3161) Who Are Armenians? / Political Role of Church & Armenian Programme/ Caucasus: Free E-Book by Vasily Lvovich Velichko (1860 — 1903)

1. Who Are Armenians by V L Velichko*(1860—1903)
2. Political Role of Church & Armenian Programme by Velichko
3. Velichko's Free E-Book "Caucasus" . .

Who are Armenians?

Their authentic origin is not definite yet. Historical datas show their unification with jews during Vavilonian Captivity, and also after Jerusalem had been ruined. From the anthropological point of view, in majority, they are brahicefals, i.e. short-headed, so, they are very similar to mountainous Jews (dagli cuut) and siro-haldeys (i.e. Aysors); all these are according to Schantre, Erkert, Pantyukhov’s research.

English scientist Bertin considers them as people of the same type with jews of prepalestinian period. Professor D.N.Anuchin writes, that Armenians are- tribe not Arian, but Arianized (by language). Moreover, absolutely not all those, who consider themselves as Armenians, belong to aboriginal Armenian population. . . In the end of 90es of XIX century, Armenian magazine “Moorch”*, talking about Armenians’ significant capability for assimilation of another nations, points out the fact of presence between them of big percentage of assimilarized gitanes. To the much more interesting conclusion, concerning big Armenian groups, came Caucasian anthropologist I.I.Pantyukhov, who used the opportunity, when Tiflis was full with semiwild refugees from Turkey, and submitted many Turkish Armenians to anthropological analysis.

He recovered, that most of those refugees, by their physical characteristics,- are pure kurds. This creates area to suppose, that some epizodes of Armenian slaughter in Turkey are the results of longstanding counts between Kurdish tribes of different confession

The question, concerning Caucasian Albania, or in Armenian- Agvania, is also extremely interesting. This was the kingdom, which included modern Elizavetpole province (Ganja), parts of Tiflis and Dagistan, populated by nationalities of non-Armenian origin, but who received Christian confession from Armenians. Until the beginning of XIX century autonomous aAgvanian or Gindzasarian Cathalicos was existing , he was competing with Echmiadzinian one all the time and was completely autonomous from him. At presence, Christians, which were the pasture of Agvanian Cathalicos, are considered as Armenians, and being mixed with them, accepted their character.

Armenians also came through violent mixes with other nationalities: Armenian tribe has contributions in its genealogical structure from Persian troops, Azeri Turks, Turks, Georgians, representatives of mountainous nations.

In such circumstances, it is clear, that pure Armenian without any mixes in his blood is of the great rarity. They have lots of mixes from other nations in their blood, by this fact we can explain- how nation, which cowardice had become a refrain in Asia, can sometimes bear talented and brave commanders- they are big exclusion from whole nation, because of contributions in their blood from other brave and bellicose nations; therefore, normal, pure Armenian, according to caucasian refrain, “is affraid from hare”.

This feature is undoubtly semitic. In general, Armenians have lots of semitic features, which are as follows: historical incapability to preserve stable state organization, disappearance of aristocracy, and transition to underground policy of theocratic regime; until nowadays sharp features of collectivism in usage of cultivate lands are seen in peasantry, also significant inclination to trade, userery, etc. Arrogance and cruelty towards weak and slave grovel in front of stronger power, and phenomenal capability for advertisement, and insatiable vanity- all these are semitic features, but in Armenian character they are much rough and intensive.

Armenians extremely dislike, if they are compared with Jews, and always try to insist on Arian origin of gaykan nation.

Armenian businessmen intensively care about creation of very special history of Armenia, about exalt of this small nation and its heroes, starting from casual generals, worthy of respect, and terminating with uncasual contrabandists, worthy of... respect, but from another side. They always try to stress their historical “merits” and present dignities in parazitic way, i.e. depriving neighboring nations, who have history much more clear, undoubt and valueble. They rob Georgians in historical- archeological field: for example, they scratch Georgian inscriptions from monuments, seize ancient orthodoxal chapels** and try to demonstrate as ancient Armenian lands places, where everything is witnessing about past of Georgian kingdom.

The first mercenary of Armenians in Russian literature was Senkovskiy, who was writing in such mood under pseudoname of baron Brambeus. Then Armenian “historians”- Emin (“The History of Moisey Horenskiy”), Hudobashev (Review of Armenia), later- Yeritsov (Caucasian Olden Times, 1872, #1), -despite such obvious witnesses of past, as monuments, worked in the same direction; they, for instance, try to rob Georgia its historical rights to Saatabago region, i.e. atabeck Jakeli’s possessions (at presence, Ahalcih district). Every caucasian knows, that undoubt traces of Tamara the Great’s reign found in this region, and muslim population of the district cosists of turkisized georgians, speaking georgian, but Armenians came there in the 1st half of XIX century as refugees from Turkey, and they are not aborigins there.

