Nerses I

Last updated • 5 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia
There was also a Caucasian Albanian Catholicos Nerses I, who ruled in 689–706, and a Patriarch Nerses I of Constantinople, who ruled in 1704.
Saint

Saint Nerses
Ներսէս Ա
Nerses.jpg
A nineteenth-century imaginary depiction of Nerses
BornFourth century
Died373
Venerated in Catholic Church
Eastern Orthodox Church
Oriental Orthodox Church
Anglican Communion
Feast 19 November [1]

Nerses I the Great (Armenian : Ներսէս Ա Մեծ, romanized: Nersēs A Mets; died c. 373), also known as Nerses the Parthian (Ներսէս Պարթև, Nersēs Part’ev), was an Armenian Catholicos (or Patriarch) who lived in the fourth century.

Contents

Early life

Nerses was the son of Atanagines and the Arsacid princess Bambishn. His paternal grandfather was Catholicos Husik, whose paternal grandfather was Saint Gregory the Illuminator, the founder of the Armenian Church. [2] The main source for Nerses's life, the 5th-century Buzandaran Patmutʻiwnkʻ (traditionally attributed to Faustus of Byzantium), calls Bambishn a sister of King Tiran of Armenia, although this poses certain chronological and genealogical difficulties, as Atanagines's father Husik is said to have married the daughter of the same king. [a] Additionally, Bambishn was a title borne by royal ladies in the Sasanian period, so this is probably a title rather than her actual name. [4] Since the time of Gregory the Illuminator, Nerses's family had held the leadership of the Church in Armenia as their hereditary right, although this inheritance was temporarily interrupted when Nerses's father and uncle refused the patriarchate and instead pursued military careers. [5]

Nerses received a Hellenistic education in Caesarea in Cappadocia [6] and presumably married there. His wife's name is not mentioned in the Buzandaran Patmutʻiwnkʻ, but a later Vita of Nerses, derivative of the Buzandaran Patmutʻiwnkʻ, reports that he married a Mamikonian princess called Sandukht, who died after bearing Nerses a son called Sahak (Isaac), who would later become catholicos. [7] After the death of his wife, he pursued a military career and was appointed senekapet (literally 'chamberlain', but here perhaps signifying 'sword-bearer') to Arsacid king Arshak II. [8] A few years later, having entered the ecclesiastical state, he was elected catholicos probably in 353 and confirmed in the office in Caesarea in accordance with tradition. He was the last Armenian patriarch to be consecrated at Caesarea. [9]

Patriarchate

His patriarchate marks a new era in Armenian history. Until that point, the Church had been more or less identified with the royal family and the nobles; Nerses brought it into closer connection with the people. At the Council of Ashtishat (c. 356) he promulgated numerous laws on marriage, fast days, and divine worship. Among other things, the council forbade people to marry their first cousin and forbade mutilation and other extreme actions in mourning. Nerses built schools, hospitals, leprosaria and poor houses and sent monks throughout the land to preach the Gospel. [10]

Nerses's relations with Arshak II, however, soon deteriorated. Some of the catholicos's reforms drew upon him the king's displeasure. Nerses also clashed with Arshak over the latter's extermination of certain Armenian noble houses. [6] Nerses made a visit to Constantinople to secure the release of royal hostages [7] and receive Olympias, Arshak's new Roman bride, who probably left with a later embassy after Nerses's departure. [11] Arshak, like his father, pursued a pro-Arian policy, which led to a falling out with Catholicos Nerses. [12] According to the Buzandaran Patmutʻiwnkʻ, Nerses never again appeared at Arshak's court after the king ordered the murder of his own nephew, Gnel, in defiance of the catholicos's exhortations. [13] In 359/360, [14] Nerses was exiled for some nine years along with other anti-Arian bishops. [13]

Upon the accession of pro-Arian king Pap in 369/370, Nerses returned to his see. Nerses undertook the reconstruction of Armenian churches and monasteries that had been destroyed during the Persian occupation of Armenia and strove toward the elimination of Zoroastrian influence in the country. [6] The classical Armenian historians write that Pap proved a dissolute and unworthy ruler and Nerses forbade him entrance to the church. Other historians believe that Nerses tried to bring the young king under his control using his considerable influence and enlisting the help of some Armenian princes, prompting Pap to dissolve the Patriarch's benevolent institutions and confiscate holdings belonging to the Church. [6] According to Faustus of Byzantium and Movses Khorenatsi, in 373 Pap invited Nerses to his table under the pretence of seeking reconciliation, then poisoned him. [6] [15] According to another theory, Nerses died of an illness of the lungs that he had contracted early in his life. [6] Pap appointed Nerses's successor without the approval of Caesarea, which refused to recognize the bishop's authority. [15]

