The character of Tiridates III the Great: Reality and transformation Hayk A. Martirosyan

Tiridates and Grigor: two names that are inseparably linked with the declaration of Christianity as the state religion in Armenia. Tiridates and Grigor: two names that probably played the most important role in Armenian history. Perhaps three more names—Vramshapuh, Mashtots and Sahak Partev—could be placed next to theirs in an extended chronology. The first two christianized the nation; the last three nationalized Christianity.

Some assume that the formation of the Armenian nation dates back to the prehistoric period; others consider it to be the sixth millenium BC, and finally there are some who largely claim that the Urartians were Armenians. But this is perhaps an exaggeration: In fact, the Armenian ethnic element undoubtedly belongs to one of the most ancient civilizations, and perhaps Armenian culture alone, that has such an ancient character and survivability, can be placed next to Iranian and Hebrew culture.

Yet the sense of national self–consciousness and generality that eased the way of the Armenian people through the centuries was formed mostly in the Middle Ages. The national culture began to grow to a new qualitative level after the fourth century, neglecting previous times, so that what was in the past would not in any way have defined further historical developments.

The first step on that path was the adoption of Christianity as the state religion; the second step was the creation of the national alphabet. New foundations were laid over an entire century, from Tiridates to Vramshapouh, from Grigor the Illuminator to Mashtots. Upon these a new and unique civilization would be erected for the next 1700 years.

Although another circumstance unites Tiridates and Vramshapuh., it is marginal. They both took exceptional political steps, but their accomplishments were neglected, leaving the memory of the method and not the aim. Tiridates would appear at Hripsimeh’s feet and Vramshapuh somewhere in the background just behind Mashtots and Sahak. But the reality is different, as is the history.

The underprivileged classes in Rome, which were considered barbarians, or who lived in penury did not succeed. There the Principate came to replace the Republic, and Spartacus’ troops suffered an incredible defeat. The opposition was broken, and perhaps only the spirit of opposition was still present. The first Roman Christians came from just those layers. Christianity was hope and faith, promising an imperial life in heaven. It was a kind of consolation but a struggle at the same time. The wooden cross had risen against the imperial lance, aiming to break it.

Rome quickly.sensed the danger: The new religion had an unbelievable power to unite. It was indifferent to nationality, origin or skin color. A Christian had no nationality. His faith was his nationality. And if Pilate washed his hands and showed indifference toward the Son of God, now Pilates were raising crosses themselves and washing their hands with the blood of the sons of God.

The Sassanians came to power on the Iranian plain at the beginning of the third century. They were striving for world dominion. Persian armies were as powerful as in the past, but the spirit was weak. Iran was somehow in need of a Christ. ‘Religion and Kingship are two sisters who cannot survive one without the other, because religion is the foundation of kingship, and kingship is religion’s defender’ says King Artashir. A new foundation was needed for the newly shaped Iranian dynasty. He was speaking of Manicheanism.

But the teaching of Mani did not have the cosmopolitanism of Christianity and could not support the Sassanians’ need for unification. And soon they turned to Zoroastriansm: Kartir, who had no spiritual tradition at all, became the spiritual father of Iran; Zoroastrism attained the status of state religion in Iran.

And Armenia? The King of Kings was striving for Achæmenid eminence, and the road towards that elevation went through Armenia.

Christianity was the only power which could confront this striving for conquest. Armenia adopted Christianity as a state religion in 301. In 451, after century and a half, the problem was still actual. Perhaps we can say that the year 301 led to the year of 451, and that Mamikonian’s troops should be grateful to Tiridates for their victory of sorts.

Tiridates’ entire activity underscores this. According to some ancient chronologists he first imprisoned Grigor, then honored him greatly, and afterwards preached Christianity with him. Agathangelos describes a whole story, full of unbelievable scenes, enchanting words and reflections of supernatural phenomena. The impression is that this is not a history, or not only a history, but a fifth gospel. And, as it is in the New Testament, there is a Savior (Grigor), a flock (the people), and Pharisees (the disobedient priesthood). There is a King as well who is very much alike the one in the New Testament: This is Tiridates, like the Jewish King Herod. He is a powerful, but cruel sovereign, never forgiving the dissent of a servant. And the Parthian Grigor passes through twelve inhuman tortures, spends long years in the dungeon of Artashat with snakes and scorpions, but still stays alive. He is God’s favored one, with the power to survive. And the King? He is a keen pagan, a believer without a true faith, and is ready to sacrifice scores of Anahits for one Anahit. He doesn’t even show mercy toward the beautiful virgin whom he seemed to have loved, and the only thing which could bring him back to faith was his transformation into a swine. Swinelike Tiridates: This was the image that existed in the Middle Ages; this is the image that dominates today.

The only one to discredit one of the first saints of the Armenian Church was the Church itself. This is well seen through the example of Agathangelos, more precisely through the one who represents the second layer—the second Agathangelos.

