The history of Armenian culture dates back to ancient times. Traditions, way of life, religion are dictated by the religious views of the Armenians. In the article, we will consider the questions: what is the faith of the Armenians, why did the Armenians adopt Christianity, about the baptism of Armenia, in what year did the Armenians adopt Christianity, about the difference between the Gregorian and Orthodox churches.

Adoption of Christianity by Armenia in 301

The Armenian religion originated in the 1st century AD, when the founders of the Armenian Apostolic Church (AAC) Thaddeus and Bartholomew preached in Armenia. Already in the 4th century, in 301, Christianity became the official religion of the Armenians. Tsar Trdat III laid the foundation for this. He came to rule the royal throne of Armenia in 287.

Apostle Thaddeus and Bartholomew - the founders of the Armenian Apostolic Church

Initially, Trdat was not supportive of Christianity and persecuted believers. He imprisoned Saint Gregory for 13 years. However, the strong faith of the Armenian people won. Once the king lost his mind and was healed thanks to the prayers of Gregory, a saint who preached Orthodoxy. After that, Trdat believed, was baptized and made Armenia the first Christian state in the world.

Armenians - Catholics or Orthodox, today make up 98% of the country's population. Of these, 90% are representatives of the Armenian Apostolic Church, 7% - of the Armenian Catholic Church.

The Armenian Apostolic Church is independent of the Orthodox and Catholic churches

The Armenian Apostolic Church stood at the origins of the birth of Christianity of the Armenian people. It belongs to the oldest Christian churches. Its founders are the preachers of Christianity in Armenia - the Apostles Thaddeus and Bartholomew.

The dogmas of the AAC are significantly different from Orthodoxy and Catholicism. The Armenian Church is autonomous from the Orthodox and Catholic churches. And this is its main feature. The word apostolic in the title refers us to the origins of the church and indicates that Christianity in Armenia became the first state religion.

Ohanavank Monastery (IV century) - one of the oldest Christian monasteries in the world

The AAC keeps track of the Gregorian calendar. However, she does not deny the Julian calendar either.

During the absence of political administration, the Gregorian Church took over the functions of government. In this regard, the role of the Catholicosate in Etchmiadzin became dominant for a long time. For several centuries in a row, it was considered the main center of power and control.

In modern times, the Catholicosate of all Armenians in Etchmidizian and the Catholicosate of Cilicia in Antilias operate.

Catholicos - Bishop in the AAC

Catholicos is a related concept of the word bishop. The title of the highest rank in the AAC.

The Catholicos of All Armenians includes the dioceses of Armenia, Russia and Ukraine. The Catholicos of Cilicia includes the dioceses of Syria, Cyprus and Lebanon.

Traditions and rituals of the AAC.

Matah - an offering in gratitude to God

One of the most important rites of the AAC is matah or refreshments, a charitable dinner. Some confuse this rite with animal sacrifice. The meaning is to give alms to the poor, which is an offering to God. Matah is performed as a thanksgiving to God for the successful end of some event (the recovery of a loved one) or as a request for something.

To conduct a matah, livestock (a bull, a sheep) or a bird are slaughtered. Bouillon is boiled from meat with salt, which was consecrated in advance. Meat should never be left uneaten until the next day. Therefore, it is divided and distributed.

forward post

This post precedes Lent. The advanced post begins 3 weeks before the Great and lasts 5 days - from Monday to Friday. Its observance is historically conditioned by the fast of St. Gregory. This helped the apostle to cleanse himself and heal Trdat with prayers.

communion

Unleavened bread is used during communion, however, there is no fundamental difference between unleavened or leavened. Wine is not diluted with water.

The Armenian priest dips the bread (previously consecrated) into wine, breaks it and gives it to those who wish to take communion.

sign of the cross

It is done with three fingers from left to right.

How is the Gregorian Church different from the Orthodox

Monophysitism - the recognition of the one nature of God

For a long time, the differences between the Armenian and Orthodox churches were not noticeable. By about the 6th century, differences began to be felt. Speaking about the division of the Armenian and Orthodox churches, one should remember the emergence of Monophysitism.

This is an offshoot of Christianity, according to which the nature of Jesus is not dual, and he does not have a body like a man. Monophysites recognize in Jesus one nature. So, at the 4th Council of Chalcedon there was a split between the Gregorian Church and the Orthodox. The Monophysite Armenians were recognized as heretics.

Differences between the Gregorian and Orthodox churches

1. The Armenian Church does not recognize the flesh of Christ, its representatives are convinced that his body is ether. The main difference lies in the reason for the separation of the AAC from Orthodoxy.
2. Icons. In Gregorian churches there is no abundance of icons, as in Orthodox ones. Only in some churches there is a small iconostasis in the corner of the temple. Armenians do not pray in front of holy images. Some historians attribute this to the fact that the Armenian Church was engaged in iconoclasm.

The interior of a traditional Armenian temple with a small number of icons. Church of Gyumri

1. Difference in calendars. Representatives of Orthodoxy are guided by the Julian calendar. Armenian 1 to Gregorian.
2. Representatives of the Armenian Church are baptized from left to right, Orthodox - vice versa.
3. Spiritual hierarchy. In the Gregorian Church there are 5 degrees, where the highest is the catholicos, then the bishop, priest, deacon, reader. There are only 3 degrees in the Russian Church.
4. Fasting lasting 5 days - arachawork. Starts 70 days before Easter.
5. Since the Armenian Church recognizes one hypostasis of God, only one is sung in church songs.. Unlike the Orthodox, where they sing about the trinity of God.
6. During Lent, Armenians can eat cheese and eggs on Sundays.
7. The Gregorian Church lives according to the postulates of only three councils, although there were seven of them. The Armenians could not get to the 4th Council of Chalcedon, and therefore they did not accept the postulates of Christianity and ignored all subsequent councils.