Nerses's vision

In medieval Armenia, a legend about a prophetic vision supposedly seen by Nerses in his dying moments gained widespread popularity and underwent several transformations over the centuries. Nerses's legendary vision is not mentioned by the main classical sources on Nerses's life, Faustus, Ghazar Parpetsi and Movses Khorenatsi, although Faustus and Parpetsi do write that Nerses's cursed the Arsacids, causing the fall of their kingdom. [16] The legend first appears in a 10th-century vita of Nerses attributed to Mesrop Erets ('the Priest'), although the main version that has reached us was redacted sometime between 1099 and 1131, that is, soon after the first Crusader conquest of Jerusalem. [17] According to this version of the legend, Nerses predicted the fall of the Arsacid and Gregorid houses, the conquest of Jerusalem by the Persians, the capture of the True Cross, and its recapture by the Byzantines; the Armenian princes will be subjugated by the Byzantines, but the latter will soon be defeated by the "nation of the archers" (later associated with the Seljuks), leading to the total ruination of Armenia and its church; these calamities will be followed by the coming of the "Franks" or "Romans" (the Crusaders), who will defeat the infidels and subject them to Roman authority, leading to the creation of a heavenly kingdom on Earth where peace, prosperity and justice will reign until the coming of the Antichrist. [18]

In the arts

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ According to Nina Garsoïan, the generational gap is likely the result of a slip of the pen, but these marriages may also reflect the continuance of Zoroastrian-style consanguineous marriages in early Christian Armenia. [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gregory the Illuminator</span> Patron saint of the Armenian Apostolic Church (c.257–c.331)

Gregory the Illuminator was the founder and first official head of the Armenian Apostolic Church. He converted Armenia from Zoroastrianism to Christianity in the early fourth century, making Armenia the first state to adopt Christianity as its official religion. He is venerated as a saint in the Armenian Apostolic Church and in some other churches.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Isaac of Armenia</span> 4th and 5th-century Parthian patriarch and saint

Isaac or Sahak of Armenia was the catholicos of the Armenian Church from c. 387 until c. 438. He is sometimes known as Isaac the Great or Sahak the Parthian in reference to his father's Parthian origin. He was the last Armenian patriarch who was directly descended from Gregory the Illuminator, who converted the Kingdom of Armenia to Christianity in the early fourth century and became the first head of the Armenian Church. He supported Mesrop Mashtots in the creation of the Armenian alphabet and personally participated in the translation of the Bible into Armenian.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mamikonian</span> Aristocratic dynasty dominant in Armenia from the 4th to 8th centuries

Mamikonian, or Mamikonean, was an Armenian aristocratic dynasty which dominated Armenian politics between the 4th and 8th centuries. They were the most notable noble house in Early Christian Armenia after the ruling Arsacid dynasty and held the hereditary positions of sparapet and dayeak, allowing them to play the role of kingmaker for the later Armenian kings. They ruled over extensive territories, including the Armenian regions of Tayk, Taron, Sasun, and Bagrevand, among others. The Mamikonians had a reputation as supporters of the Roman Empire in Armenia against Sasanian Iran, although they also served as viceroys under Persian rule. Their influence over Armenian affairs began to decline at the end of the 6th century and suffered a final, decisive blow after a failed rebellion against Arab rule over Armenia in 774/75.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pap of Armenia</span> King of Armenia from 370 to 374

Pap was king of Armenia from 370 until 374/375, and a member of the Arsacid dynasty. His reign saw a short, but notable period of stabilization after years of political turmoil. Although Armenia had been conquered and devastated by the Sassanid king Shapur II in 367/368, Pap was restored to the throne at a young age with Roman assistance in 370. Early in his reign, Armenia and Rome won a joint victory over the Persians at the Battle of Bagavan, and some former territories of the kingdom were reconquered by the efforts of his sparapet (general-in-chief) Mushegh Mamikonian. Although Pap's reign began with a reconciliation of the monarchy, nobility and church, his relations with the church soon deteriorated. Pap allegedly had the Patriarch of Armenia, Nerses I, poisoned, although some later historians doubt this narrative. Pap also eventually ran afoul of the Romans, who suspected him of colluding with the Persians. The emperor Valens unsuccessfully attempted to assassinate him in 373/374, but ultimately succeeded in having him killed in 374/375. He was succeeded by his nephew Varazdat as king.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dvin (ancient city)</span> Capital of early medieval Armenia

Dvin was a large commercial city and the capital of early medieval Armenia. It was situated north of the previous ancient capital of Armenia, the city of Artaxata, along the banks of the Metsamor River, 35 km to the south of modern Yerevan. It is claimed it was one of the largest cities east of Constantinople prior to its destruction by the Mongols in the 13th century, but with an overall area of approximately 1 km2, it was far smaller than many of the great cities of Asia.

