Monthly Archives: Սեպտեմբերի 2014

HAMO SAHYAN. ATTEMPT OF A PORTRAIT – 2014-3

On the occasion of the 100th anniversary

Summary

Hayk A. Hambardzumyan

The poetry of Hamo Sahyan is characterized as a phenomenon of modern Armenian literature, as multifaceted and up to the end incomprehensible thing. He began the writing in the late 1930’s, and than become famous during the Second World War. His amazing poems are about his native land, and about the people who live and work in harmony with nature.

The poetic motives of harmony between nature and man, images and metaphors of the animated nature are implemented in all Sahyan’s books from “On the banks of the Vorotan” (1946) to the last published book “Dno’t think that I’m missing” (1998).

Inspired by the Armenian folklore, using the depictive means of folk poetry, H. Sahyan had created a amazingly beautiful and the deep poetic images of the world, country and the natural man, who was estranged from nature and forgot his roots, but dreams of a return to mother nature and his forgotten essence.

THE PRIEST OF PATRIOTISM – 2014-3

On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Hovhannes Shiraz

Summary

Samvel P. Muradyan

The article is devoted to the 100th anniversary of one of Armenian classic poets – Hovh. Shiraz and briefly represents his literary path and merits. This prolific lyricist of exceptionally imaginative thinking and deep Lebensphilosophie (philosophy of life) is presented in the context of literary life of the 19301980’s. The work of Hovh. Shiraz is considered as one of the greatest manifestations of Armenian poetic mind. With the help of his poems and other compositions praising and glorifying such values as love, beauty, life, mother and homeland, as well as condemning the Genocide, Hovh. Shiraz wove one of the most vivid and meaningful pages common to all Armenians, which is going to illuminate the path of generations.

TWO CENTURIES OF ARMENIAN LITERATURE AND ITS INTERPRETER – 2014-3

Dedicated to the 90th anniversary of academician Sergey Sarinyan

Summary

Thadevos A.Khachatryan

The entire work of Sarinyan as literary critic has focused on the rise in social status of study of literature as a profession. Sarinyan was very close to define the literature and predict the true method of reading the literature in equivalent way.

Of course, it would be tempting to compare Sarinyan with other critics of the same period, first and foremost with Ed. Jrbashyan and Hrant Tamrazyan. As a result of this comparative research we can say that in the first case it is the philologist, who is dominant in the literature, in the second case it is the critic and in the last case it is the literary critic. The above features are not only dominant In each of them, but are also advantages for others.

During his literary activity S.Sarinyan had multiple ideas, many of which were applied to his works. Some of them remained in between the lines, in some articles and were not developed. One of the most prominent ideas of Sarinyan in the last 10-15 years is about the philosophy of literature.

Sarinyan is one of currently operating unique literary critics, who is fully aware of mind spin Armenian science concerning literature, so he is trying to offer a way out, not relying on existing literary tradition, but eager to bring the subject out, seems to a higher social status – in the field of philosophy. Sarinyan’s biggest wish is to see modern literature as a science.

BATTLE OF MEGIDDO END ARMENIAN LEGION – 2014-3

The destruction of Turkish army in Palestine, Lebanon and Syria in autumn 1918

Summary

Samvel A. Poghosyan

One of the major hostilities of World War I was the Battle of Megiddo in September 1918. It went down in military history as a specific battle, where it became possible to preserve absolute confidentiality of the offensive’s directions, transfer of the troops; it was secured a close cooperation with the aviation and cavalry. The Armenian Legion, who fought under the French flag, participated and played a significant role in the victory of that battle. British General Allenby carried out the operation successfully, which led to the complete destruction of Turkish forces in Palestine, Lebanon and Syria and the regions have been liberated. As a result, the Ottoman Empire had to capitulate.

ORIGIN OF THE TYPE OF DOMED CHURCHES WITH DOUBLE PILLARS IN ARMENIA AND GEORGIA – 2014-3

Summary

Alexander S. Jalalyan

The 7th century church of Akori built by Catholicos Anastas Akoretsi in his native village is the kind of Armenian Chalcedonian building, which has a typical domed hall with a pair of free-standing struts in it. Its layout structure became a basis for a number of notable churches of 12-13th centuries built in North Armenia and Georgia.

Nowadays only the foundations of this Armenian Chalcedonian church (built in Masyatsotn region (gavar) of Ararat province) have remained, as the building was destroyed during the earthquake in 1840. Zakaryans, who have adopted chalcedony in the 12th century, had the opportunity to repeat forms and types of byzantine or Georgian architecture matching with rituals of their new religion, so they chose the structure of Akori church built by Anastas Akoretsi more than four hundred years ago, which proves the commitment of Armenian chalcedonians to ancestral traditions. It is significant that not only the structure of Akori church has been repeated, but also its name has been taken and put in the new environment as Akori (Աքորի).

Thus, the representatives of Zakaryan dynasty, which had adopted chalcedony, never lost their national identity staying true to Armenian architectural traditions of centuries and consistently applying them in their new structures in North Armenia.

THE WRITER AND MINIATURIST YEREMIA OSHAKANTSI AND HIS EPITAPH – 2014-3

Summary

Arsen E. Harutyunyan

The writer and miniaturist of the 18th century Yeremia archbishop Oshakantsi is buried in the monastic cemetery of St. Echmiatsin. His prolific activity was particularly remarkable during the reign of the Catholicos Simeon Yerevantsi (1763-1780), as it is also evidenced by the epitaph.

