koriun, 1985). Koriun was one of the 'Holy Translators' who's job it was to translate religious texts, including the Bible and writings by Greek and Syriac authors, who were considered highly important in Christian literature as being that "reasons favor the view that the Gospels were first read in a translation dependent on a Syriac text of Tatian's Diatessaron" (Pearse, 2002).

Christianity's arrival to Armenia is maintained to have been introduced by St. Bartholomew, and Thaddeus. "It also is known that small Jewish colonies dating probably to the period of the Babylonian captivity (sixth century B.C.) existed in Armenia and probably served as axes for the spreading of the Christian gospel. Tradition also links Armenia with the legendary Christian king Abgar (d. 50 A.D.) of Edessa" (Steeves, 1991).

Armenia's conversion to Christianity was also spearheaded by St. Gregory the Illuminator and by the time of his passing, circa 311, Armenia's churches suffered through internal dissensions, as well as political turmoil.

Mesopotamia, Egypt and the Indus river valley surrounded the country. Armenia is dominated by Mt. Ararat and historically, it has seen it's fair share of war and refuge. It is also an important reference within Christian literatures and scriptures.

The onset of Armenia being shared with Persia after the Greek conflict created greater turmoil for the Church and Christianity's survival in Armenia as the Persian's were determined to replace it with Parseeism.

As it is, "The Armenians were the first people to adopt Christianity as the official state religion" (Steeves, 1991) and the importance of a translated Bible was invaluable to the people and the stability of the Church in the country. It could be said, that it was the Church that provided the people a safe-haven and ability to keep above the...

"A Church without the Bible in the hands of her faithful could not stand very long and very firm in the midst of a pagan world.
The Armenian Church Fathers were deeply conscious of the pressing necessity, of the absolute urgency of the translation of the Bible into Armenian" (Sarkissian, 1960).

Armenian Christian literature was greatly influenced by this invention of an Armenian language by Mashtots (Mesrob) and his life was recorded in Koriun's The Life of Mashtots.

Koriun was a disciple of Mashtots and during the surfacing of Christianity in Armenia; there was also a change in architecture and music.

There was also a boom in science and mathematics flourished, as did medicine and astronomy.

Despite the political problems, it was a semi-renaissance for the country.

Koriun's contribution to Armenia's historical works, is best shown in his biography of Mashtots. This has become one of the most reliable sources of historical background regarding St. Mashtots and his creation of the Armenian language, which in turn brought about the full development of the Armenian Church to the people in the 5th Century.

Koriun is believed to have been in the regions of Amida and Edessa to learn the Greek and Syrian language (Sarkissian, 1960). Besides contributing on the translation of the Bible, Koriun also helped with translating the Liturgies, and other documents of the Greek and Syrian Church fathers.

As mentioned, the most important work by Koriun is The Life of Mashtots. Within this book he gives historical details of his mentor and of the era that are otherwise lost. The work has been translated throughout the years into many languages including French, German and Russian. He gives great details to Mashtots dedication in creating the Armenian language, as well as the Georgian and Albanian alphabets.

Koriun was one of a few 'historians' who have documented the time and early history of Armenia. Of these other historical works one such other, "The…

Sources used in this document:
Bibliography

The Heritage History"

Virtual Matenadaran

Friends of Matenadaran, 2003.

Koriun Life of Mashtots
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Mesopotamia the Earliest Known Human
Words: 1597 Length: 5 Document Type: Term Paper

Slaves did, however, hold a few rights such as being able to own property, engage in trade, or buy their freedom. Law was highly developed as is evident from the elaborate laws of Hummarabi, which covered almost every aspect of the Mesopotamian life. (Love) Patriarchal Society The Mesopotamian society was highly patriarchal in nature with the wife's position being firmly below that of the husband in the household. Women's position in

Mesopotamia -- As the First
Words: 1730 Length: 6 Document Type: Essay

Parents who could not afford to send their children to school are left to teach their children everything they knew. Roman forums are described as the business center where people do their banking, trading, shopping and marketing. It is also the place where public speaking, festivals and religious ceremonies are held. It is also the center where people can express public opinion and elicit support for a particular issue

Mesopotamia & Egypt: One of the Major
Words: 1024 Length: 3 Document Type: Term Paper

MESOPOTAMIA & EGYPT: One of the major events that marked the beginning of civilization was the development of agriculture which was made possible by the presence of three important rivers -- the Tigris and Euphrates in Mesopotamia, the so-called "Cradle of Civilization," and the great Nile River in Egypt, where one of the greatest civilizations first appeared some five thousand years ago. As pointed out by Wolfram Von Soden, the

Civilization Egypt and Mesopotamia Define
Words: 684 Length: 2 Document Type: Term Paper

In Mesopotamia, the gods were actively involved in the doings of this world, but not in a way that was just or equitable -- the gods had no special moral attributes, merely greater power than humans. The lack of harmony in the natural world of Mesopotamia was also reflected in the disparate nature of Mesopotamian government, which was full of small city-states, with no cohesive national ruler. Egypt's pharaohs reigned

Treatment of the Dead Mesopotamia 2700 BC
Words: 495 Length: 1 Document Type: Term Paper

Burial in Ur What were death rituals like in Biblical times? Studying archaeological sites from ancient Mesopotamia offers some answers, as well as raises more questions. Mesopotamia or the "the Land between the Rivers" or "House of Two Rivers" is a region of Southwest Asia between the Trigris and Euphrates rivers, near Iraq ande Syria. Writings from this area are some of the earliest known in human culture, so it is

Cuneiform Scribes in Mesopotamia Have an Obligation
Words: 649 Length: 2 Document Type: Term Paper

Cuneiform Scribes in Mesopotamia have an obligation to record essential facts, to leave in writing a legacy by which posterity will remember and respect the culture. The political organization, economic and trade system, rules, laws, foreign relations and social codes would all make for interesting reading centuries or millennia into the future. Additionally, scribes should record key aspects of our social lives: including the demographics of our civilization as well as

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now