Unreachably Far and Immediately Near: Armenian Mysticism and Contemplative Writings

Harvard FAS

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…