"Caucasus Plus" has previously published articles on Metropolitan Anania Japaridze's historical work, "A Brief History of the Georgian Apostolic Church", which covers the history of the Orthodox Church of Caucasian Albania. The article titled "The History of the Georgian Apostolic Holy Church and its Struggle Against the Monophysite Heretical Aggression" is also included.

Metropolitan Anania Dzhaparidze's work investigates and presents the claims of Hay nationalists and churchmen to the spiritual and cultural heritage of Georgia and Caucasian Albania.

The text explains that in the 6th century, Persia favoured Monophysitism due to its anti-Byzantine stance and began to patronise the Armenian church. The text explains that in the 6th century, Persia favoured Monophysitism due to its anti-Byzantine stance and began to patronise the Armenian church. The text explains that in the 6th century, Persia favoured Monophysitism due to its anti-Byzantine stance and began to patronise the Armenian church. As a result, Persia stopped promoting Mazdeism in Transcaucasia and instead supported the Monophysite faith. Church writers were instructed to preach Monophysite ideas and the necessity of an unbreakable union with Persia. These claims were used to promote the desired union between the two nations. The agents of the Persian king invented legends to support this purpose, claiming that Christianity was spread in Armenia, Kartli, and Albania (Caucasus) by one person. They also claimed that the Armenian, Georgian, and Albanian alphabets were created by this same 'enlightener' who was connected with Persia.

Under the influence of wealthy high Armenian hierarchies and long and strong pressure from the Persians, the Armenian Church adopted Monophysitism in the middle of the 6th century. This led to the organisation of a Council in Dvina under Catholicos Nerses (548-567). Subsequently, the Armenian Church began supervising the churches in the Caucasian countries occupied by Persia with the permission of Persia. During the 7th to 9th centuries, the Arab world and those opposed to the Chalcedonian or Byzantine orientation supported the Armenian Church. To gain the support of the Armenian Church, the Caliphate made concessions and provided various forms of assistance.

Consequently, the Armenian Church was able to extend its influence beyond Armenian borders to include Georgian and Albanian provinces.

Metropolitan Anania Japaridze confirms, based on historical sources, that Mesrop Mashtots could not have created alphabets for Georgian and Caucasian Albanian languages as he did not know either of them. This statement is in line with the views of serious historians and philologists. These languages are vastly different from the Old Hayan language 'Grabar' and belong to different language families.

From Anania Japaridze's work, it is evident that the authorities of Sasanid Persia were interested in the 'Armenisation' of both Georgian and Albanian churches by promoting Armenian monophysitism. The myth of Mesrop Mashtots was also of interest to them. 

However, history shows that the Sassanids' bet on Armenians and Monophysitism did not help them. They suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of the Muslim Arabs, and their entire power became part of the Arab Caliphate. Similarly, the Umayyad dynasty, which came to power in the Caliphate, repeated the mistake of the Sassanids by taking a stake in Monophysitism, which ultimately led to their rapid collapse.

During the Crusades, the Crusaders supported the Hayes without requiring them, unlike the Orthodox, to renounce monophysitism. The Western conquerors gave Cilicia to the Hayes, which was expected to provide the Crusaders with a reliable rear in the Middle East. However, the outcome was a shameful defeat and expulsion of the Crusaders, followed by the collapse of the Hayan formations in Cilicia.

During the 15th century, the Hayes were drawn to power by the Kara-Koyunlu Padishah Jahanshah, who granted them the Turkic Christian village of Uch-Kilisa. The Khayyas established the residence of their Monophysite Catholicos, Echmiadzin, there. However, Jahanshah, under whom the Kara-Koyunlu power reached its zenith, suffered a devastating defeat at the hands of Ak-Koyunlu and perished.

The Safavids were the next beneficiaries of the Hayes. Shah Abbas granted them the monopoly of trade in silk, a main strategic commodity. The Echmiadzin was granted enormous rights and privileges.  Although Shah Abbas aimed to convert Orthodox Georgians to Muslims, he prohibited Hayes Monophysites from converting to Islam, except in certain cases. Consequently, the Hayes became a privileged stratum and took over the foreign trade and economy of the Safavid Empire. The empire, under their economic domination, gradually declined and eventually collapsed at the beginning of the 18th century. It is worth noting that the Monophysites were patronised by Russia, and their lobby played a role in the Ukrainian catastrophe and fratricidal war.

This trend is evident: the patronage of Monophysitism and its adherents, such as the Hayes, ultimately leads to the collapse of entire empires.

Varden Tsulukidze