The Armenian Church is considered one of the most ancient Christian communities. Its origins date back to the 4th century. It is Armenia that is the first country where Christianity was recognized as a state. But millennia have passed, and now the contradictions and differences that the Russian and Armenian apostolic churches have are already visible. The difference from the Orthodox Church began to appear in the 6th century.

The separation of the Apostolic Armenian Church took place due to the following circumstances. In Christianity, a new branch suddenly arose, which was attributed to heresy - Monophysitism. Supporters of this trend considered Jesus Christ. They denied the combination of the divine and the human in it. But at the 4th Council of Chalcedon, Monophysitism was recognized as a false trend. Since then, the Apostolic Armenian Church has found itself alone, as it still looks at the origin of Christ differently from ordinary Orthodox Christians.

Main differences

The Russian Orthodox Church respects the Armenian Apostolic Church, but does not allow many of its aspects.

The Russian Orthodox Church considers the Armenian confession, therefore, people of this faith cannot be buried according to Orthodox customs, perform all the sacraments that Russian Christian Orthodoxy conducts, you cannot simply commemorate and pray for them. If suddenly an Orthodox person attends a service in an Armenian apostolic church, this is a reason for excommunication from him.

Some Armenians visit temples in turn. Today is Apostolic Armenian, the next day Christian. You can’t do this, you should decide on your faith and adhere to only one doctrine.

Despite the contradictions, the Armenian Church forms faith and unity in its students, treats other religious movements with patience and respect. These are the aspects of the Armenian Apostolic Church. Its difference from the Orthodox is visible and tangible. But each person himself has the right to choose for whom he prays and what faith to adhere to.

I am not God knows what theologian.

Or rather, I am not a theologian at all. But every time I read about the foundations of the Armenian Church in the blogosphere, the compiler, editor and author of the book "Applied Religious Studies for Journalists" begins to speak in me.

And now, in connection with the Christmas holiday, I decided to analyze a few of the most common questions related to the Armenian Apostolic Church - the AAC.

Is the Armenian Church "Gregorian"?

Did the Armenians accept Christianity in 301?

Is the AAC Orthodox?

Are all Armenians the flock of the Armenian Apostolic Church?

Armenian Church is not Gregorian

The name "Gregorian" was coined in Russia in the 19th century, when part of Armenia was annexed to the Russian Empire. It means that the Armenian Church originates from Gregory the Illuminator, and not from the apostles.

Why was this done?

And then, that when the church originates directly from the apostles, this means that its origins go straight to Christ. The ROC can call itself apostolic with a big stretch, because it is known that Orthodoxy came to Russia from Byzantium, and relatively late - in the 10th century.

True, here the concept of the catholicity of the church comes to the “help” of the ROC, that is, its spatial, temporal and qualitative universality, which the parts possess to the same extent as the whole, that is, the ROC, being one of the Orthodox churches, also, as it were, ascends straight to Christ, but let's not delve too deeply into theology - I noted this for the sake of justice.

Thus, by making the Armenian Church “Gregorian”, the Russian Empire (where the church was not separated from the state, and therefore the ROC should have had all the advantages), seemed to deprive it of the grounds to elevate itself directly to Christ. Instead of Christ and his disciples, the apostles, Gregory the Illuminator was obtained. Cheap and cheerful.

Nevertheless, the Armenian Church all this time called itself the Apostolic Church (AAC), it was also called and is called all over the world - with the exception of the Russian Empire, then the Soviet Union, well, and now Russia.

By the way, this is another misconception that has become very popular in recent years.

Armenians did not accept Christianity in 301

The doctrine of the Son of God began to spread in Armenia in the first century AD, of course. They even call the year 34, but I met articles that said that this, apparently, was 12-15 years later.

And so it was. When Christ was crucified, after which he died, resurrected and ascended, his apostle disciples went to different parts to spread his teachings. We know that, for example, Peter in his travels reached Rome, where he died, and the famous Vatican church of St. Peter.

And Thaddeus and Bartholomew - two of the 12 first apostles - went to the northeast, to Syria, from where they soon reached Armenia, where they successfully spread the teachings of Christ. It is from them - from the apostles - that the Armenian Church originates. That is why it is called "apostolic".

Both of them ended their lives in Armenia. Thaddeus was tortured: he was crucified and pierced with arrows. And it was on the very spot where the monastery of St. Thaddeus, or, in Armenian, Surb Tadei vank. This is in what is now Iran. This monastery is honored in Iran and every year thousands of pilgrims flock there. The relics of St. Thaddeus are kept in Etchmiadzin.

Bartholomew was also martyred. He brought the hand-made face of the Virgin to Armenia and built a church dedicated to her. In 68, when the persecution of Christians began, he was executed. Together with him, according to legend, two thousand Christians were executed. The relics of St. Bartholomew are kept in Baku, since the place of execution was the city of Alban or Albanopol, which is identified as modern Baku.

So Christianity began to spread in Armenia in the first century. And in 301, King Trdat proclaimed Christianity, which had been spreading throughout Armenia for about 250 years, as the official religion.

Therefore, it is correct to say that the Armenians adopted Christianity in the middle of the first century, and in 301 Christianity was adopted in Armenia as the state religion.

Is the AAC Orthodox?

Yes and no. If we talk about the theological foundations of the teaching, then it is precisely Orthodox. In other words, the Christology of the AAC, according to current theologians, is identical to Orthodoxy.

Yes, because the head of the AAC - Catholicos Karekin II - himself recently declared that the AAC is Orthodox. And the words of the Catholicos are a very important argument.

No - because according to Orthodox doctrine, the decisions of the seven Ecumenical Councils that took place from 49 to 787 are recognized. As you can see, we are talking about a very long history. The AAC recognizes only the first three.

No - because Orthodoxy is a single organizational structure with its own autocephaly, that is, separate, independent churches. 14 autocephalous churches are recognized, there are also several so-called autonomous churches that are not recognized by everyone.

