That same vision was repeated, again urging the removal of the relics. "We are still in distress," it said. Then I, Vehik, arose and went to the blessed patriarch Abas and told him about the group of glorious martyrs. When he heard about the vision, [Abas] glorified the living God with much thanksgiving. He immediately sent Daniel, the pious priest of Tri, to find out in person about the wondrous mystery. The trustworthy man quickly left with the priest Boh and the scribe Ezekiel, and soon arrived at the field of Kaghset. They came to me, Vehik. Others arrived to work with us, namely, Abas, abbot of Momharek' monastery and his flock, the priest Markos with his brothers, and Father Tirit' [g222] of the monastery of Saint John from the desert of Karmeghinay, and a great multitude of other believers.
We stood with them in prayer, and then, fervently beseeching God, we began to dig as hard as we could. Suddenly the place was filled with fragrant perfumes, and the hidden treasure was revealed. This was in accordance with the Savior's words: "It is not right to hide one's light and place it under a bushel" [Mark 4. 21, ff.]. Thus did God reveal a torch to His blessed servants and give a light of inextinguishable radiance to their yearning hearts. For God had mercy on this land of Aghuania in revealing the wholesome sweetness of the field of Kaghset. The people blessed God and praised the Saints and placed the relics in precious reliquaries. The priest Daniel took a part of each relic and quickly went with this most precious gift to the patriarch Abas. [Abas] was greatly pleased at this, celebrated a feast in commemoration of the coming of the Saints and placed them in very clean containers [g223].
For there came and descended on us that of which Our Savior spoke in the life-bringing Gospel concerning the times of tribulation. He humanely brought this to the patient attention of the chosen twelve: "You shall hear about wars and rumors of wars, and all the multitude of famines and pestilences and earthquakes, and portents involving the sun and the moon and the stars in heaven, and confusion between nations like the confusion of the waves of the sea" [Matt. 24. 6, 7, 29]. And the Lord warned us to be careful, saying: "Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour" [Matt. 25. 13].
Now, with my mind and thoughts so overwhelmed and occupied with universal disasters, I have forgotten the course of my narrative, which was prepared to lay the first foundations of a history of the times and of the events which took place in our land of Aghuania. It is as the Prophet says: "I forgot to eat my bread because of my loud groaning" [Ps. 101. 6 = A.V. Ps. 102, 4-5]. However, I will temporarily suppress the fear and dread which still possess me [g231], and will now return to our narration. For we observe that there are many folk who wish to hear an account covering all the countless blows inflicted by the barbarian enemies around us, and to hear of the very great and astonishing miracles with which the strong and humane right hand of God defeated our enemies and struck them dead before our eyes. Because these events unfolded over a long period of time, I shall begin in the first [year] of the 18th nahanj of the Epiphany of Our Lord Jesus Christ in the month of Mehekan, which was in the 35th year of Xosrov, son of Ormizd, king of kings of the Persians.
Xosrov saw that the war he had begun against the emperor of Byzantium was succeeding under the command of his general whom he had put in charge of the army drawn up against the West. Although [that general's] real name was Xor'ean, [Xosrov, because of his success] began to call him by various fancy names, now R'ozmi-Ozan and now Shah(r)-Varaz, on account of the advances, attacks, and victories won by Persian cunning.
Xor'ean took and set fire to the great city of Jerusalem [A. D. 614] and captured the life-giving Wood, the Cross, the Light of the World, the instrument by which Hell was enslaved, together with all the sacred vessels of gold and silver of those regions set with precious stones, purple robes sewn with costly pearls. [He took] even the furniture of the buildings in the wondrous and magnificent capital cities [he had conquered], and many animals and birds [g233] the very names of which were unknown to the lands of the East. However, let me not lengthen my narration with the deeds he performed, since this is extraneous and superfluous to the plan of my work. He took these heaps of treasure as loot to the court of the Persian king. Nonetheless, he was not satisfied nor satiated with the immense riches and the various banquet singers and the delicate maidens and youths [he had captured]. He fought on land and sea, and he transferred the beautiful cities of the Byzantines together with their inhabitants to Persia. In this way he founded cities which architects built in the same manner as they had been [on Byzantine territory], and he called one "Greater than Antioch." Similarly he added "Greater than" to the names of all the other cities he had thus founded.
