The richness of native literary texts and translations produced by the Armenians in the fifth century CE prompted the Mekhitarist fathers to characterize that century as the “Golden Age” of Armenian literature. This lecture explores the portrayal of women in the most influential texts from this period, evaluating how they present women’s roles within the context of the church and society, reflecting cultural, theological, and social attitudes of the time. A critical examination of these narratives will extend beyond historical analysis, drawing connections to contemporary discussions of gender roles in Armenia. Ultimately, the presentation seeks to highlight the enduring implications of the misinterpretations of these early portrayals and how they have shaped views on women’s roles today.

Dr. David Zakarian is the Haig & Isabel Berberian Professor of Armenian Studies at Fresno State. He received his DPhil in Oriental Studies from St. Antony’s College, University of Oxford. His dissertation was titled “The Representation of Women in Early Christian Literature: Armenian Texts of the Fifth Century.” He has extensive experience teaching classical and modern Armenian and the focus of his research is on the representation of women in early Christian Armenian sources, as well as the colophons of medieval Armenian manuscripts. He is the co-editor of Armenia Through the Lens of Time: Multidisciplinary Studies in Honour of Theo Maarten van Lint (Brill, 2022) and the author of Women, Too, Were Blessed: The Portrayal of Women in Early Christian Armenian Texts, Armenian Texts and Studies Series (Brill, 2021).