Hethanos Pagan

[MosJan]

uremn zrutselu enq Hyei B@nakrron kronqi masin !!!

Hetaqrqir e !

 

mi qani amis araj zrutsum eyi Barekamis het vorn bavakanin terrekutyuner uner HAyastani Hetanosneri masin, yev I-Zarman@s indz haskatsa vro Hayastanum der kan Hethanosner yev bavakanin mets UJ en nerkayatsnum irentsits, chnayats vor irents kronov poqramasnutyun en Hayastanum... yes k@portsem irenits qich avel terrekutyuner imanal, chnayats vor bavakanin Zbaryal e na iys verchers.

 

MOvses

[Arpa]

I have also heard that they gather at the Temple of Garni at sunrise and pay homage to the rising sun. They probably call themselves Arevordi's. It would be interesting to have one of them on this forum and hear about their philosophy and their purpose.

[Arpa]

лóÝáë Þ³ñÅáõÙ

Heathen Movement.

During the turn of the twentieth century the cream of our intelligentsia subscribed to a new movement known as Hethanos Sharzhoum. Varouzhan and Siamanto were the most celebrated of them. The club was euphemistically known as Bagin and their official journal with Varouzhan as editor was also known by that name. It had many followers among which, in addition to the above were Levon Shant, Kostan Zaryan, H. Sirouni, Aharon and Esajanian.

It was, at best a desperate attempt to get back to our gloriously mighty past as they had finally realized that this (alien)God had other things and other people to worry about. Even more so, they had finally realized that our interpretation of the Word was totally flawed, that we only read (or rather was read to us)passages that called for "turning the other cheek". Well, they were tired of this, there had remained no cheek to turn.

No wonder more than 50% of Armenians today are agnostic at best.

 

First, "pagan".

Originally there was nothing derogatory or evil about the word. It simply meant "of the land". The word appears in many other variations as in the Italian "paisan", French "paisant" and the English "peasant". It described the people of the land as opposed to the aristocracy. When people resisted the forces to be, be they temporal or religious they were labeled "pagans", which in time, specially during the Christian era ended up being a "swear word". In the Armenian there are few words that may be synonymous to "pagan". Geghatsi, shinakan and even ramik (meaning commonfolk). However, just as in other cultures in the Armenian "krapasht" (idolater) or "krakapasht" (fire worshipper)became equivalent to the general and misguided "pagan".

 

Neither was "hethanos/heathen" a dirty word in its origin.

Surprise! Surprise! My 1983 Websters Unabridged has this to say about the word.

Heathen;(hethen, haethen, a 4th c. mistranslation of the ARMENIAN "hethanos").

1. One who worships idols or many gods.

2. One who is not a Christian, Jew or Moslem.

3. A rude and barbarous person.

4. Originally, and in the Old Testament, a member of any nation or people not worshipping the God of Israel.

 

Hethanos is the Armenian form of the word "ethnos" which in its literary definition simply means (a group of)"people". It is still used in that sense when we refer to "ethnic" (composition,minorities) etc. It meant just that in the past as well until that is, as shown above people who did not conform to one's customs, language and religious practices were labeled as "hethanos, heathens" to differentiate them from the "chosen" people. The process has not stopped. Ask a Jew about the Palestinians. Ask a Moslem about the "infidels" and a Christian about all other practioners of faiths outide the three major ones.

Does the Armenian word "bagin"(temple) have to do with "pagan"