Some manuscripts painted by him are kept in the Mesrop Mashtots Institute of Ancient Manuscripts “Matenadaran” (N 1056, 1817, 2646, 2891, 2892, 10677). These were studied by art specialist A. Gevorgyan. The miniatures of Yeremia Oshakantsi are especially distinguished by their painting peculiarities: here the bright colors and gold are predominant.

The data about Yeremia Oshakantsi is preserved in the publications of Maghakia archbishop Ormanyan and Gyut senior priest Aghanyants. The epitaph, which is represented in this article, accomplishes and verifies the existing facts about his life and manuscript activity.

NIKOL AGHBALYAN AS ARMENOLOGIST – 2014-3

Linguistic reflections of the eminent critic

Summary

Vardan Z. Petrosyan

N. Aghbalyan is known to the Armenian community as a famous critic, public and state figure. This article is the first attempt to identify Aghbalyan as armenologist-linguist. There are two main directions in his linguistic heritage that stand out – questions about theory and the etymology of the Armenian language. If in the first direction he is adjacent the theory of Ghapantsyan about the Armenian language being bilayer, in the matter of language-specific material, i.e. – separate theoretical excitations and lexical analysis, he is very independent and original. Especially the works of his second direction are characterized by special insight of thought and academic scientific content, which is very typical for the diversified written heritage of Aghbalyan thinker. His armenological observations would bring honor to any famous Armenian linguist.

THE MYTH OF MHER ACCORDING LEVON KHECHOYAN’S NOVEL “THE BOOK OF MHER’S DOOR” – 2014-3

(Solution or impasse)

Summary

Sergey N. Sarinyan

The article is an attempt of textual analysis of Levon Khechoyan’s novel “The Book of Mher’s Door”. By genre it can be called a novel-apocrypha with a complicated structure both in form and content.

Comparing the canonized version of the epos with the one hundred and fifty versions of the Armenian Epos, Khechoyan gives a new interpretation to the mythologism of Mher and Agravakar trying to reveal the cosmogonic beginning of the Armenian Epos. According to the scientific hypothesis, the universe came into existence and developed in the result of the Big Bang, and the Earth being a celestial body, can also be renovated through the Big Bang just by pressing the button of the atomic bomb.

It is for this bang that waits Mher in the Agravakar claiming he will come out of the cave when “the wheat grain is the size of a dog-rose”.

According to Khechoyan, the cosmic reason has its origins in the Armenian Plateau, and just then the epos “Sasna Tsrer” was created which can be called a pro-epic by its world importance.

In the novel “The Book of Mher’s Door”, the epos is viewed as a transformation of contemporaneity just the way the modern-day Armenian being is seen as a transformation of the epic. As a historical and cultural phenomenon the epic “The Sasna Tsrer” reflects the philosophy of the Armenian history which continues today and goes to the future.

THE REBELLION OF ARARAT IN 1926-1930 – 2014-3

In the context of the cooperation of AR Federation and Khoyboun and regional developments

Summary

Aram S. Sayiyan

So far unknown pages of the cooperation among AR Federation and Khoyboun in the period of Ararat rebellion in 1926-1930, which was Kurdish people’s national liberation struggle, are discussed in this article based on newly discovered archival records and the handling of the materials. We have shown AR Federation’s comprehensive political, organizational and ideological support to the Kurdish movement, which secured its spread and success from 1927 to mid-summer 1930. The article unlocks the secret agreements among Ar Federation’s eminent figure Ruben (M. Ter-Minasyan) who has arrived to Teheran in 1929 and Iran’s court minister Temurtash, strengthening Armenian-Kurdish military cooperation and securing the Iranian authorities’ support.

Denying unfounded hypotheses spread by the Soviet historiography, the author of the article proves that it was not the Turkish army’s role that was decisive in the defeat of Ararat rebellion, but the Soviet Union’s support to Kemalist Turkey. Soviet Union’s overt political blackmail against Iran in August 1930 broke Reza Shah’s insistence and led to the termination of assistance to the rebels by small Ararat’s pathways.

THE RELEVANCE OF TRADITION – 2014-3

Basic elements of Hans-Georg Gadamer’s” universal hermeneutics” concept

Summary

Achot V. Voskanian

In his “Truth and Method” H.-G. Gadamer contra posed the concept of “universal hermeneutics” against the analytic methods prevailing in the humanities during the sixties of the last century. This paper is an attempt to present the basic elements of this concept in a systematic way. Special attention is paid to the notion of “Bildung” (the German for “education as a formation”). For Gadamer “Bildung” is first of all a formation, in which the result and the process are combined. It is not confined to the external goal of a simple knowledge transfer, since the formation of an individual passing the path to knowledge is itself the main goal. Since the implementation of the Humboldian concept of “Bildung” in the University of Berlin the classic education in humanities was seen as a universal value. Contemporary debates about the nature of university education (the paper considers the views of J. Habermas, M. Naumann, Jean-François Lyotard, on that matter) show the relevance of controversy, as reflected in the title of the main book of H.-G.Gadamer.