Page:The History of Armenia - Avdall - Volume 1.djvu/35

 XXXtr PREFACE.

various times. The following are the worthies who composed the above volume: Oagik, abbot of the fraternity of St. Atom, in the ninth century; Deacon Gregory his contemporary; Gregory Vikayaser the Great, the son of GregoriusMagistratus, in the eleventh century ; Gregory Vikayaser the Little, the brother of Nierses the Graceful, in the twelfth century; Gregorius Anavarzensis, in the beginning of the fourteenth century; Kirakus the monk, surnamed Arevelzie, who lived a little after the death of the preceding writer. Last of all Gregorius Khilathensis, who flourished in the fifteenth century, and made several useful additions to the above work. This voluminous work embraces the records of the re- ligious characters of Armenia, interspersed with other facts connected with the Armenian church. It was published at Constantinople by Gregory of Marzuan, in the year 1706, or 1155 of the Haican era.

Another work, similar to the above, is extant among the Armenians. It is entitled, ** Selections of Annals and Anecdotes," embracing the records of various political and religious events that occurred in Armenia at diiferent periods. It is not known by whom the above compilation was written, but I clearly perceive that it must be the production of several Armenian writers, who lived at different epochs, each individual recording such things as fell under his notice.

It is also worthy of remark, that there are more than ten Armenian authors whose productions have not yet come to our hands. These are Ukhtanes bishop of Urha, Herakl, Khosrove, Levond, Sumbat, Thomas who

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