Varazdat was the king of Arsacid Armenia from 374/375 until 378. He was installed on the throne by the Roman emperor Valens after the assassination of his kinsman King Pap.

Khosrov III the Small was the king of Arsacid Armenia c. 330–338/339.

Arshak II, also written as Arsaces II, was an Arsacid prince who was King of Armenia from 350 until c. 364/367. Although Arshak's reign opened with a period of peace and stability, it was soon plagued by his conflicts with the Armenian church and nobility, as well as a series of wars between Rome and Persia, during which the Armenian king teetered between the warring sides. Arshak participated in the Roman emperor Julian's ill-fated campaign against Persia; after the consequent Perso-Roman Treaty of 363, Armenia was left to fend for itself against a renewed attack by the Persian king Shapur II. Faced with defections and rebellions among the Armenian nobility, Arshak was lured to Persia for peace negotiations with Shapur, after which he was imprisoned in the Castle of Oblivion in Khuzistan and is said to have committed suicide in captivity. Arshak's reign was followed by the conquest and devastation of Armenia by the Persians, although his son and heir Pap managed to escape and later ascended to the Armenian throne with Roman assistance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tiran of Armenia</span> King of Armenia

Tiran known also as Tigranes VII, Tigranes or Diran was an Armenian prince who served as a Roman client king of Arsacid Armenia from 339 until 350. He was a contemporary of and is associated with the life of Sarkis the Warrior and his son, Martiros.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christianization of Armenia</span>

Christianity first spread to Armenia prior to the official adoption of the faith in the early fourth century, although the details are obscure. In the early fourth century, the Kingdom of Greater Armenia adopted Christianity as its state religion, becoming the first state to do so. The Arsacid king of Armenia at the time, Trdat, was converted by Gregory the Illuminator, who became the first head of the Armenian Church. The traditional date for the conversion of Armenia is 301, although many alternative dates have been proposed by scholars. While Armenia's church structure was established at this time, it took longer for Christianity to fully take root in the country. The greatest progress came after the invention of the Armenian alphabet by Mesrop Mashtots and the translation of the Bible and liturgy into Armenian in the fifth century.

Sahak I was a catholicos of the Armenian Apostolic Church and the first of several catholicoi during the Albaniosid Dynasty in fourth century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mushegh I Mamikonian</span> Armenian military officer

Mushegh I Mamikonian was an Armenian military officer from the Mamikonian family who occupied the hereditary office of sparapet (generalissimo) of the Kingdom of Armenia under the Arsacid kings Pap and Varazdat. He took part in the Armenian resistance against the forces of the Sasanian monarch Shapur II, notably taking part in the Battle of Bagavan, where the Iranian forces were defeated. He was the regent of Armenia under the young and inexperienced Varazdat, who eventually suspected him of posing a danger to his rule, and thus had him executed, in 377/8.

Arshak III, also known as Arsaces III or Arsak III was an Arsacid prince who served as a Roman client king of Armenia from 378 until 387. Arshak III is often known as the last serving Roman client king of Armenia. During his reign, the part of Armenia that Arshak III governed was under Roman rule from the Peace of Acilisene.

