Yeznik
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Eznik of Kolb ( hy, Եզնիկ Կողբացի, translit=Yeznik Koghbatsi), was an
Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian Diaspora, Armenian communities across the ...
Christian writer of the 5th century.


Biography

Eznik was born in Koghb (modern-day Tuzluca,
Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...
), located in a tributary valley of the Chorokh in the historical province of Tayk, in Northern
Greater Armenia Greater Armenia ( hy, Մեծ Հայք, translit=Mets Hayk) is the name given to the Armenian state that emerged on the Armenian Highlands during the reign of King Artaxias I at the turn of the 2nd century BC. The term was used to refer princ ...
. He was a pupil of Catholicos Isaac the Great of Armenia and of Saint Mesrop. At their request he went first to Edessa, then to
Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya ( Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis ( ...
to perfect himself in the various sciences and to collect or copy
Syriac Syriac may refer to: *Syriac language, an ancient dialect of Middle Aramaic *Sureth, one of the modern dialects of Syriac spoken in the Nineveh Plains region * Syriac alphabet ** Syriac (Unicode block) ** Syriac Supplement * Neo-Aramaic languages a ...
and Greek manuscripts of the Bible, and the writings of the Fathers of the Church. He returned to Armenia after the
First Council of Ephesus The Council of Ephesus was a council of Christian bishops convened in Ephesus (near present-day Selçuk in Turkey) in AD 431 by the Roman Emperors, Roman Emperor Theodosius II. This third ecumenical council, an effort to attain consensus deci ...
(431). He is probably identical with Eznik, Bishop of the region of
Bagrevand Bagrevand (also spelled Bagrewand) was a region of Armenia. The Old Iranian etymology of the name is disputed. It is either derived from ''*bāγa.raivanta'' ("rhubarb garden") or ''baga-raēvanta-'', which either means "the rich giver" ( Mith ...
, who took part in the Synod of Artashat in 449.


Works

In addition to his labors in connection with the new version of the
Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts ...
and various translations, he composed several works, the principal of which is his remarkable
apologetic Apologetics (from Greek , "speaking in defense") is the religious discipline of defending religious doctrines through systematic argumentation and discourse. Early Christian writers (c. 120–220) who defended their beliefs against critics and ...
treatise "Against the Sects" or "On God". It was written between 441 and 449, and contains four parts: *In the first, against the heathens, Eznik combats the eternity of matter and the substantial existence of evil. *In the second he refutes the chief doctrines of
Parseeism Zoroastrianism is an Iranian religion and one of the world's oldest organized faiths, based on the teachings of the Iranian-speaking prophet Zoroaster. It has a dualistic cosmology of good and evil within the framework of a monotheistic on ...
/
Zoroastrianism Zoroastrianism is an Iranian religion and one of the world's oldest organized faiths, based on the teachings of the Iranian-speaking prophet Zoroaster. It has a dualistic cosmology of good and evil within the framework of a monotheisti ...
(particularly
Zurvanism Zurvanism is a fatalistic religious movement of Zoroastrianism in which the divinity Zurvan is a first principle (primordial creator deity) who engendered equal-but-opposite twins, Ahura Mazda and Angra Mainyu. Zurvanism is also known as "Zu ...
). *The third is directed against aspects of the beliefs of the Greek philosophers (
Pythagoreans Pythagoreanism originated in the 6th century BC, based on and around the teachings and beliefs held by Pythagoras and his followers, the Pythagoreans. Pythagoras established the first Pythagorean community in the ancient Greek colony of Kroton, ...
,
Platonists Platonism is the philosophy of Plato and philosophical systems closely derived from it, though contemporary platonists do not necessarily accept all of the doctrines of Plato. Platonism had a profound effect on Western thought. Platonism at l ...
, Peripatetics, Stoics and
Epicureans Epicureanism is a system of philosophy founded around 307 BC based upon the teachings of the ancient Greek philosopher Epicurus. Epicureanism was originally a challenge to Platonism. Later its main opponent became Stoicism. Few writings by ...
). This is the only section in which Eznik takes his arguments from the Bible rather than from reason. *The fourth book is an exposition and refutation of
Marcionism Marcionism was an early Christian dualistic belief system that originated with the teachings of Marcion of Sinope in Rome around the year 144. Marcion was an early Christian theologian, evangelist, and an important figure in early Christian ...
as a dualist
heresy Heresy is any belief or theory that is strongly at variance with established beliefs or customs, in particular the accepted beliefs of a church or religious organization. The term is usually used in reference to violations of important religi ...
. An essential theme of the work is on the importance of free will in Christian theology. Eznik displays much acumen and an extensive erudition. Eznik was evidently as familiar with the
Persian language Persian (), also known by its endonym Farsi (, ', ), is a Western Iranian language belonging to the Iranian branch of the Indo-Iranian subdivision of the Indo-European languages. Persian is a pluricentric language predominantly spoken a ...
(
Middle Persian Middle Persian or Pahlavi, also known by its endonym Pārsīk or Pārsīg () in its later form, is a Western Middle Iranian language which became the literary language of the Sasanian Empire. For some time after the Sasanian collapse, Middle ...
) as with Greek literature. His Armenian diction is of the choicest classical type, although the nature of his subject matter forced him to use quite a number of Greek words. The book also contains many interesting asides, such as Eznik's refutation of astrology and his diversion to the topic of animal behavior and psychology. The original manuscript of "Against the Sects" is lost: The work survived due to a single medieval transcription copied at the University of Gladzor. This manuscript is currently at the
Mesrop Mashtots Institute of Ancient Manuscripts The Matenadaran ( hy, Մատենադարան), officially the Mesrop Mashtots Institute of Ancient Manuscripts, is a museum, repository of manuscripts, and a research institute in Yerevan, Armenia. It is the world's largest repository of Armenian ...
. A copy of the first printing of "Against the Sects" as a book in
Smyrna Smyrna ( ; grc, Σμύρνη, Smýrnē, or , ) was a Greek city located at a strategic point on the Aegean coast of Anatolia. Due to its advantageous port conditions, its ease of defence, and its good inland connections, Smyrna rose to promi ...
(now Izmir) in 1762 is in the collection at the British Library. The
Mechitarists , image = , image_size = , caption = , abbreviation = C.A.M. , nickname = Mechitarists , established = , founder = Abbot Mekhitar of Sebaste, C.A.M. , foundin ...
at Venice published an updated edition in 1826 and again in 1865.


Translations


French Translation

A French translation (titled "Réfutation des différentes sectes") by LeVaillant de Florival was published in 1853.


German Translation

A German translation (titled "Eznik von Kolb, Wider die Sekten") by J. M. Schmid was published in 1900.


English Translation

A complete English translation (titled "On God") by Monica Blanchard and Robin Darling Young was published in 1998. An (abridged) retelling of the work in English (titled "Refutation of the Sects") by Thomas Samuelian was published in 1986 and is available to read online. http://www.tertullian.org/rpearse/scanned/yeznik_refutation.htm An Abridged Retelling in English/ref>


References


Bibliography

* * * *


External links

*
Eznik of Kołb Refutation of the Sects in English
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yeznik Of Kolb Christian writers 5th-century Armenian writers 5th-century Christians Armenian male writers Armenian people from the Sasanian Empire