Why are the seven ecumenical councils so important? Because at each one decisions were made that were important for Christian doctrine. For example, at the first council they adopted the postulate that it was not necessary to observe certain Jewish rituals, at the second they adopted the creed (“creed”), at the third and fifth they condemned Nestorianism, at the seventh they condemned iconoclasm and separated the veneration of God and the worship of icons, and so on.

The Armenian Church adopted the decrees of the first three councils. The fourth ecumenical council, which is called Chalcedon, took place in 451. If you are familiar with the history of Armenia, then immediately remember that this year is known for the famous Battle of Avarayr, where Armenian troops led by Vardan Mamikonyan fought against Sasanian Persia for religious and state independence.

And since the clergy played a crucial role during the uprising that ended with the Battle of Avarayr, as well as after it, the clergy did not have the time and desire to send a delegation to the Ecumenical Council.

And this is where the problem turned out to be, because the Council made the most important decision about the nature of Christ. And the question was, is Christ a god or a man? If he was born of God, then he must be a god himself. But he was born from an earthly woman, therefore, he must be a man.

One theologian - Nestorius from the city of Caesarea (Syria) - argued that Christ is both God and man. These two entities coexist in one body due to the fact that it exists in two hypostases, which are in union and together create a “face of unity”.

And the other - Eutyches from Constantinople - believed that Christ is God. And point. There is no human essence in it.

The Council of Chalcedon found a certain middle line, condemning both Nestor's "right-deviating" line and Eutychius's "left-opportunist" line.

The decisions of this council were not accepted by six churches: Armenian Apostolic, Coptic Orthodox, Ethiopian Orthodox, Eritrean Orthodox, Syrian Orthodox and Malankara Orthodox (in India). They began to be called "ancient Eastern Christian churches", or "ancient Orthodox churches".

So, according to this parameter, the AAC is an Orthodox Church.

All Armenians, by definition, are the flock of the AAC, just as all Jews are Jews.

This is also a delusion. Of course, the AAC is the largest and most influential church with two catholicosates in Etchmiadzin and Lebanese Antelias. But she's not the only one.

There is an Armenian Catholic Church. In fact, this is a Uniate church, that is, a church that combines elements of Catholicism and the AAC, in particular, the Armenian rite of worship.

The most famous congregation of Armenian Catholics is the Mkhitari congregation with the famous monastery on the island of St. Lazarus in Venice. Churches and monasteries of Armenian Catholics exist throughout Europe, including in Rome and Vienna (oh, what kind of liquor do the Viennese Mekhitarists prepare...).

In 1850, Pope Pius IX established the diocese of Artvin for Catholic Armenians. At the beginning of the 20th century, the diocese fell apart, leaving the flock in the care of the bishop, who was in Tiraspol. Yes, yes, Moldovan and Romanian Armenians, as well as Ukrainian ones, were also Catholics.

The Vatican even established an ordinariate for Catholic Armenians in Gyumri. In the north of Armenia, Catholics are called "frang".

There are also Protestant Armenians.

The Evangelical Armenian Church was established in Constantinople in the middle of the 19th century and now has parishes in various countries, uniting in three evangelical unions - the Middle East with its center in Beirut, France (Paris) and North America (New Jersey). There are also many churches in Latin America, Brussels, Sydney and so on.

They say that Protestant Armenians are called “ynglyz”, but I myself have not heard this.

Finally, there are Muslim Armenians. In Istanbul, under the patronage of the Hrant Dink Foundation, a major scientific conference was recently held, dedicated to the Armenians who converted to Islam.

The Armenian Apostolic Church (AAC) is one of the oldest Christian churches, which has a number of significant features that distinguish it from both Byzantine Orthodoxy and Roman Catholicism. Refers to the ancient Eastern churches.

Many are mistaken in understanding the position that the Armenian Church occupies in the Christian world. Some consider it to be one of the Local Orthodox Churches, while others, misled by the title of First Hierarch of the AAC ("Catholicos"), consider it to be part of the Roman Catholic Church. In fact, both of these opinions are wrong - Armenian Christians stand apart from both the Orthodox and the Catholic world. Although even their opponents do not argue with the epithet "Apostolic". After all, Armenia really became the first Christian state in the world - in 301 Great Armenia adopted Christianity as the state religion.A paramount role in this greatest event for Armenians was played by Saint Gregory the Illuminator , who became the first hierarch of the state Armenian Church (302-326), and the king of Greater Armenia, the saint Trdat III the Great (287-330), who before his conversion was the most severe persecutor of Christianity.

Ancient Armenia

The history of Armenia has several millennia. The Armenian people are one of the oldest modern peoples. He came into the world from such a depth of centuries, when not only did the European peoples of our time not exist, but the peoples of ancient antiquity, the Romans and Hellenes, were barely born.

Mount Ararat rises in the very center of the Armenian Highlands, on top of which, according to the biblical legend, Noah's Ark stopped.

In the I millennium BC. on the territory of ancient Armenia there was a powerful kingdom of Urartu, whichoccupied a dominant position among the states of Western Asia. After Urartu, the ancient Armenian kingdom appeared on this land. In later eras, Armenia became a bone of contention in the struggle between neighboring states and empires. At first, Armenia was under the rule of Media, then it became part of the Persian Empire of the Achaemenids. After the conquest of Persia by Alexander the Great, Armenia became a vassal of the Syrian Seleucids.

The penetration of Christianity into the territory of Armenia

According to ancient legends, Christianity began to penetrate into the territory of Armenia already in the 1st century A.D. There is an ancient pious tradition that even during the earthly life of the Lord Armenian king named Avgar , being sick, learned about the miracles performed by the Savior in Palestine and sent an invitation to Him in his capital, Edessa. The Savior, in response, gave the king His Image Not Made by Hands and a promise to send one of His disciples to heal diseases - not only bodily, but also spiritual. Two Disciples of Christ Bartholomew and Fadey came to Armenia from Assyria and Kapadovia and began to preach Christianity (60 - 68 AD). They baptized princely families, ordinary people and are known as "Enlighteners of the Armenian world".