Today, after centuries have passed, it is very difficult to differentiate between those two levels. Diffusion has taken place, painting the reality and the past with a murky color. Khorenatsi, basing on Agathangelos, describes scenes in the circus and of fighting where the Armenian king appears in his entire strength and dignity. He is a soldier, a sportsman, a wise ruler who knows what he is doing and where he is going. S. Malkhasyants states that Agathangelos had two authors. A. Martirosyan offers a theoretical analysis. Taking Agathangelos’ words at face value, Agathangelos was Tiridates’ secretary, but speaks of his master in a manner that would never have been allowed to a secretary. Perhaps some other sources might have been left , but none so close and none so certain.

It is not easy to distinguish the King of Babylonian from a god. In Egypt the Pharaoh is Amon or Osiris himself. The Roman Emperor has a divine majesty, even if he is not a god himself. And today in many oriental countries the ruler is a man, but is honored and adored by everyone as a god or a prophet of God.

Agathangelos’ history is a palimpsest, where the original text and the subsequent one are difficult to distinguish, even though the intent is obvious.

And perhaps the contrast started during Tiridates’ own reign and continued to the end of the fall of the Kingdom. As long as the kings lived, their entrance to the temple could not be forbidden by anyone, and the patriarch would have been killed in the house of the Lord, so when the kings were dethroned, the patriarchs destroyed the memories of them. Thus Tiridates became possessed by the devil and King Pap became a sodomite.

This is a struggle where none can be found guilty or innocent. Every struggle has its reasons, and here the reason is the power for reign. The Popes of Rome assumed the throne of the Emperors and ruled not worse than the Emperors. The Armenian Church was fighting to have its own rule, and when it finally inherited it, it had acquired experience and thus could manage even when there was no longer a state. But when the glory of the kings had already become history, the historiographers continued to praise Grigor and discredit the king who brought so much disaster to the holy faith at the beginning. And this was transformed into tradition, a state of inertia that lasted for some 1600 years. The church continued to praise its first Vehapar ‘His HoIiness’—Grigor. and this was natural. And the King remained neglected. Vehapar—‘His Holiness‘, literally ‘eminence and glory–owner‘. This is the way the Armenian Catholicoses are called. They deserve that glory, but why Vehap‘aṙ and not simply Hayrapet ‘patriarch’, Hovvapet ‘chief pastor‘, Episkoposapet ‘chief bishop’, or just Katołikos? Vehap‘aṙ is an imperial title, a royal appelation that breathes glory and eminence. In the grabar version of the Acts of the Apostles (Gorck‘ aṙak‘eloc‘), [AAp 25.16ff] while Festus is telling King Agrippa about Paul, he recollects that when he wanted to send the latter to Jerusalem to be judged, Paul complained and demanded that he should be judged by the Vehap‘aṙ ‘emperor’. Vehap‘aṙ ‘emperor’ or Vehap‘aṙ ‘king’? This was Tirdates’ title, and it is unimportant whether it was snatched up or inherited, but the fact is that the Great King was left without vehut‘yun and p‘aṙk‘ ‘eminence’ and ‘glory’.

But let us return to the story of the Conversion.

Some sources narrate that the King totally destroyed the altars of the idols and built true temples in their places. Why? Wasn't there another place to build them? And what vandalism to destroy things that your parents have created! Whence such fervor? As has already been seen above, this was an action, political and precipitous, aiming precisely to protect what was behind the altars of the idols, namely the secular life and the security of the nation–state. And what about the nation? It had always been pagan and did not need to guess the King’s aim. The people needed a divinity to worship. It would be much more difficult to break the opposition of the pagans than of the priesthood. A solution was found. It appeared unexpectedly, in Grigor’s dream, which was probably Tiridates’ idea. The idea was purified through Grigor’s lips, for most likely Christ would not have intended to indicate the place for the Mayr tačar, when appearing in a dream to the first patriarch.

There is a small door in the second hall of the museum of Holy Etchmiadzin that leads downstairs. Not many know what is there. In the very centre of the church under the altar you will be shown a round fire–altar where definitely Tiridates and other kings made sacrifice. The nation could not in one day or even in a year betray the faith that it had always confessed. In a day or a night only the rites can be changed, but not the religion. Christianity started to spread all over Armenia extremely quickly as a state religion and certainly it would meet opposition.

At that time the King destroyed all the temples and erected churches in their stead. And what happened to the fire–altar? It was abandoned. And the subjects kept coming to Church to worship the gods but bent their heads before the Madonna. Then the altar of sacrifice was filled with sand and people started to worship the new God. The former patesi dressed as monks and continued to live in their land. This is how the two preachers, the King and the Illuminator, successfully broke the opposition.

It was an idea, which is so simple and ingenious as only simplicity can be. It was the King’s idea, that only the King could accomplish. And as for Grigor? Grigor was a causerie preacher who entered through the Duṙn Trdatay ‘Tiridates’ door’, just as Kartir did, and found a warm reception. He was not a real martyr, like many of the Christians, but received palace clothes and sat next to the monarch. But he needed to pass through a ceremony of consecration, so that God’s right hand could be seen above his head. So the twelve tortures were depicted, and each of the tortures in its turn could kill Hercules ten times over. Here was the victim now, and an executioner had to be found. Tiridates was quite suitable. A long time has passed since their deaths, but ever since they have been set up against each other.

