Barbora Turková, Haig Utidjian, Evžen Kindler
This year marks one thousand years since monk Gregory (Grigor) of Narek died in the Armenian monastery of Narek by Lake Van.
Armenia officially accepted Christianity in 301, so two years ago it celebrated 1700 years since this great event. The acceptance of Christianity also meant a thorough orientation of culture, including literary culture. Thus, since that time, Armenia has produced a number of beautiful works, many of which are closely connected with Christian doctrine, events, and statements contained in the Bible, and with liturgy.
Throughout his life, which he spent almost entirely in the monastery of Narek, Gregory of Narek wrote a number of works – including a commentary on the Song of Songs, hymns to the Virgin Mary, to the Holy Cross, and to the Holy Apostles, as well as a book of spiritual odes.
However, the greatest respect is accorded to the work he wrote before his death at the request of his brothers from Narek. It is called the Book of Lamentations or the Book of Prayers, sometimes briefly and simply referred to as Narek. It consists of 95 sections, each bearing the title Words to God from the Depths of the Heart.
Armenian Christians hold this book in great esteem, praying some of its sections as private preparation for Holy Communion as well as on other occasions, for example, when asking for healing in illness or for a good death.
We know that poetry – especially modern poetry – employs various conceptual “jumps” intended to encourage readers to independently grasp what lies behind such jumps, thereby prompting them to experience a certain relationship. It is essentially a matter of certain poetic embellishments, difficult to categorize among those we learned in school. Ancient Armenian poetry (and not only poetry, but also, for example, spiritual music) often resembles modern poetry in this sense. Sometimes such poetic embellishments by Gregory are so rich that they offer even more interpretations, and today's translators can debate which one is more appropriate (see, for example, the line below from the excerpt containing the words “the condensed fluid of the last veil”).
As an example, we present a translation of a prayer to the Holy Spirit contained in the 33rd section of the Book of Prayers. We know that at least since 1177, when Nerses of Lambron wrote his commentary on the liturgy, this prayer has been included in the Armenian Eucharistic liturgy and is still used today. The rubrics of the Armenian Missal specify: “When the celebrant is a bishop, he takes his precious pallium and, approaching the altar, kneeling, silently and inaudibly, with overflowing tears, utters this prayer to the Holy Spirit, who accomplishes this act. If the celebrant is only a priest, the curtain should be drawn, and behind it this prayer should be said in secret.”
D.
Almighty, benevolent, compassionate God of all,
Creator of the visible and invisible,
saving and strengthening, caregiver and peacemaker, You mighty Spirit of the Father:
we fervently beseech You with outstretched hands, with cries of sighing prayers,
standing before Your terrible presence.
We draw near with great trembling to make this verbal offering
to Your inscrutable power,
as sharing in the inalienable paternal honor
on the throne, in glory and in creation,
and the One who examines the hidden depths of profound mysteries
of the most perfect will of Emmanuel's Father,
who sends You and is the savior, life-giver, and creator of all.
Through You we have been made aware
of the trinity of persons in the one Divinity,
of which You are known as well, O incomprehensible.
Through You and by You, those first ones –
the sprouts of the generation of the forefathers, called seers –
proclaimed indubitably in the language of words
things past and things to come; those which were and those which have not yet come to pass.
O breath of God, Moses proclaimed You:
You – when You moved over the waters, unbounded power,
with terrible surrounding care,
covering with Your wings in a protecting manner with compassionate love the newly born –
made known the mystery of baptism.
In accordance with the same pattern,
before You lifted the condensed fluid of the last veil,
You created, You powerful as Lord, all natures
completely out of nothingness.
Through You are created for the renewal of resurrection
all Your beings at that time,
which is the last day of this life and the first day of the land of the living.
You were listened to in the unity of will, just as Your Father,
being of the same nature with You, the firstborn Son, in our likeness;
He joyfully proclaimed You as the true God,
equal and consubstantial with His mighty Father,
and declared blasphemy against You to be irredeemable
and silenced the wicked mouths of those who rebel against You,
as well as those who fight against God,
and granted grace to those who rebel against Him,
righteous and unblemished, He who was betrayed for our sins
and raised for our justification.
To Him be glory through You, and to You praise
with the all-powerful Father, forever and ever. Amen.
E.
I will again repeat the same order of words,
until the miraculous influence of the certainty of light is revealed,
bringing back from on high the good tidings of peace.
We fervently and imploringly beseech with tearful sighing
from all our soul Your glorious creative power
of the unbreakable, uncreated, and timeless compassionate Spirit,
You who intercede for us
with incomprehensible groaning before the merciful Father;
who guards the holy and purifies the sinful
and builds [from them] living and life-giving temples of the Most High Father’s will.
Deliver us now from all unclean acts,
which do not bring pleasure for Your dwelling;
and may the light of Your grace not be extinguished
within us – in the receptive eyes of our understanding;
for we have learned that You unite with us
through prayer and selected lives worthy of incense.
And since one of the Trinity is sacrificed and another [receives this sacrifice],
being inclined to us through the reconciling blood of Your firstborn,
may You accept our imploring petitions and adorn us
as honorable abodes entirely prepared,
worthy to joyfully taste the heavenly Lamb,
so that we may receive without condemning punishments
this immortal life-giving manna and new salvation.
And may our offense melt in this fire
– just like that of the prophet – the living burning coal
brought in tongs,
that in everything Your compassion may be proclaimed,
just as [was] the sweetness of the Father to the Son of God,
which brought the prodigal son into the father’s inheritance
and lifted the harlot into the heavenly kingdom
of the bliss of the righteous.
Yes, yes, I too am one of them:
accept me with them, like one desiring great compassion,
saved by Your grace and redeemed by the blood of Christ,
so that in all this Your divinity may be recognized
glorified with the Father in the same honor,
in one will and in one praised governance.
For Yours is compassion and strength and benevolence,
power and glory forever and ever. Amen.
Translation by B. T., E. K., H. U.