During the first 2 centuries, Christians in Armenia were forced to secretly preach their religion, since paganism was the state religion and pagans were in the majority. The persecution of Christians undertaken by Trdat III coincides in time with similar persecutions in Rome under the emperor Diocletian (in 302-303) and even, as can be understood from the message of the Armenian historian of the 5th century. Agatangeghos, were interconnected.

Both monarchs viewed Christians as a corrupting element, as an obstacle to the strengthening and unification of their states, and tried to eliminate it. However, the policy of persecuting Christians was already becoming obsolete, and Emperor Constantine the Great legalized Christianity with his famous and declared it equal in rights with other religions of the Roman Empire.

Founding of the Armenian Church

Trdat III the Great (287-330)

In 287, Trdat arrived in Armenia, accompanied by Roman legions, to return his father's throne. In the estate of Yeriz, he performs the ritual of sacrifice in the temple of the pagan goddess Anahit.One of the king's associates, Gregory, being a Christian, refuses to sacrifice to an idol. Then Trdat learns that Gregory is the son of the murderer of his father. For these "crimes" Gregory is thrown into the "Khor Virap" (death pit), from where no one came out alive. Forgotten by all, St. Gregory lived in a pit with snakes and scorpions for 13 years. In the same year, the king issues two decrees: the first of them commands the arrest of all Christians within Armenia with the confiscation of their property, and the second - to put to death the hiding Christians. These decrees show how dangerous Christianity was considered for the state and the state religion - paganism.

The adoption of Christianity by Armenia is closely associated with martyrdom holy virgins of the Hripsimeans . According to Tradition, a group of Christian girls from Rome, hiding from the persecution of Emperor Diocletian, fled to the East.

Having visited Jerusalem and bowed to the holy places, the virgins, passing through Edessa, reached the borders of Armenia and settled in the grape presses not far from Vagharshapat.

Trdat, fascinated by the beauty of the maiden Hripsime, wished to take her as his wife, but met with desperate resistance. For disobedience, he ordered all the girls to be martyred. Hripsime and 32 friends died in the north-eastern part of Vagharshapat, the teacher of the virgins Gayane, together with two virgins, in the southern part of the city, and one sick virgin was tortured right in the winepress.

The execution of the Hripsimian virgins took place in 300/301. She caused the king a strong mental shock, which led to a severe nervous illness. In the 5th century, the people called this disease "pig", therefore, the sculptors depicted Trdat with a pig's head.

The king's sister Khosrovadukht repeatedly had a dream in which she was informed that only Gregory imprisoned in prison could heal Trdat. Gregory, miraculously surviving, was released from prison and solemnly received in Vagharshapat. He immediately collected and buried the relics of the virgin martyrs, and then, after a 66-day preaching of Christianity, he healed the king.

King Trdat, together with the whole court, was baptized and proclaimed Christianity the state religion of Armenia.

For 10 years, Christianity in Armenia has taken such deep roots that for their new faith, the Armenians took up arms against the strong Roman Empire (it is known about the campaign of the Roman emperor Maximin Daiya in 311 against the Christian communities of Lesser Armenia).

The struggle with Persia for the Christian faith

Since ancient times, Armenia has been alternately under the rule of either Byzantium or Persia. Persian kings from time to time made attempts to destroy Christianity in Armenia and forcibly plant Zoroastrianism.

In 330-340 years. Persian king Shapuh II persecuted Christians. Tens of thousands of martyrs perished during this period. Until the end of the 4th century, the Persian court repeatedly tried to convert Armenia to Zoroastrianism with fire and sword, but the Armenians, with God's help, defended the right of their people to profess Christianity.

In 387, Armenia was nevertheless divided between Byzantium and Persia. After the fall of the Armenian kingdom, Byzantine Armenia began to be ruled by governors appointed from Byzantium. In Eastern Armenia, which was under the rule of Persia, the kings ruled for another 40 years.

In May 451, the famous Avarayr battle, which became the first example in world history of the armed self-defense of Christianity, when light and darkness, life and death, faith and renunciation opposed each other. 66,000 Armenian soldiers, old men, women, monks, led by Vardan Mamikonyan, came out against the 200,000th Persian army.

Although the Armenian troops were defeated and suffered huge losses, the Battle of Avarayr elevated and inflamed the Armenian spirit so much that it became able to live forever. The Persians captured and devastated the country, capturing many of the clergy of the Armenian Church, headed by the Catholicos. Nevertheless, Christianity managed to survive in Armenia. For another 30 years, the Armenians waged a guerrilla war against the Persian troops, exhausting the enemy’s forces, until in 484 the Shah agreed to sign a peace treaty between Armenia and Persia, in which the Persians recognized the right of the Armenian people to freedom of Christianity.

Fall from Orthodoxy

In 451. in Chalcedon took place IV Ecumenical Council . On the eve of it, at the suggestion of the abbot of one of the Constantinople monasteries, Archimandrite Eutychius, arose heresy monophysitism (from a combination of words " monos" - one and " physis"- nature). She appeared as an extreme reaction to heresy of Nestorianism . The Monophysites taught that the human nature in Jesus Christ, received by Him from the Mother, dissolved in the nature of the Divine like a drop of honey in the ocean and lost its existence. That is, contrary to the teachings of the Ecumenical Church, Monophysitism professes that Christ is God, but not a man (His human appearance is allegedly only illusory, deceptive). This teaching was exactly the opposite of the teaching of Nestorianism, condemned by the Third Ecumenical Council (431). The teaching between these extremes was precisely Orthodox.