The historiographer narrates that the King was baptized in Aratsani, and that the Baptist was Grigor. John baptized Christ in the Jordan. Jesus even washed the disciples’ feet, keeping his nobleness and exalting his power. Tirdates could almost have drowned, so deep was his bow before the Illuminator.

Please, look at the images: The King who, according to Khorenatsi was equal to the Illuminator, is bending before him, with hands strongly twisted by faith, the head down, without a throne and without the purple, and Grigor stands in full stature, a tiara on his head, in splendid dress.

The Hovnatanyan family, which was traditionally bound up with the Armenian Church, has created thousands of ingenious paintings. But one among them is a masterpiece of shame. This is Hovnatan Hovnatanyan’s canvas where Saint Hripsimeh is portrayed. She is standing holding the wooden cross in her right hand, the dovelike Holy Spirit descending on her head, and an angel crowning her. But the picture itself not only represents a coronation, it is also a decorontion, a loss of a crown, where Tiridates has fallen under the maiden’s feet, more exactly he is crawling. The painting is the best example of the transformation of Tiridates the Great: from Tiridates the Great to Tiridates the Crawler.

In this way the reality was mysticized and mystificated, and the one standing next to the crown, suddenly appeared beneath it, the one who had a crown, remained without it.

To assemble a list of such iconographic images could cover a lot of material, and the descriptions could be repeated. But we have had a reflective glance toward the theoretical side of the adoption of Christianity in Armenia and of Tiridates’ role, one which at the same time reveals his character. We have tried to present our own hypothesis concerning the transfiguration of the great royal personage, and now it is time to talk about today and about some means for his transformation and reincarnation.

Tiridates has been the subject of several talks recently during the seventeenth centenary of the adoption of Christianity in Armenia, taking this in its broadest sense. From a scholarly point of view there are several valuable and serious works about Tiridates III, among them by Artashes Martirosyan, Robert Thomson, Robert Hewsen, Rouben Manaseryan, as well as important publications in the media by Karlen Dallakyan. But they are strictly professional works and are not accessible to everyone. Unfortunately, the character of the first Christian king is widely presented, especially in Armenia, in the manner introduced by the second Agathangelos. He is an impious king who slew the maidens and, after torturing Grigor, put him into prison. He is possessed with a demon and is wild, and the worst thing about him is that he is impersonal, more clearly an invisible tyrant who is not worth talking about at all. This is the picture presented on the Internet; this is his character in the popular consciousness.

On April 5, 2001 Khosrov Harutyunyan, the deputy chief of the State Committee for the 1700th Anniversary, and Councillor to the president, made a speech on the television channel ‘Noyyan Tapan’, and for the first time Tiridates’ role was appraised by a state official as having great importance. The words were quite pretty , but corresponding actions give a different picture. During the New Year celebration in the Square of the Republic, on which a great deal was spent, Tiridates was assigned a far less important role, and the actor wore a swine costume.

There is not even a street in Armenia that carries Tiridates’ name. There are just a few churches named after him. Only one of the newly built churches in the distant marz (region) of Vayak was named after the King recently, and also one of the chapels of the recently erected Cathedral of Saint Grigor the Illuminator (Surb Grigor Lusavorič Mayr Tačar) in the centre of Yerevan is going to be called Trdati matuṙ ‘the Tiridates chapel’. Only a chapel? And that beneath the dome of Gregory the Illuminator.

In 2000 at the residence of the President of Armenia two monuments were erected—one to Noah the Patriarch , the other to Tigran the Great. To be honest, Noah seems not to have much of a link with the Armenians, and Tigran, who was great in fact, relocated numerous ethnic communities and did not even differentiate Armenians from his other subjects. The President of Armenia is the heir of Tiridates the Great, and it would have been better if, instead of the cosmopolitan Tigran, the country had been represented by, let us say, Tiridates the Great, and, instead of a non–Armenian Noah, by a monument to Vramshapuh, the representative of the next generation of Illuminators.

Just one more example: The symbol of the State Committee for the 1700th–anniversary is a well–intended one, well–intended but not well–implemented. It is a combination of three elements representing the country: civic community, Church, and kingdom—a roof, a dome, and a crown. But what about its sequel?

And the Church? The Church seems to continue its old tradition. To maintain a tradition shows power, but to petrify it displays a conservatism that does not always conceal a good intent. The Church of Armenia is separate from the state and has no state functions at all. This is the right time to regain consciousness, to restore historical justice and reality.

It is time to understand that the humiliation of Tiridates and contempt toward him, as well as the unlimited over-evaluation of Grigor, will never bring any positive result. It is a humiliation of the state and does not assume the change of role for the sake of salvation. When the state stands behind the Church, then mutual respect is necessary. ‘Render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s , and unto God what is God’s.’

Tiridates III and Patriarch Grigor: Two characters that are inseparably linked with each other by their actions and history. Two apostles and two Illuminators.