Yeghishe – Teachings of Creation – 5th Century

“After the dissolution of the unified language, a beauty formed: the tender Greek language, the acute Latin, the threatening Hunnish, the beseeching Syriac, the luxurious Persian, colorful Alanian, the mocking Gothic, the Egyptian that as if comes from a secret place, the chirping Indian, and the tasteful Armenian that could collect all the languages in it.”

Yeghishe

 Yeghishe was a 5th-century Armenian historian, theologian, and the author of the book “About Vardan and the Armenian war” describing the rebellion of the Armenians against the Sassanians in 449 – 451.

Not much information about Yeghishe has reached us. According to his own statement in the book “About Vardan and the Armenian war”, Yeghishe was a soldier and a secretary of Vardan Mamikonian, the leader of the Armenian revolutionary movement against the Sassanian Empire.

Yeghishe has been one of the most renowned disciples of historians Sahak Partev and Mesrop Mashtots. He along with Armenian historian Movses Khorenatsi and philosopher David the Invincible studied in the famous theologian school of Cyril of Alexandria in Egypt. In the following years, he made a pilgrimage to Palestine.

Along with Vardan Mamikonian, Yeghishe participated in the Avarayr Battle in 451, in which the Armenian leader fell to the enemy. After the battle, Yeghishe went to a seclusion in the Armenian province Mokk where he would write a number of historical works. Supposedly in 452 – 458, Yeghishe returned from his hermitage but soon again secluded himself due to his rising fame among the Armenians.

The final hermitage of Yeghishe was located in the district Rshtunik in Vaspurakan Province, where he would pass away in 480. The cave Yeghishe spent the last years of his life in would be named “the cave of Saint Yeghishe.” During his last years in that cave, Yeghishe wrote a number of works, including interpretations of the Old Testament, tractates “About the human soul”, “Didactic word about hermits”, “Appearance of Jesus on Mount Tabor”, and many others.