Reference:

Orthodox Church confesses in Christ one person (hypostasis) and two natures - divine and human. Nestorianism teaches about two persons, two hypostases and two natures. Monophysites but they have fallen into the opposite extreme: in Christ they recognize one person, one hypostasis, and one nature. From a canonical point of view, the difference between the Orthodox Church and the Monophysite churches lies in the fact that the latter do not recognize the Ecumenical Councils, starting with the IV Chalcedon, which adopted the definition of two natures in Christ, which converge into one person and into one hypostasis.

The Council of Chalcis condemned both Nestorianism and Monophysitism, and defined the dogma about the image of the union in the person of Jesus Christ of two natures: “Our Lord Jesus Christ is one and the same Son, one and the same perfect in Divinity and perfect in humanity, true God and true Man, one and the same, consisting of a verbal (rational) soul and body, consubstantial with the Father in Divinity and the same consubstantial to us in humanity, similar to us in everything except sin; born of the Father before the ages according to the Divinity, but He was also born in the last days for us and our salvation from the Virgin Mary and the Mother of God according to humanity; one and the same Christ, the Son, the Lord, the Only Begotten, known in two natures inseparably, unchangingly, inseparably, inseparably; the difference of His natures never disappears from their union, but the properties of each of the two natures are united in one person and one hypostasis so that He is not cut and divided into two persons, but He is one and the same Only-begotten Son, God the Word, Lord Jesus Christ; just as the prophets of ancient times spoke of Him, and as Jesus Christ Himself taught us, and as He gave us the Symbol of the Fathers.”

The Council in Chalcedon took place without the participation of Armenian bishops and representatives of other Transcaucasian Churches - at that time the peoples of Transcaucasia were fighting with Persia for the very right to profess the Christian faith. However, having learned about the decisions of the Council, the Armenian theologians refused to recognize them, seeing the revival of Nestorianism in the doctrine of the two natures of Christ.

The reasons for this misunderstanding lie in the fact that the Armenian bishops were not aware of the exact resolutions of this Council - they received information about the Council from the Monophysites, who came to Armenia and spread the false rumor that the heresy of Nestorianism was restored at the Council of Chalcedon. When the decrees of the Council of Chalcedon appeared in the Armenian Church, then, due to ignorance of the exact meaning of the Greek word nature, Armenian teachers translated it in the meaning faces. As a result, they concluded that Christ allegedly contained one person in Himself, while having two natures - Divine and human. In Greek it sounded exactly the opposite. Thus, the Transcaucasian countries gradually became infected through Syria with all the prejudices against the "Chalcedonites", not to mention the impossibility of an adequate translation from Greek of subtle theological terms.

In 491 took place in the Armenian capital of Vagharshapat local cathedral , which was attended by representatives of the Armenian, Albanian and Georgian Churches. This council rejected the rulings of Chalcedon, as allegedly affirming "two persons". The decree of the Vagharshapat Cathedral reads as follows: “We, Georgian and Aghvan Armenians, professing the one true faith, bequeathed to us by the Holy Fathers at the three Ecumenical Councils, reject such blasphemous speeches (that is, that there are two separate persons in Christ) and unanimously anathematize everything like that.”It was this cathedral that became the historical watershed between the Greek Orthodox and Gregorian confessions for all ages..

Attempts to restore church unity were made repeatedly, but were not successful. During the 5th and 6th centuries, local councils of the three Churches of Transcaucasia - Albania, Armenia and Georgia, were convened, which united on the positions of Monophysitism. But from time to time contradictions arose on hierarchical grounds between the Churches of Albania and Armenia.

Map of Transcaucasia in the 4th-6th century

The Albanian and Georgian Churches, which developed in close connection with the Armenian Church and had long been in fraternal relations with it, in the 6th century adhered to the same position on the question of the Council of Chalcedon. However, as a result of the deepening processes of church decentralization in Transcaucasia, a gap occurred between the Armenian Catholicos Abraham I and the primate of the Georgian Church Kirion I. The Georgian Catholicos Kirion went over to the side of Greek Orthodoxy, i.e. Council of Chalcedon, and thereby eliminated almost 70 years of involvement of his Church in Monophysitism under the influence of neighbors.

At the end of the 6th and in the 7th centuries, in connection with the strengthening of the political influence of Byzantium in Transcaucasia, the Albanian Church, like the Georgian Church, also joined Greek Orthodoxy.

Thus, the Armenian Church officially fell away from Orthodoxy, deviated towards Monophysitism and separated into a special church, the confession of which is called Gregorian. The Monophysite Catholicos Abraham initiated the persecution of the Orthodox, forcing all clerics to either anathematize the Cathedral of Chalcedon or leave the country.

To be fair, it must be said that The Armenian Church itself considers itself not Monophysite, but "Miaphysist". Alas, an analysis of this provision would also require too complicated and lengthy explanations at the level of senior students of the Theological Academy. Suffice it to say that all theologians of both the Catholic and Orthodox Churches consider both Armenians and Egyptian Coptic Christians to be monophysite heretics without options. Although they are treated with respect for their antiquity and uninterrupted apostolic succession. So, in the event of their transition, say, to the Russian Orthodox Church, their clergy are accepted in cash rank, without being ordained again - only through repentance.

One interesting historical fact should be mentioned, connected with the miracle of the descent of the Holy Fire in the cave of the Holy Sepulcher. In the 16th century, when the Armenian Church was at enmity with the Orthodox Churches, did the Armenians bribe the Islamic authorities of Jerusalem so that only they would be allowed to the place of the Great Sacrament? The fire in the usual place never came down. Instead, He, passing through the stone wall of the temple, lit a candle in the hands of the Orthodox Patriarch, as happened for many centuries, both before and after this incident.