Such scientists as Patkanov, Senkovskiy, Koh, Marr always try to rob georgians of their historical property in order to benefit Armenians and still try to prove, that marvelous georgian poem “Bars skin” (obviously, author is talking about Shota Roustaveli’s poem “Knight in Tiger Leather”, notice of edition) is not authentically georgian.

All this is beneficial for Armenian politicians, because their nation never ever have had any significant poetic work, i.e. necessary feature of flowerishing of nation’s spirit.

Armenians’ morbid ambitions and vanity, inclination to advertisement of own “grandeur” in the past and presence can been expalined and partly justified by such fact, that they during their history acquired negative reputation for themselves, and want to get rid of it.

Impartial, humanistic and moralistic roman historian Tacitus speaks about Armenians in 2nd book of Ab excessu Augusti, in the paragraph 53, he says the following: “They are really double-faced nation, either by character and by geographical condition...; Permanently hate romans and envy to perphenians”. In the book 12, paragraph 46 he points to “enough known perfidy of Armenians” –“satis cognitam Armeniorum perfidam”.

“You are coward, you are slave – you are Armenian!” – says Pushkin in the old man’s retort. Georgians say: “movida somehi-moytana skhva mehi” – Armenian came and brought new disaster.

German traveller Alfred Kerte in his “Anatolian sketches”, which were dedicated to well-known German representative in Turkey Colemar fon-der-Goltz, say the following : “approximately everybody, who touches the local culture in these provinces, learns to love Turks, do not respect Greeks, hate and despise Armenians... Everywhere the proverb- “greek will deceive two Jews, Armenian- two Greeks”-justifies. If you were deceived somewhere in Anatolia, so, surely, you dealt with Armenian. The same author quote one businessman from Eski-Sheher: “when I deal with turk, concerning business, I do it without written contract, because his word is enough. With Greek or other levantinian I make written contact, because it is absolutely unavoidable and optional, but with Armenians I do not have any business, because it is impossible to avoid their mendacity and intrigue even within written conditions”.

That is to say, intelligent Armenians longly realize, that reputation of their nation is extremely bad, so, among people, who don’t know Caucasus well, some of representatives of Armenian intellectuals call themselves as Georgians, or, for poetical feelings, chekesians. Up to present, Armenians themselves and publicists, who sympathize them, always try to substitute “Armenian” with “aborigin”, “Caucasian”, and especially “Christian”. Such a stress on Christianity is very characteristical, because of their permanent claims towards their Muslim neighbors, and because title “Christian” gives them some privilege.

Written Armenian History is very unclear, unexact, but it has many edifying points -in chroniclers’ tremendous unceremounisity as well as in facts. Beginning from cathalicos Johann VI (“The History of Armenia from the begining of time until the year 925”, Sent-Martin’s interpretation) and till later period, Armenian historians are pretending to accuracy in datas, which concern most fabulous period of history. Armenians, allegedly, derive from Noah. According to Armenian archbishop Joseph, Armenians’ genealogy is as follow: Noah born Afet, Afet born Gomer, Gomer born Tiras, Tiras born Torkom, Torkom born Gayk, who together with Nemvrod provided Vavilonian crowd. Later, Gayk won Nemvrod in a war and killed him. Because of it, tribes, which were submitted to Gayk, considered him as a father and began to title themselves as gaykans. Then, there is a number of such “true” and “proved” facts. Pages are full with “great” names, unknown in official historical science, besides the Armenian one, known figures sometimes appeare in very exaggerated form.

If it was necessary to find word to characterize facts from Armenian history, besides “fiction”, word “treason” should have been used. Dubious rulers of Armenia, country with permanently hesitative borders, are always dependent on stronger neighbour monarchies and systematically betray them. Nobelsmen (narahars) betray tsars, nations betray them both. Cruelty of customs and unreliance of interrelations are phenomenal.

In Armenia itself, i.e. on Armenian plato, sovereign state had been abolished long-long time ago, in V century, when Armenia became persian province and, factually, theocratical leadership with cathalicos in head came to existence over Armenian nation.

Some feature of sovereignty appeared in fall of XI century in small Kilikia and finally disappeared in 1375.

* “Moorch”, 1897, article “Armenians from Gitanes”.

