In 405 CE, the scholar-monk Mesrop Mashtots (Mesrop Mashtots) devised the Armenian alphabet in Edessa and Samsat, creating 36 letters that precisely matched Armenian sounds. With help from Rufinus and support from King Vramshapuh and Catholicos Sahak Partev, Mashtots accomplished his mission to give Armenian people a script in their own language. This was strategic since Christianity had become Armenia's state religion in 301 CE, but Armenians lacked a written form for their language. The alphabet's introduction enabled Bible translation and strengthened Christianity's spread throughout Armenia.

The Armenian alphabet immediately enabled translation of the Bible into Armenian, creating what became known as the 'Queen of Translations' - a masterpiece of Armenian biblical literature. Mashtots himself translated important Christian texts and wrote religious poetry, establishing Armenian as a literary language. This script creation sparked a golden age of Armenian literature, producing religious poetry, historical chronicles, and secular works that preserved Armenian identity through centuries of foreign domination.