Muslim yoke

In the middle of the 7th century, the Armenian lands were first captured by the Arabs (Armenia became part of the Arab Caliphate), and in the 11th century, most of the Armenian lands were conquered by the Seljuk Turks. Then the territory of Armenia was partly under the control of Georgia, and partly under the control of the Mongols (XIII century). In the XIV century. Armenia was conquered and ravaged by the hordes of Tamerlane. Armenia has gone through many trials. Many conquerors passed through its territory. As a result of centuries-old foreign invasions, the Armenian lands were inhabited by Turkic nomadic tribes.

In the next two centuries, Armenia became the object of a fierce struggle, first between the Turkmen tribes, and later between the Ottoman Empire and Persia.

The Muslim yoke continued over the Armenians until the 19th century, when, after the victorious Russian-Persian wars of 1813 and 1829 for Russia and the Russian-Turkish war of 1878, the eastern part of Armenia became part of the Russian Empire. The Armenians enjoyed the patronage and support of the Russian emperors. In the Ottoman Empire, Armenians were subjected to repressions at the end of the 19th century, which in 1915-1921 turned into a real genocide: then the Turks exterminated about a million Armenians.

After the 1917 revolution, Armenia became an independent state for a short period, immediately subjected to aggression from Turkey, and in 1921 it became part of the USSR.

Armenian Church today

Armenian Apostolic Church is the national church of the Armenians. Its spiritual and administrative center is Holy Etchmiadzin , 20 kilometers west of Yerevan.

Holy Echmiadzin is a monastery in the city of Vagharshapat (in 1945-1992 - the city of Echmiadzin). The spiritual center of the Armenian Apostolic Church is one of the oldest Christian Churches in the world; the residence of the Supreme Patriarch and the Catholicos of all Armenians.

PBishop of the Armenian Apostolic Church is considered Supreme Patriarch of the Armenian Apostolic Church and Catholicos of All Armenians . The current Catholicos is His Holiness Garegin II. The word "catholicos" is not synonymous with the title "patriarch", and indicates not the highest hierarchical position, but the highest spiritual degree.

The jurisdiction of the Catholicos of All Armenians includes all the dioceses within Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh, as well as most of the foreign dioceses around the world, in particular in Russia, Ukraine and other countries of the former USSR.

In total, there are four patriarchates in the Armenian Apostolic Church - Etchmiadzin Catholicosate , located in Armenia itself and having supreme spiritual authority over all Armenian believers (there are about 9 million in total) - as well as Cilician Catholicosate (the jurisdiction of the Catholicosate of Cilicia includes the dioceses located in the countries of Lebanon, Syria and Cyprus), Constantinople (the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Constantinople includes the Armenian churches of Turkey and the island of Crete (Greece)) and Jerusalem Patriarchates (the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem includes the Armenian churches of Israel and Jordan). The presence of several independent catholicosates is not a sign of a split in the unified Armenian Church, but is a historically conditioned canonical structure.

The main differences of the Armenian Church from other Orthodox Churches

The Armenian Apostolic Church belongs to the group of Old Eastern Orthodox Churches, and like all the Churches of this group, it rejects the Council of Chalcedon and its decisions. In its dogma, the AAC is based on the decrees of the first three Ecumenical Councils and adheres to the pre-Chalcedonian Christology of the Alexandrian theological school, the most prominent representative of which was St. Cyril of Alexandria.

Breaking away from the tradition of the Orthodox Church did not prevent the Armenian Church from preserving that part of the Tradition that was formed before its falling away. So, for example, some Orthodox chants are included in the Armenian liturgy. Moreover, in the 13th century, the life of the holy princes Boris and Gleb translated into Armenian was inserted into the synaxarium of the vardapet Ter-Israel.

in Armenian churches few icons and no iconostasis , which is a consequence of the local ancient tradition, historical conditions and the general asceticism of decoration.

Among believing Armenians no tradition to have icons at home . In home prayer, the Cross is more often used. This is due to the fact that the icon in the AAC must certainly be consecrated by the hand of the bishop with holy chrism, and therefore it is more of a temple shrine than an indispensable attribute of home prayer.

Geghard (Ayrivank) - a cave monastery of the 4th century. in the gorge of the mountain river Goght

In the Armenian Apostolic Church sign of the cross three-fingered (similar to Greek) and from left to right (like the Latins), but this is not a combination of borrowed elements, namely the Armenian tradition. Other variants of the Sign of the Cross practiced in other churches are not considered “wrong” by the AAC, but are perceived as a natural local tradition.

Ohanavank Monastery (IV century) - one of the oldest Christian monasteries in the world

The Armenian Apostolic Church as a whole lives in Gregorian calendar , but the community in the diaspora, in the territories of the Churches using the Julian calendar, with the blessing of the bishop, can also live according to the Julian calendar. That is, the calendar is not given a "dogmatic" status.

The AAC celebrates the Nativity of Christ on January 6, simultaneously with Epiphany, under the general name of Epiphany.

In the church - Gyumri

Due to the fact that the ROC considers the AAC a denomination that takes positions incompatible with the Orthodox faith, AAC believers cannot be commemorated in Orthodox churches, buried according to the Orthodox rite, or other Sacraments performed over them. Accordingly, the participation of an Orthodox in Armenian worship is a reason for his excommunication from the Church - until repentance for the sin he has committed.

However, all these strictnesses do not mean a ban on personal prayer, which can be offered for a person of any faith. After all, even if the latter is overshadowed by heresy or simply far from Christianity, this means for its bearer not an automatic "ticket to hell", but hope for the ineffable mercy of God.

Material prepared by Sergey Shulyak

At present, according to the canonical structure of the unified Armenian Apostolic Church, there are two catholicosates - the Catholicosate of All Armenians, with the center in Etchmiadzin (arm. Մայր Աթոռ Սուրբ Էջմիածին / Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin) and Cilicia (arm. Մեծի Տանն Կիլիկիոյ Կաթողիկոսություն / Catholicosate of the Great House of Cilicia), centered (since 1930) in Antilias, Lebanon. Under the administrative independence of the Catholicos of Cilicia, the primacy of honor belongs to the Catholicos of All Armenians, who has the title of Supreme Patriarch of the Armenian Apostolic Church.

