ABSTRACT
The Umayyads were more tolerant toward the Christians and for a while had to rely on them in their administration. In 685/66H Caliph 'Abd al-Malik rose to the Umayyad throne and launched a program of Arabization and Islamization. Grigor Tatewaci almost demanded a recognition and reconfirmation of the oath; he was also placing these treatises in the single context of Islamic–Armenian protocols rooted in the Medinan legacy. The election of Catholicos Elia I Arjiseci, an anti-Byzantine and pro-Arab figure reflected the times in Armenia. Indeed, it was during the early decades of the eighth century that the problem of Armenian heterodox factions took regional dimensions. The politicization and militarization of the Paulicians coincided with the 'Abbasid organization of the Borderlands and Armenian dissidence had very important developments. The changing policies of the two empires and alliances or conflict with the east and/or west granted the Paulicians high degrees of military prowess and political preparedness.
