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E00460: The Armenian History, written in Armenian and attributed to Sebeos in the 7th c., recounts the restoration of the Church of *Hripsimē (Armenian virgin and martyr of Roman origin, S00071) by the Armenian Katholikos Komitas in the early 7th c. and the miracles following the accidental discovery of the relics of the saint.

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posted on 2015-05-04, 00:00 authored by naleksidze
The Armenian History attributed to Sebeos, Chapter 25:

Եւ եղեւ յամի ԻԸ

History

Evidence ID

E00460

Saint Name

Hripsime, Armenian virgin and martyr of Roman origin : S00071 Gregory the Illuminator, Converter of Armenia : S00251

Type of Evidence

Literary - Other narrative texts (including Histories)

Language

  • Armenian

Evidence not before

600

Evidence not after

661

Activity not before

616

Activity not after

617

Place of Evidence - Region

Armenia

Place of evidence - City name in other Language(s)

Hadamakert Հադամակերտ Hadamakert Başkale

Major author/Major anonymous work

Sebēos

Cult activities - Places

Cult building - independent (church)

Cult activities - Non Liturgical Practices and Customs

Construction of cult buildings

Cult Activities - Miracles

Miraculous sound, smell, light Miracle after death Healing diseases and disabilities

Cult Activities - Protagonists in Cult and Narratives

Ecclesiastics - bishops

Cult Activities - Relics

Bodily relic - entire body Discovering, finding, invention and gathering of relics

Source

The History attributed to Sebeos is one of the rare extant Christian chronicles from the 7th century. It was written near the end of the first phase of the Islamic conquest, when hopes temporarily rose among the Christians that the Islamic occupation would soon be over. Sebeos' task was to chronicle the events that, according to him, led to the disaster of the Islamic invasions. In a familiar Armenian tradition, he depicts himself as a continuator of earlier history writers, and sets out to connect his History with his immediate predecessor, Łazar P'arpec'i. Sebeos' principal interest lies in the reign of the Sasanian king Khosrow II (590-628). Sebeos' History is an important work, as he does not confine himself to a narrow account of affairs purely Armenian, but elaborates on the historical context and the influence of the mutual relations between Sasanian Iran and the East Roman empire on Armenia proper. Contrary to Movsēs Xorenac'i and other hellenophile authors, Sebeos considers Armenia an integral part of the Persian world and choses a Sasanian perspective. Therefore, Sebeos effectively chronicles the demise of the Sasanian empire, with a particular interest in the campaigns of Heraclius and the rise of Islam.

Discussion

The story of Hripsimē's dismemberment is quoted from Agathangelos (E00126). According to Agathangelos, Gregory wrapped each of the martyrs' remains in her clothing, placed them in separate caskets and sealed them with the seal of Christ. The sealing of the caskets by Sahak is not mentioned by sources before Sebeos. Komitas is named the third worthy prelate who sealed the relics of Hripsimē. Komitas was particularly revered as he was one of the rare staunch Armenian anti-Chalcedonian patriarchs of the 7th century. Komitas, being 'devoted to love' for Hripsimē, is also known as the composer of hymns in honour of the martyr.

Bibliography

Edition: Abgaryan G. (ed.), Պատմութիւն Սեբէոսի [The History of Sebeos] (Yerevan: Armenian Academy of Sciences, 1979). Translation: Thomson, R.W., and Howard-Johnston, J., The Armenian History Attributed to Sebeos (Translated Texts for Historians 31; Liverpool: Liverpool University Press, 1999).

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    Evidence -  The Cult of Saints in Late Antiquity

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