The jurisdiction of the Catholicos of All Armenians includes all the dioceses within Armenia, as well as most of the foreign dioceses around the world, in particular in Russia, Ukraine and other countries of the former USSR. The Catholicos of Cilicia governs the dioceses of Lebanon, Syria and Cyprus.

There are also two autonomous patriarchates of the Armenian Apostolic Church - Constantinople and Jerusalem, canonically subordinate to the Catholicos of All Armenians. The patriarchs of Jerusalem and Constantinople hold the spiritual degree of archbishops. The Jerusalem Patriarchate is in charge of the Armenian churches of Israel and Jordan, and the Patriarchate of Constantinople is in charge of the Armenian churches of Turkey and the island of Crete (Greece).

Church organization in Russia

• Novo-Nakhichevan and Russian Diocese of Rostov Vicariate of the AAC Western Vicariate of the AAC

• Diocese of the South of Russia AAC North Caucasian Vicariate of the AAC

Spiritual degrees at the AAC

Unlike the Greek tripartite (bishop, priest, deacon) system of spiritual degrees of hierarchy, there are five spiritual degrees in the Armenian Church.

1. Catholicos/The bishop/ (has absolute authority to perform the Sacraments, including the Consecration of all spiritual degrees of the hierarchy, including bishops and catholicoses. The ordination and chrismation of bishops is performed in the concelebration of two bishops. The chrismation of the Catholicos is performed in the co-service of twelve bishops).
2. Bishop, Archbishop (differs from the Catholicos in some limited powers. A bishop can ordain and chrismate priests, but usually he cannot ordain bishops on his own, but only serve as a Catholicos in episcopal consecration. When a new Catholicos is elected, twelve bishops anoint him, elevating him to a spiritual degree).
3. Priest, Archimandrite(performs all the Sacraments except for the Consecration).
4. Deacon(serves in the Sacraments).
5. Dpir(the lowest spiritual degree obtained in episcopal ordination. Unlike a deacon, he does not read the Gospel at the liturgy and does not offer the liturgical cup).

Dogmatics

Christology

The Armenian Apostolic Church belongs to the group of Ancient Eastern churches. She did not participate in the IV Ecumenical Council for objective reasons and did not accept its decisions, like all the Ancient Eastern Churches. In its dogma, it is based on the decrees of the first three Ecumenical Councils and adheres to the pre-Chalcedonian Christology of St. Cyril of Alexandria, who professed the One of the two natures of God the Word incarnate (miaphysitism). Theological critics of the Armenian Apostolic Church argue that its Christology should be interpreted as Monophysite, which the Armenian Church rejects, anathematizing both Monophysitism and Dyophysitism.

icon veneration

Among the critics of the Armenian Church, there is an opinion that iconoclasm was characteristic of it in the early period. Such an opinion could arise due to the fact that in general there are few icons in Armenian churches and there is no iconostasis, however, this is only a consequence of the local ancient tradition, historical conditions and the general asceticism of decoration (that is, from the point of view of the Byzantine tradition of icon veneration, when everything is covered with icons walls of the temple, this can be perceived as the "absence" of icons or even "iconoclasm"). On the other hand, such an opinion could have arisen due to the fact that believing Armenians usually do not keep icons at home. In home prayer, the Cross was used more often. This is due to the fact that the icon in the AAC must certainly be consecrated by the hand of the bishop with holy myrrh, and therefore it is more of a temple shrine than an indispensable attribute of home prayer.

According to critics of "Armenian iconoclasm", the main reasons for its appearance are considered to be the dominion in Armenia in the VIII-IX centuries of Muslims, whose religion forbids images of people, "monophysitism", which does not imply a human essence in Christ, and therefore, the subject of the image, as well as the identification of icon veneration with the Byzantine Church, with which the Armenian Apostolic Church had significant disagreements since the time of the Council of Chalcedon. Well, since the presence of icons in Armenian churches testifies against the assertion of iconoclasm in the AAC, the opinion began to be put forward that, starting from the 11th century, the Armenian Church converges with the Byzantine tradition in matters of icon veneration (although Armenia was under the rule of Muslims in subsequent centuries, and many The dioceses of the Armenian Apostolic Church are still in Muslim territories today, despite the fact that there have never been changes in Christology and the attitude towards the Byzantine tradition is the same as in the first millennium).

The Armenian Apostolic Church itself declares its negative attitude towards iconoclasm and condemns it, since it has its own history of combating this heresy. Even at the end of the 6th - beginning of the 7th centuries (that is, more than a century before the emergence of iconoclasm in Byzantium, VIII-IX centuries), preachers of iconoclasm appeared in Armenia. Dvina priest Khesu with several other clerics proceeded to the regions of Sodk and Gardmank, where they preached the rejection and destruction of icons. The Armenian Church ideologically opposed them, represented by Catholicos Movses, theologians Vrtanes Kertokh and Hovhan Mairagometsi. But the struggle against the iconoclasts was not limited to theology. The iconoclasts were persecuted and, captured by the prince of Gardman, went to the court of the Church in Dvin. Thus, intra-church iconoclasm was quickly suppressed, but found ground in the sectarian popular movements of the middle of the 7th century. and the beginning of the 8th century, with which the Armenian and Alvanian churches fought.

Calendar and ritual features

Staff of vardapet (archimandrite), Armenia, 1st quarter of the 19th century

matah

One of the ceremonial features of the Armenian Apostolic Church is the matah (literally “to bring salt”) or a charitable meal, mistakenly perceived by some as an animal sacrifice. The main meaning of the matah is not in sacrifice, but in bringing a gift to God in the form of showing mercy to the poor. That is, if it can be called a sacrifice, it is only in the sense of a donation. This is a mercy offering, not a blood sacrifice like the Old Testament or pagan ones.