Husik I or Yusik was hereditary patriarch of the Armenian Church of the Gregorid line during the reign of the Arsacid king Tiran. He was the son of Vrtanes I, his predecessor as patriarch, and the grandson of Gregory the Illuminator, the founder of the Armenian Church. His patriarchate is dated to 341–347. He came into conflict with the monarchy and was assassinated on the king's orders. He is venerated as a saint in the Armenian Church.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vramshapuh</span> King of Arsacid Armenia from 389 to 414

Vramshapuh was a noble of the Arsacid dynasty who served as the Sasanian client king of Armenia from 389 until his death in 414. He is mainly remembered for presiding over the creation of the Armenian alphabet by Mesrop Mashtots.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Bagavan</span> 371 battle of the Roman-Persian Wars

The Battle of Bagavan or the Battle of Vagabanta was fought in 371 near the settlement of Bagavan, in the district of Bagrevand in Greater Armenia, between a joint Roman-Armenian force and a Sassanid army, with the Romans and Armenians emerging victorious. It is recorded by the Roman historian Ammianus Marcellinus, as well as the Armenian historian Faustus of Byzantium.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anak the Parthian</span> Armenian Parthian noble (died 258)

Anak the Parthian was a Parthian noble who, according to the Armenian tradition, was the father of Gregory the Illuminator, who converted Armenia to Christianity in the early fourth century. Anak is said to have killed King Khosrov of Armenia at the incitement of the Sasanians, leading to his own murder and the extermination of his family, except for the child Gregory, who was saved and taken to Roman territory. The details and historicity of this account have been debated by historians.

Khosrov IV, called Khosrov III in some sources, was a noble of the Arsacid dynasty who served as the Sasanian client king of Armenia from 384/385 until 389 and again from 414 to 415 or 417 to 418. He was appointed king of Armenia by the Sasanian king, who gave Khosrov his sister in marriage. During his reign, Armenia was partitioned into Roman and Sasanian sectors with the Peace of Acilisene in 387. Khosrov reigned in the eastern, Sasanian part, while his relative Arshak III reigned in the western, Roman part. He reigned for about five years before being denounced by the Armenian nobility for conspiring with Rome and deposed and deported to Iran. He was briefly restored to the throne after the death of his brother and successor Vramshapuh, but he died not long after that.

The Castle of Oblivion, also known as the Prison of Oblivion or the Fortress of Oblivion, was a castle and political prison of the Sasanian Empire located in Khuzestan in southwestern Iran. According to the Buzandaran Patmutʻiwnkʻ and Procopius' Persian War, the name referred to the fact that it was forbidden to mention the name of the castle or its prisoners. It may be identifiable with the fortress of Agabana mentioned by Ammianus Marcellinus as the place of Arshak II's imprisonment. According to Claudia Ciancaglini and Giusto Traina, the Armenian form berd Anush is a borrowing from an unattested Middle Persian name which may be reconstructed as *anōš bard. The form Anyush is a later reinterpretation or Armenianization of the original word, identifying it with the common word anyush 'forgotten'. Ciancaglini argues that the original meaning of the name was not 'Castle of Oblivion'—a sense derived from the Armenian etymological reinterpretation—but rather 'immortal, imperishable fortress'.

Buzandaran Patmutʻiwnkʻ was a history of 4th-century Armenia, presumably composed in the 470s. The author of the work is unknown. Until recently it had been assumed that it was written by a certain Faustus ; however, his existence is now disputed. Nina Garsoïan argues that the author was an anonymous cleric who was sympathetic to the nobility and had some competence in preaching. The book starts with the death of Gregory the Illuminator in 331 and concludes with the partition of Armenia between Iran and Rome in 387.

References

Citations

  1. ↑ Attwater, Donald (1965) The Penguin Dictionary of Saints. Harmondsworth: Penguin; p. 248
  2. ↑ Garsoïan 1989, pp. 360–361, 395.
  3. ↑ Garsoïan 1989, pp. 247–248.
  4. ↑ Garsoïan 1989, pp. 247–248, 364.
  5. ↑ Garsoïan 1989, pp. 360–361.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Harutiunian 1982.
  7. 1 2 Garsoïan 1989, p. 395.
  8. ↑ Garsoïan 1989, pp. 395, 557.
  9. ↑ Van Lint 2018.
  10. ↑ Garsoïan 1997, p. 88.
  11. ↑ Garsoïan 1969, p. 157.
  12. ↑ Terian 2005, p. 18.
  13. 1 2 Garsoïan 1997, p. 89.
  14. ↑ Garsoïan 1969, pp. 155–156.
  15. 1 2 Garsoïan 1997, p. 91.
  16. ↑ Hovhannisian 1957, pp. 17–18.
  17. ↑ Pogossian 2014, pp. 466–468.
  18. ↑ Hovhannisian 1957, p. 19.

Bibliography

Wikisource-logo.svg This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain : Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Nerses I-IV". Catholic Encyclopedia . New York: Robert Appleton Company.

Preceded by Catholicos of the Holy See of St. Echmiadzin and All Armenians
353–373		Succeeded by
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.