“There are only two nations on Earth without national language and without homeland- jews and gitanes. Neither Asian tyranny, nor medieval ruthless chasing , nor even modern humanistic culture couldn’t assimilate them to other nations; and all these strong factors, therefore, were not able to abolish material greediness of one and unlimited aspiration to wander of another. Everywhere in Asia and in Europe, old and new world, gipsy remain gipsy, jew remain jew. Only Armenian nation could assimilate gitanes, and this is supported by facts. Erivanian, Shemahan, Elizavetpolian, Tiflisian and other gitanes assimilated to Armenians, and they maintained only their family names, as far memory about their origin. Researching data, we can come to conclusion, that no nation was capable to such mass assimilation besides Armenian one. There are even talented persons from assimilated gitanes-Armenians. For instance, professor of Saint-Peterburg University Kerobe Patkanyan, monk and poet Alamdaryan and others.

** There are many such facts. We’ll describe two of them. “Kafkaz”, June 1897, “Parishioners of St.Nicolas’s dushet church appointed two persons to intercede to Higher Caucasian Commander askingto take measures for prevention from capture by Armenians of “Bodavis-tsminda Georgis-nishi” chapel with its piece of land. Ancient icons are stollen and brought to dushet Armenian church, and chapel itself now called “Soorp-Geurkan”, orthodoxal priests are not allowed to messa in it.”

“Iveria”, April 1897, Ahalcih town. “There is curative spring near the town on opposite bench of Potskhovi river. Near spring there is old georgian chapel. From different parts of Georgia people come to the spring for cure. Water was available for free. In the begining of March 1896 somebody brought and put Armenian icons in chapel, made doors in chapel and locked them. Priest D.Hahutov acknowledged exzarkh of Georgia about this incident.”

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V.L.Velichko: Political Role of Church and Armenian Programme

Undoubtedly, disadvantages of Armenian clerical organisation and fatal errors of Armenian church theocratic policy have pernicious sequences not only for Russian common and state affairs in the region, but for Armenian ethnos itself. Impossible not to mention that rise of Armenian manifestation and disobedience in Turkey and common nervousness of Armenians on Russian territory came to an existence at the time when His Holiness katalikos Mkrtich I became bishop of Echmiadzin.

During bishop's election part of Armenian bourgeoisie and pseudo-intelligent estate, united by "Mshak" newspaper, which was established by well-known Artsruni, remained as opponents of Mkrtich, in sake of bourgeois-liberal and liberal-atheistic thoughts. Now, many merchants, bankers, oil magnates, feeling disgust to clericalism, after familiarizing with European cafechantans and smoking, attitude towards their spiritual leader without any respect, but, having common goal of ethnic sovereignty, suggest, that the process may accelerate with help of so-called social-economic evolution. This disagreement is basically academic, than live, because both parties always come along, when they can unite in front of common enemy.

In Echmiadzin Armenian church rule is not uni-headed, but, according to the law, katalikos is the head of Sinod, prosecutor of which is appointed by Russian government. Echmiadzin Ecclesiastical Academy should have been governed by legal set of rules, because time of temporary rules, substituting them, expired long time ago. Finally, competence of Russian power in political issues or common criminal ones, naturally, was in force in Echmiadzin as well. Meanwhile, justified requires of government are not always fulfilled and often remain without response of provide unsuitable one. Oath of recruits and participators of court issues, by Senate's order, has to be given in Russian, but, involved in political affairs clergy forbid priests to do it.

Echmiadzin has vast estates, which governed extremely mysteriously. Equipment, lists of property, etc. are hidden there very well. Properties are sold and pawned. Church institutes also have big credits in banks. Within such economic chaos hard to define where expenses go - to church needs or somewhere else. There is fact that some years ago one gang of Russian money falsifiers sheltered in one of Echmiadzin abbeys.

Poor history of Armenian nation resulted with significant mix of spiritual aims of church with secular affairs. This makes damages to spiritual development of Armenian nation and moral prestige of katalikos and rest of clergy as well.

Secularization of Armenian church's property is very necessary mean in order to provide calmness among Armenian and, mainly, in order to give Armenian church opportunity to execute its holy mission, not disturbing with secular affairs. Their leaders escape Armenian people from the educational point of view, they are harmed and separated from Holy True and Virtue. Primarily and mainly, it is fault of Armenian highest clergy, which mainly consists on ordinary and ignorant peasants.

By organs of Ministry of education was revealed, that Armenian parish schools, is spite of ordinary people's aspiration to study official language, not only hamper this process of development of sense of citizenship, but also spread fanatism and rudeness. Absolutely absurd books, talking about Armenians to civilize their neighbours, maps of Great Armenia (where capital is in Tiflis, and state includes territories to Voroneje) are spreading in this schools.

