by Rev. Dr. Vahan H. Tootikian
Julius Caesar (100-44 B.C), one of the greatest military leaders of Rome, was commanding the Roman legions in Gaul (France), when he had the ambition to become the ruler of Rome. The Roman Senate, fearing his power, ordered him to break up his army. Caesar refused. In 49 B.C., he led his army to the edge of the city, to the banks of the river Rubicon. He knew that anyone hoping to cross the Rubicon into Rome needed special permission from the Senate. Without permission, the act of crossing the river meant declaration of war. After a moment of consideration, Caesar ordered his army to cross the Rubicon. This was a momentous decision. This daring move marked Caesar’s first step toward leadership of Rome. Ever since, the expression to cross the Rubicon has become a popular phrase. It means making a momentous decision and taking a daring step.
Momentous decisions can make or break us! They carry with them deep implications that can shape the destiny of individuals and nations.
The declaration of the independence of Armenia on May 28, 1918, was a momentous decision that changed the history of Armenia and the Armenian people. Three years after the Turkish Genocide of Western Armenia, in May 1918, their enemies once again threatened the Armenians in their homeland. The Turkish forces had encircled the region of Yerevan and were determined to destroy the Armenian Remnant. Surrounded by mortal foes, with no avenues to escape, Armenians made a critical decision. They decided not to surrender but to take a heroic stand, and by doing so they stopped the Turkish invasion. The creation of the Republic of Armenia, born out of the threat of annihilation, was a miracle, and today we are here celebrating the 107th anniversary of the Republic of Armenia.
A momentous decision, such as the declaration of the independence of Armenia prompts some observations and teaches us some lessons.
First, It is not always easy to make momentous decisions. It is true that God has paid human beings a great compliment by allowing them to make their own decisions. But some decisions may greatly impact our lives. Snap decisions can ruin our lives; therefore, people have always to weigh the consequences of their own decisions. This is true not only for individuals, but also true for communities and nations.
In the middle of the fifth century A.D., the Armenian nation had to make a decision as to what religion they should adhere to: Christianity or Zoroastrianism. The Persian King, Yazdegerd II, gave the Armenians an ultimatum to renounce Christianity and adopt Zoroastrianism. Armenians were to choose their own destiny. The challenge was, in the words of the prophet, “Choose ye this day whom ye will serve.” Our fifth-century ancestors were fully aware of the weight and seriousness of their decision as they dared to cross their Rubicon and defy the ultimatum of the Persian King, and declare to him, “From this faith no one can shake us.”
On May 28, 1918, in Tbilisi, Georgia, the Armenian National Council was fully aware of the gravity and seriousness of its decision, when it declared the independence of Armenia. After months of retreats in the face of Turkish advances, Armenians stopped running. They decided “to die weapons in hand.” This was a matter of life and death. They dared to cross the Rubicon. In the battles of Bash-Abaran, Kara-Kilisa and particularly Sardarabad, the outnumbered and the outgunned Armenian soldiers, irregulars, peasants and ordinary folk with great determination, managed to stop the Turkish army.
Second, it takes a venture of faith to make a momentous decision. Ventures of faith are unusual acts of faith in difficult times; they imply complete trust in God.
People of faith are not complacent; they are determined to change the present. They are ready to pull up their stakes any moment. They are always in tension between what could be (ought to be) and what is. They are not satisfied with today; they want a better tomorrow.
There are decisive moments in the lives of individuals and nations when people of faith embark upon ventures and change the course of their lives and the lives of their communities. These moments become turning points, watersheds in the lives of individuals, communities and nations.
The Armenian troops were under the command of General Tovmas Nazarbekian, a former Russian Armenian general. He assigned general Dro (Dramastad Ganayan) to defend Bash Abaran, and General Silikian to defend the city of Sardarabad.
We learn from our history that in May 1918, when the invading Turkish armies were only a few miles away from Yerevan, the Catholicos of all Armenians, Kevork V, called the Brotherhood of Etchmiadzin for prayer and then inspired them to take their stance against the enemy, similar to the example of Catholicos Hovsep the I of the fifth century during the Vartanantz War. One of his young bishops, Bishop Karekin Hovsepiantz (later Catholicos of the See if Cilicia), became the new Ghevont yeretz in the Battle of Sardarabad.
The Turks moved towards Sardarabad and positioned their forces in the outskirts of the city. They were not far away from Etchmiadzin. General Silikian made an emotional appeal to the Armenian populace to fight to defend their country and their lives. Field commanders Pirumian and Pashaian coordinated the operation.
The Armenian army surprised the Turkish military leaders. The Turks were unable to sustain the heavy barrage of bombardments, they began to retreat. General Silikian’s forces pursued the Turks out of Sardarabad and drove them towards Hamamlu (modern Spitak). Victory brought tremendous excitement to Armenian masses and they pushed the enemy beyond the Armenian borders.
Thanks to the faith, dedication and sacrifices of these, and thousands of Armenian heroes and martyrs, God granted us the Republic of Armenia, which became a beacon of hope and a guarantee for our national survival.