When he emerged victorious and—as he wanted—had imposed his will on all nations and kingdoms, [King Xosrov] became so strong and haughty that he thought that it was through his own personal bravery that he had made his kingdom so remarkable and awesome. He forgot that the Lord is above the kingdoms of men and gives power to whomever He pleases.
Consequently, he began to weaken before the emperor of Byzantium, and was no longer able to hold up his head with his old power. The emperor [Heraclius] suddenly informed all his [g234] armies and generals who were fighting Xosrov that God was helping them, and he immediately ordered them to assemble in one place with all the forces they had. All took note of the time and place designated for the assembly. Everyone heeded the call; no one waited for his comrade, but without delay all of them hastened to beat their ploughshares into swords and their scythes into spears. The weak and the peaceful were encouraged [with the words] "We are strong and men of war" [cf. Joel 3. 10]. Setting out with his entire army, [Heraclius] himself served as leader and general for his men. Leaving his court in the hands of his son, he put the crown on his son's head and set him on the throne of the kingdom in his place.
[60] He did not march against the Persian army which had occupied his lands and besieged his cities into submission. He did not pass near them or incite them to battle. Rather, he left them there in his own country, and took to sea. [Heraclius] crossed the [Black] Sea, and by marching through the land of the Egerians, he reached Armenia. He crossed the Araxes River, intending to catch the great King Xosrov unprepared.
When Xosrov was informed [about developments], he was dumbfounded. "Isn't this the same man who leaped into the abyss out of fear of me [g235]? But now, what's happened?" Then [King Xosrov] fled before him to the fortresses on the Median border, and from there he passed into the land of Asorestan. He quickly sent fast messengers to his great general Shahr-Varaz with letters containing very great oaths and threats. "My great shame and rage will be mollified if you come quickly and do not let live a single man or beast from among those who so dared to come before me." The general took the order in his hand and read and learned about the terrible news. He immediately held a review of all the Persian troops. The towns of the Byzantines and Palestinians, which he had brought into obedient service, he left in the hands of garrisons which he commanded to carefully hold until his return from the present business. He put his army on the move, [an army] with chosen, well-armed men and fast horses, and he hastened to implement the king's command.
The great Emperor Heraclius, seeing that the king of Persia had evaded him, ceased to pursue him. [Heraclius] spread about raiding through the region of Atrpatakan to the place called Gaysh awan, a fortified place [g236] on the Median border which the Persian kings had chosen as a summer residence during the hot season because of its healthy cool climate. Heraclius plundered, ravaged, and enslaved the entire country. Then he turned back, wanting to winter in the areas of the lands of the Aghuans, Georgians, and Armenians. For this reason he wrote to the princes and leaders of these lands telling them to voluntarily come before him, receive and serve him and his forces during the winter. If they did not [do as he said], he would regard them as pagans and have his troops capture their strongholds and enslave their lands. When all the chiefs and princes of the land of the Aghuans heard this, they quit the great city of Partaw at Xosrov's order and fortified themselves in strongholds here and there. There were numerous Christian and pagan craftsmen, residents of Partaw, who remained in the city, unable to flee due to weakness or infirmity.
Now there was a certain blessed priest, meek and mild, named Zak'aria, who was a monk at the church in Partaw. He put the lives of the people before his own, and through oaths and various other means, by his prayers and pledges, was able to save the lives of many Christians [g237]. He did the same for the Jews and pagans. As a result, he was subsequently lauded by everyone for his efforts and appointed to a bishopric in the Aghuanian see. When the Byzantine army arrived in its countless multitude, it encamped in the district of Uti by the swift stream within the confines of the village of Kaghankatuk'. They trampled down and destroyed the beautiful vineyards and fields over which they passed. Then they went and camped by the Trtu (Terter) River near the village of Diwtakan.
