It is a crying shame that a truly comprehensive and scholarly
gratifying history of the annals of the Armenians of Jerusalem
has yet to be penned. Armenians have been living in Jerusalem
continuously for over two thousand years, even before their
conversion to Christianity.
That's a lot of history, by any reckoning.Notthatthisdemonstrablyvitalcolonyofartists, craftsmen,andothercreativespirits-thelistisendless butrunsthewholegamutofhumanexperience-lacksthe necessaryskillorexpertisetodoit,scatteredthoughmost ofitsmembersmaybearoundthefourcornersofthe world.Thereasonsbehindthisomissionarenotmereinertia onthepartofArmenianscribes.Thelamentablefactis thattheancestorsofJerusalem'sArmeniansgaverecord-keepingapedestrianglance,leavingtheirprogenywith precious little reliable records or resources to tap. AndletusnotforgetthatthewholeMiddleEastregion hasbeensoenmeshedinperiodicpatchesofpolitical upheavaloverthecenturies,theforemostpreoccupation ofthecity's Armeniandenizenshasalwaysbeentowinthe struggle for survival. But all is not lost.Aswelookthroughtheglassofhistory,darkly,thoughwe perceivedarkcloudsofunknowing,wecanalsosporadically discernsomebrightlightsofpromise,personifiedinaminuscule pride of historians, like Ormanian and Savalaniantz.Theirbookshavealmostbecomeobjectsofveneration, preservingforposterityastheydosegmentsofthestoryofthe Armenians of Jerusalem. Severalyearsago,Jerusalem-bornscholarKevorkHintlian attemptedtofillpartofthegapinthehistoryofhispeoplewitha well-researched,slimbuttitillatingvolume,"TheHistoryofthe Armenians in the Holy Land." Unfortunately,thisbookremainsgenerallyundervaluedand unappreciated-itdeservesbetter.Hintlianhasbeenurged repeatedlytoexpandit,extenditsrange.Hopefully,hewillget around to it sometime soon.InsharpcontrasttoHintlian'sslendertome,US-basedHaig Krikorianhasjustcelebratedtheculminationofaten-yearlaboroflovewitha massive800-pageendeavor,entitled"LivesandTimesoftheArmenian Patriarchs of Jerusalem."Krikorian'sbookisatimelytreasure,foragingintotheprofound,almost inaccessiblenichesandcavesofdisparatearchivestoencapsulatefor perpetuity the vicissitudes of the Armenian church in Jerusalem.TheArmeniannationownsthispatientplodderanincalculabledebtof gratitudeforrescuingfromobscuritytheepictaleofthepanoplyofArmenian churchleaders,withadetailedchroniclethatcoversoveramillenniumanda half of the lives of the Armenian patriarchs of Jerusalem.Krikorianhasthegoodfortuneofbeingaclosefriendofthecurrent incumbent,PatriarchTorkomManoogian,andthat,coupledwithhisunflinching supportfortheArmenianPatriarchate,openedseveraldoorsforhimand accorded him unprecedented access to existing records and private papers.Despitetheheavylifting,Icouldnotputthebookdown.Krikorian'sfluid writingstyle,hismeticulouschoiceofdictionandparaphraseandthelackof any literary mannerism of ostentation makes reading his book a delight.Andthereisplentytotellhisreaders.Someofthefactshehasuncovered haveprobablyneverbeenrevealedbefore.HowmanyArmeniansareaware thatAbraham(638-669),regardedbymanyasthefirstArmenianPatriarchof Jerusalem,hadtrekkedallthewaytoMecca,topleadwiththeProphet Mohammed for protection for his flock?[WhileitisalmostimpossibletodeterminetheexactnumberofArmenian Patriarchs in Jerusalem, various sources place the number between 75 to 100].KrikorianhastakengreatpainstotracetheoriginsoftheArmenian presenceintheHolyLand,andinparticularinJerusalem,andasyoureadyou cometorealizethatthestoryoftheArmeniansofJerusalemisactuallythe storyoftheirchurch,embodiedinthePatriarchateofStJames,withitsgrand cathedral,andthattheirhistoryislinkedinevitablytotheirentityas Christians. Whilerecappinghischronicle,withagreateyefordetail,thewriteralso delvesintothedeedsandmisdeedsofpriestlymembersoftheBrotherhoodof StJames,aninterludethatnodoubtisboundtoraiseeyebrows:notmany Armenianswillbehappytoseethedirtywashoftheirspiritualleadersairedin public. Krikorianisnotinterestedinawhitewash.Heemphasizesthatthe Armenian churchsurvivedtheravagesoftimedespitetherelentlessthreatofinternal strifeandcorruptionatthehandsofunconscionableclergymenwhopitted their ambitions ahead that of the good of the church.Inevitably,thereisthesorryepisodeofthe25manuscriptspurloinedinthe late1940'sandthebattletogetthemback.Notall25wereretrieved.Three stillremainunaccountedfor,languishingperhapsinthesafeofsomemillionaire collector.Whetherheorshewouldknoworappreciatehalfthevalueofso precious a possession, nobody will know.NordoesKrikorianshyawayfrompointingthefingerattheattemptsby otherChristiandenominations,particularlytheGreeksandLatins,to expropriate Armenian properties and subjugate the Armenian church.Atsomepointdownthetimelineofhistory, Armeniansaresaidtohavebuilt over500monasteriesinandaroundJerusalem.Manyofthesehavebeenlost now-eitherdestroyedortakenover,eitherthroughwarsorsubterfuge,and sometimes by sheer chicanery or incompetence. Ironically,whilefellowChristianspersecutedtheArmenians,theirnon-Christianoverlords,particularlytheMoslems,seemtohaveviewedthemwith specialfavor,grantingthemrightsandprivilegestheyenjoytothisday. Krikorianpointsoutthatthiswasnodoubtpoliticallymotivated,asacounter to their enemies with their Byzantine sympathies and loyalties.Krikorian,aformerstudentatthetheologicalseminaryoftheArmenian PatriarchateofJerusalem,takesusthroughatraveloguethatspansthe Byzantine,Arab,Crusader,Maneluke,Turk,BritishandJordanian administrations,anddowntothepresenteraoftheIsraeliandPalestinian conflict.Throughoutthisepoch,pockmarkedbyfrequentviolenceandendemic corruption,the Armenianscontinuedtosurviveandthrive,honingtheirskillsat diplomatic and politician maneuvering, alongside the arts and crafts.ItistheirpresencethatgivesJerusalemitsuniqueflavorandcontributesto the city's claim to be the center of the world.