Page:The History of Armenia - Avdall - Volume 1.djvu/298

 HISTORY OF ARMENIA.

��he bitterly repented of the injury he had done St. Isaac in joining the chiefs in their infamous accusation of that holy man to Viram king of Persia. Burkishow, an Assyrian, then became a.d.439. pontiff, but proved worse than his predecessor, by forcibly extorting from the bishops their private property. The chiefs soon became dis- gusted with him, and wished for his removal. Some were desirous of reappointing St. Isaac, others of seeing another in the pontifical dignity. Both parties signified their wishes to Viram, who seeking to please all, restored St. Isaac to his dignity, but only permitted him to act in spiritual affairs. He nominated another, named Shimuel, a Syrian, as his colleague, whose pro* vince was to supervise the temporal matters of the Armenian clergy. Some time afterwards, Viram, at the request of St. Isaac, reappointed Vardan, the grandson of the latter, generalissimo of the Armenians, and Vahan, an Amatunian, to act as lieutenant to Vardan, and sent them both to Armenia.

Shimuel, the Syrian, was a disgrace to the a. d. 438. pontificate. He was more intolerable than Burkishow, and after remaining in that dignity for seven years, died, to the great relief of the

clergy.

On this event, the chiefs came to St. Isaac, a d. 43»» and soliciting his forgiveness for the injuries

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