The Persian army called the "New Army", came and caught up with them. [This Persian force] was under the general Shahapghakan. It included one of the faithful nobles of the king, a governor, and a commander named Granik[an] Saghar. [The latter] also came and descended to where [the Byzantines] were to be found. Yet another Persian general marched from Byzantine territories. [They] hurled the Heraclian armies back and drove them over the land of Siwnik'. For although the Persian forces had sustained heavy blows they nevertheless drove, threw, and beat him back to his own country, and then retook the cities which he had forcibly taken from them [g238].
Now when the prince who was [the Khazars'] lord, saw all the booty they had captured in these raids, however—people, animals, vessels of silver and gold, and costly raiment—he decided to raid the same places himself. He ordered all those who were under his command—different clans and peoples, mountaineers and plain-dwellers, men who lived under roofs and others who lived out in the open, seamen and landsmen, men with shaven heads and men with long hair—to prepare and arm themselves well and to come when he gave the signal [g240].
In the thirty-eighth year of Xosrov, the year of crisis and disaster and the slaying of Xosrov, Jebu Xak'an, the man we mentioned above, arrived with his son. No one could count the numbers of his troops. When this horrible news reached the land of the Aghuans, it was decided to fortify our land in the fortress of the great capital city of Partaw. This was done at the command of a man called Gayshak' who had been sent by Xosrov as chief and prince of this country. [Gayshak'] enclosed within [Partaw] a multitude of the inhabitants of the surrounding districts and prepared to resist [the Khazars]. He also wanted to strengthen his position by means of an alliance with the grandees of the land and the inhabitants of the city. He prepared to observe what would happen to the defenders of the great city of Ch'oray and the soldiers on the marvellous walls which the kings of Persia had built at great expense. [The Persian kings had] drained [the resources of] their land and recruited architects and procured many different types of materials for the construction of this colossal work with which they blocked [the passes] between Mount Caucasus and the great sea of the East [the Caspian].
[62] However, when the universal wrath confronting us all came, [the invaders] like the billowing waves of the sea, crashed against [the walls] and destroyed them to the foundations forthwith. The terror [of the people in Partaw] increased at the sight of the multitude which descended on them [g241]: hideously ugly, insolent, broad-faced, without eyelashes, and with long flowing hair like women. They were even more horrified when they saw [the Khazars'] bent and well-aimed bows, whose arrows rained down on them like heavy hailstones.
[The terror increased] when they saw how [the Khazars] fell on them like shameless and ravenous wolves and mercilessly slaughtered them in the city's byways and streets. [The invaders'] eyes did not distinguish between the fair, the handsome, or the young among men and women, nor the weak and helpless. The did not spare the lame nor the old. They did not feel pity, mercy, or compassion for the children who clutched their murdered mothers and sucked blood from their breasts instead of milk. Like fire running through straw, they entered in at one gate and emerged through another, and in their wake they left [corpses] for the birds and beasts of the country. And the waves continued to move on towards us.
When our chief and prince—the man who held and defended the town of Partaw—learned of all this, he wanted to address the multitude fortified into the city's stronghold on account of intense fear, about what was to be done. He opened his mouth to speak, but in his great terror he was not able to utter a single word, because he had lost heart. Trembling seized him from head to toe [g242] and his knees knocked together. When the multitude saw just how terrified he was they cried out loudly: "Why have you penned us all in here to wait for the hour when we shall have to give ourselves and our wives and children into the hands of these blood-thirsty beasts? How can we escape and flee before them with such a mob of people in the city? This murderous enemy has advanced to within three miles of us." Then each man said to his comrade: "Why should we meekly let this city become our cemetary? Let us abandon our goods and chattels and leave. Maybe we can somehow save ourselves." And they all made for the four gates of the city and hurried to escape to the mountainous district of Artsakh.