Former curator on educational affairs in Caucasian district K.P. Yanovskiy gained decree about transmission of some schools under competence of Ministry of education, but with preserving Armenian language and Armenian religious dogma there. Armenian clergy didn't accept it and at the moment closed many schools preferring to keep people in the darkness of ignorance, but not let them to get rid of obscurantism. Council on education on Caucasus could shift a number of schools under its competence, where only secular education was given. Apparently school's property moved together with schools, i.e. sources of financing, equipment, which Armenian clergy couldn't hide or waste. That is to say, that this process was characterized with vast scandals in front of all Tiflis, where Council on education didn't find any support.

Concerning funds (unmovable property and capitals), which armenian schools were financed with, ruse and lie of local moneymakers brought education affairs in extremely hard situation- when primarily school property appeared under monastery and church labels.

Ordinary Armenian people ardently want to study Russian language, which can provide lots of opportunities to earn and to join real culture. Idea of establishing sovereign state on Russian territories, widely cultivated among pseudo-curators of Armenian people, doesn't seem to decline, but rise. There wasn't any territory in Turkey and it is artificially creating on Southern Caucasus.

Thousands of emigrants invade Russian territories, but Russian soldiers may not shot this "peaceful bands", because they let women and children in forward. There is nothing witnessing about Turkish atrocities; and Turkish government doesn't want to accept these people back. Most of these "refugees" refuse to accept Russian citizenship, and laziness and idleness, diseases and crimes of all kinds characterize all of them.

South Caucasian Armenians, behavior of which significantly tenderized during decades of living in Russia, consider arrive of Turkish Armenians as great disaster.

Armenian pseudo-politicians want to extirpate Muslim population on Caucasus, damaging their reputation in order to possess their lands. Government's inactivity in this issue causes nervousness and disobedience among Caucasian Muslims; resolving of affairs, concerning entire vast group of population, always have been put backward during many decades (by the way, there are no reasons for it). It isn't difficult to guess who is interested in such kind of situation. As a result, entire Muslim population of South Caucasus is already covered with Armenian net, despite, partially, Kutaisi district. Armenian millionaires, who are basis of Armenian industrial-political terror, bye vast territories of Georgian princes, Tatar agalars for very low price and capture public lands (this lands are totally populating by Turkish Armenians).

There is another anomaly concerning Caucasian Muslims, i.e. in many Southeastern Caucasian cities Muslims are prevailing part of population, but, nevertheless, they don't have equal with Armenians rights in municipal government, because Armenians are "Christians". Such kind of right restrictions have to derive from life conditions, but not be based on formal features. Exploiters, rebellions, pseudo-politicians, people of dangerous behaviour, as Armenians, should be restricted, but not Muslims, who aren't characterised by above-mentioned features. At the same time, giving Muslims wider rights is absolutely natural, moreover in the places, where Muslims comprise bigger and aboriginal part of population. Caucasian government were conscientiously aspirating for it, and during short time the situation was already resolved in desired mode, suddenly Armenian mass media, newspapers started to scream about panislamism; and central government, yielding them, canceled this distinguished process.

It is extremely characterising, that Armenian pseudo-politicians do not tolerate any positive reference or protection directed towards other, really aboriginal nations on Caucasus. One of the basic fears of Armenian pseudo-politicians is fear in front of publicity. Especially, they are indignant by statements like Armenian hegemony is pernicious for other Caucasian nations; then they scream about rousing of inter-ethnic animosity.

Huge capitals, in hands of people, politically ignorant, can state serious danger not only in complicate situations, but also at ordinary time. Being product not of hard work and knowledge, but of stupid occasional, illegal acquire, this capitals in ignorant and rude hands state social danger, a factor of bribery and debauch.

Delirium and lie of Armenian pseudo-politicians, probably, will remain deliriums, but economic and spiritual damage made by Armenian leaders on Caucasus is huge. These leaders are awful as demoralizers, as viruses of social corrupt, as parasites.

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* Vasily Lvovich Velichko
- The famous Russian journalist, editor of the semi-official Kavkaz gazette and historian, who had lived in the Caucasus by the end of the XIX century and first years of the XX century and studied the rich culture and history of this region. As an editor of the ``Caucasus`` newspaper, published in Tbilisi, he had traveled all over the Caucasus, and learned local peoples` traditions and way of life.

His book titled Caucasus, Russian Affairs And Inter-tribal Problems includes several articles of historical-ethnographic contest, written by the famous journalist.

The book is published in 2005 and available for download/view online:

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