Unreachably Far and Immediately Near: Armenian Mysticism and Contemplative Writings

HDS 2102 Subject & Catalog Number

Description

Premodern Armenian writings are heavily marked by a contemplative or mystical orientation, i.e., they were meant to inspire or aid in the contemplative or mystical activity of those reading them. This is a result of the fact that the bulk of premodern Armenian literature was written, copied, and circulated in a monastic environment, where contemplation comprised one of the central activities of monks, who were also the primary authors, scribes, and readers of most Armenian texts. We thus also find a contemplative orientation in many works and genres that upon first glance one might not expect to be so, e.g. commentaries, poetry, etc. A contemplative or mystical approach is also evident in Gospel manuscript illumination and other artistic and non-literary media. This course explores contemplative and mystical writings in the premodern Armenian tradition, still a very underexplored area of premodern Armenian studies. Students with an interest in material culture may also focus upon the contemplative and mystical dimension in Armenian art and material culture.