Now when the enemy became informed of what had happened, they went in pursuit. [The Khazars] overtook a group [of fugitives] at the foot of the mountain opposite the large village of Kaghankatuk' which is in the same district of Uti where I too am from. As daylight was fading, however, [the Khazars] were unable to inflict great harm on them. Of those who had fallen into their hands, some they killed and others they took back to their camp behind their equipment and wagons and pack-animals. And by the mercy of God, [the Khazars] stopped pursuing the mass of the fugitives. During that night all [the fugitives] [g243] escaped—just as the Jews had once crossed the Red Sea—and reached the secure district of Artsakh. As for that prince named Gayshak', he too fled with his entire house to Persian territory. After that he was unable to occupy the same principality.
[63] Following this, the flood [of invaders] rose and coursed over the land of Iberia/Georgia. [The Khazars] encircled and besieged the luxurious, prosperous, famous, and great commercial city of Tiflis. The great Emperor Heraclius was informed about this. He too mobilized all his forces and went to join his ally. [The Khazar Qaqan and Heraclius] were delighted to see each other and exchanged royal gifts and presents. Then one could have beheld the misery of the wretches enclosed in the stronghold [of Tiflis]. Disaster upon disaster was visited on them. And yet the time [for their destruction] had not yet come. For it happened that Xosrov heard about the meeting of the two great kings at the city before the siege began. He quickly sent an auxiliary army under his eager, brave, and warlike general Shahrapagh together with a thousand select cavalry from his own palace guard [g244]. When the inhabitants of the city saw these reinforcements of strong and seasoned fighters, they were reassured and began to mock the two kings. [The inhabitants] were not at all dismayed but encouraged each other and they repaired and rebuilt the damaged parts of the walls. [They did this even though] they saw the countless multitude of troops of the North and the West surrounding the city like mountains and making the ground tremble from their numbers. They saw the four-wheeled ballista and various other weapons built by Byzantine engineers with which [the enemy] unerringly hurled huge rocks to breach the walls. They saw the great bulging hides full of stones and sand with which they caused the Kur River, which surrounds one side of the city, to overflow and dash against the wall.
The two kings consulted together when their armies had become exhausted and when they had lost many of their infantry in battle. They said: "Why should we suffer this loss to our forces? Is it not true that 'if we bind the strong man, we can loot his house as we choose?'" Then the great Emperor Heraclius zealously arranged and planned what was to be done [g245]. He told the man who had come to help him: "Return [to your land] with your army in peace for this year, for I can see that you were reared a cool climate. You will not be able to endure the coming of summer in the sweltering land of Asorestan where, on the great Tigris River, the capital of the Persian king lies. When next year comes and the hot months have passed, quickly come back so that we may carry out our plans. Meanwhile, I shall keep fighting the king of Persia and threatening and harassing his land and those subject to him. Furthermore I shall arrange things so cunningly that one of his own people will kill him."
When the inhabitants of the city learned of their [enemies'] weakness and exhaustion, they became still more arrogant. They set in play the cause of their own subsequent destruction. For they brought a large pumpkin and drew on it the image of the king of the Huns, a cubit broad and a cubit long. In place of his eyelashes which no one could see, they drew a thin line; the region of his beard they left ignominiously naked, and they made the nostrils a span wide with a number of hairs under them in the form of a moustache so that all might recognize him. They brought [the pumpkin] and placed it on the wall opposite them, and shouted out to the [enemy] forces [g246]: "Behold your imperial sovereign! Turn and worship him, for this is Jebu Xak'an!" Then, seizing a spear, they stuck it into the pumpkin which caricatured him before them. They also mocked, jeered, and reviled the other king [Heraclius] and called him a foul sodomite. When the kings saw and heard this, they became vindictively angry, and they stored up that hatred and rancor in their hearts. Tossing their heads and swearing mighty oaths, they vowed that they would seek vengeance for these insults with which they had been reviled and that no one in their own kingdoms would be spared until that happened. Turning away, they withdrew [in an atmosphere] of threats [g247].
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