Hye Sharzhoom Armenian Action
Syuzanna Kovalenko
Staff Writer
Many generations ago, Armenians utilized curses for what they believed was necessary in order to protect their sacred manuscripts. Dr. David Zakarian, Haig and Isabel Berberian Professor of Armenian Studies at Fresno State, gave a lecture on “Medieval Book Curses: How Armenians Guarded Their Manuscripts,” on Friday, Nov. 7. He explained the different ways Armenians guarded their medieval manuscripts through various curses.
Dr. Zakarian’s lecture was part of the Armenian Studies Fall Lecture Series and was supported by the Helen Zevart Peterson Memorial Fund.
Armenians, similar to other cultures, have a long-standing history of venerating the Bible. However, Armenians differ in this aspect of culture in comparison to other cultures as other cultures include the veneration of icons which Armenians do not have a tradition of venerating. One of the examples of veneration from other cultures that Dr. Zakarian mentioned was the Icon of the Mother of God of “Tinos” that was significant as a source of divine protection in the Greek Orthodox tradition. The reputation of the icon was perceived to have working powers to perform miracles such as healing the ill and protecting Greece. Another example, which comes from Mexican culture, is called Our Lady of Guadalupe, and served as a symbol of faith and national identity in Mexico. The image of the Virgin Mary is believed to be miraculously imprinted on the tilma (cloak) of Saint Juan Diego and has been regarded as a source of healing for nearly five centuries. Each culture venerates it in its own way and through its own traditions.
Dr. Zakarian explained that the detailed manuscripts as seen in the Armenian tradition are based on deep reverence and veneration of the Bible and other sacred religious texts. There is a deep obligation to protect these manuscripts by any means necessary. For example, Dr. Zakarian briefly spoke about the Shurishkan gospels which was named after a village in Iran, where an enemy attack led the villagers to ensure the safety of the manuscript by burying it in water. The manuscript was then retrieved and miraculously remained dry and intact and now resides in the Matenadaran in Armenia. The Word of God was considered sacred to the Armenian people and they would go to any lengths necessary to ensure it remained safe.
The ultimate question is, why were people trying to protect these manuscripts? These manuscripts were commissioned and sponsored by various people who wanted their names written down for the purposes of prayer. Much of the ideas were surrounded around “remembrance” and praying for people so God could remember them, their families or relatives, and friends in the second coming. They believed that sponsoring a manuscript was a pathway to heaven and this incentivized the idea of using curses to protect the manuscript and their bloodlines in salvation.
These manuscripts were protected by various drawings on a wide range of biblical, ecclesiastical, and cultural references. Scribes invoked formidable figures such as Cain and Judas, aligning violators of the text with the most infamous betrayers in sacred history. Individual donors, such as Gariane, issued personal warnings as well, declaring that anyone who sold, pawned, or defaced her manuscript should be cut down by God from within and be placed among the unbelievers. These curses parallel those found in Byzantine tradition, where scribes likewise threatened of-fenders with afflictions such as sharing “the lot of Judas, the leprosy of Gehazi, and dread of Cain,” reinforcing a shared regional belief in the spiritual peril of violating sacred books.
Armenians using references and drawing inspiration from biblical text for their curses provided them with foundational justification to use them for their own salvational purposes. However, they were never rendered as effective, as many of the manuscripts were uprooted and destroyed and ended up in pawn shops, despite people investing everything they had into a single manuscript in the name of their salvation.