The Turco-Mongol Invasions and the Lords of Armenia in the 13 ...

them "Armenians" .
However,
it must he underlined that
the majority of the Armenians remained true to their own
1
Most notably Abu'l Pida, who specifically notes the
Armenian descent of certain Caliphs as well as of prominent
functionaries in Muslim governments. The Armenian literary
historians are loathe to mention the reality (and of course
the extent) of conversion. However, that intermarriage
with Muslims was indeed becoming a problem is clear from
certain articles in the so-called Penetentlal of Pawit *
of
Ganjaf
c, C.J.P. Dowsett, ed. (Louvain, 1961} Corpus Scripv-
torum Christianorum Orlentalium, vol. 216, Seriptores
Armeniacl tomus 3. This work, which deals primarily with
the degrees of penance necessary for various offenses was
written at the beginning of the 12th century in or near
Ganjakc Sr. Dowsett writes: "As the many passages in
the Xratk' kanonakank* [Penitential] dealing with the
relations between Christians and Infidels (usually specified
as Kurds) show, Dawit *
lived his life in a time of troubles
for his church and nation. The Christians were subject not
only to the contamination of their food, vessels and holy
places by Muslims, and the misfortune of seeing Armenian
women become their wives, mistresses or nurses: the church
might clearly at any time be threatened by what Dawit '
calls "hopeless tyrants"(ch, 37), and attacks on Christians
were not unknown (chp. 59)*. The relevant entries are:
(16) Concerning an Armenian woman who lives with a Kurd
[and will not separate from him] for the sake of Christianity,
p. 16: (17) Concerning a woman who dwells with a Kurd,
p. 17; (18) Concerning a woman who fornicates with a Kurd,
p.17} (19) Concerning those who voluntarily give their
daughters to infidels, p.17; (20) Concerning those who
feed the children of infidels at the breasts, p.18. That
many of the same problems had continued through the 12th
century is clear from the inclusion of identical or
similar entries in the Law Book of Mxit '
ar Gos (d. 1213).
Religious conversion in this period was not unidirectional.
There was also Turkish conversion to Christianity, both
forced and voluntary. Juanser, speaking of the deeds of
David II the Builder (1089-1125) notes David's attempt to
Christianize the shamanist Qlpchaq Turks of the north
Caucasus: "How [David] kept wiTE him on Georgian soil
40,000 Qlpehaqs with their families and sons plus 500
young children whom he raised at his court as Christians,
and others still day by day were baptized and studied
the faith of our Lord. He armed the 40,000 and designated
spasalars for them and repelled Persia and T '
urk '
astan
with them". Juanler, p. 119. Similarly, voluntary conversion
of Turks to Monophysitic Christianity was not unknown.
The Armenian Church has canonized the Turkish martyr
Yordanan who was slain in Karin/Erzerum on Good Friday,1182,
83