The matah tradition is traced back to the words of the Lord:

when you make dinner or supper, do not call your friends, or your brothers, or your relatives, or rich neighbors, so that they also will not call you and you will not receive a reward. But when you make a feast, call the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you, for you will be rewarded at the resurrection of the righteous. Luke 14:12-14

Matah in the Armenian Apostolic Church is performed on various occasions, more often as gratitude to God for mercy or with a request for help. Most often, matah is performed as a vow for a successful outcome of something, for example, the return of a son from the army or recovery from a serious illness of a family member, and is also done as a petition for the repose. However, it is customary to make matah in the form of a public meal for members of the parish during major church holidays or in connection with the consecration of the church.

Participation in the rite of the clergyman is limited solely to the consecration of the salt with which matah is prepared. It is forbidden to bring an animal to church, and therefore it is cut by the donor at home. For a matah, a bull, a ram or a poultry are slaughtered (which is perceived as a sacrifice). The meat is boiled in water with the addition of consecrated salt. It is distributed to the poor or they arrange a meal at home, and the meat should not be left the next day. So the meat of a bull is distributed to 40 houses, a ram - to 7 houses, a rooster - to 3 houses. Traditional and symbolic matah, when a dove is used - it is released into the wild.

forward post

The advanced fast, currently unique to the Armenian Church, begins 3 weeks before Lent. The origin of fasting is associated with the fast of St. Gregory the Illuminator, after which he healed the sick king Trdat the Great.

Trisagion

In the Armenian Church, as well as in other Old Eastern Orthodox churches, unlike the Orthodox churches of the Greek tradition, the Trisagion Hymn is sung not to the Divine Trinity, but to one of the Hypostases of the Triune God. More often it is perceived as a Christological formula. Therefore, after the words “Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal”, depending on the event celebrated at the Liturgy, an addition is made indicating this or that biblical event.

So in the Sunday Liturgy and at Pascha it is added: "... that you have risen from the dead, have mercy on us."

In the non-Sunday Liturgy and on the feasts of the Holy Cross: "... that he was crucified for us, ...".

In the Annunciation or Epiphany (Nativity and Baptism of the Lord): "... who appeared for us, ...".

In the Ascension of Christ: "... that he ascended in glory to the Father, ...".

On Pentecost (Descent of the Holy Spirit): "... that he came and rested on the apostles, ...".

Other…

communion

Bread in the Armenian Apostolic Church, when celebrating the Eucharist, according to tradition, unleavened is used. The choice of Eucharistic bread (unleavened or leavened) is not given dogmatic significance.

Wine when celebrating the sacrament of the Eucharist, whole, not diluted with water, is used.

The consecrated Eucharistic bread (Body) is immersed by the priest into the Chalice with consecrated wine (Blood) and, broken into pieces by the fingers, is served to the communicants.

sign of the cross

In the Armenian Apostolic Church, the sign of the cross is three-fingered (similar to Greek) and performed from left to right (like the Latins). Other variants of the Sign of the Cross practiced in other churches are not considered “wrong” by the AAC, but are perceived as a natural local tradition.

calendar features

The Armenian Apostolic Church as a whole lives according to the Gregorian calendar, but communities in the diaspora, on the territory of churches using the Julian calendar, with the blessing of the bishop, can also live according to the Julian calendar. That is, the calendar is not given a "dogmatic" status. The Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem, according to the status quo accepted between Christian churches that have rights to the Holy Sepulcher, lives according to the Julian calendar, like the Greek Patriarchate.

An important prerequisite for the spread of Christianity was the existence of Jewish colonies in Armenia. As you know, the first preachers of Christianity usually began their activities in those places where there were Jewish communities. Jewish communities existed in the main cities of Armenia: Tigranakert, Artashat, Vagharshapat, Zareavan and others. Tertullian in the book “Against the Jews”, written in 197, tells about the peoples who adopted Christianity: Parthians, Lydians, Phrygians, Cappadocians, - mentions about Armenians. This testimony is also confirmed by Blessed Augustine in his work Against the Manichaeans.

At the end of the 2nd - beginning of the 3rd centuries, Christians in Armenia were persecuted by the kings Vagharsh II (186-196), Khosrov I (196-216) and their successors. These persecutions were described by the Bishop of Cappadocia Caesarea Firmilian (230-268) in his book The History of the Persecution of the Church. Eusebius of Caesarea mentions the letter of Dionysius, Bishop of Alexandria, “On repentance to the brothers in Armenia, where Meruzhan was bishop” (VI, 46. 2). The letter dates from 251-255. It proves that in the middle of the III century in Armenia there was a Christian community organized and recognized by the Ecumenical Church.

Adoption of Christianity by Armenia

The traditional historical date for the proclamation of Christianity as "the state and only religion of Armenia" is 301. According to S. Ter-Nersesyan, this happened not earlier than 314, between 314 and 325, however, this does not negate the fact that Armenia was the first to adopt Christianity at the state level. St. Gregory the Illuminator, who became the first hierarch of the state Armenian Church (-), and the king of Greater Armenia, Saint Trdat III the Great (-), who before his conversion was the most severe persecutor of Christianity.

According to the writings of Armenian historians of the 5th century, in 287 Trdat arrived in Armenia, accompanied by Roman legions, to return his father's throne. In the estate of Yeriza, Gavar Ekegeats, when the king performs the ritual of sacrifice in the temple of the pagan goddess Anahit, Gregory, one of the king's associates, as a Christian, refuses to sacrifice to the idol. Then it is revealed that Gregory is the son of Anak, the murderer of the father of Trdat, King Khosrov II. For these "crimes" Gregory is imprisoned in the Artashat dungeon, intended for suicide bombers. In the same year, the king issued two decrees: the first of them ordered the arrest of all Christians within Armenia with the confiscation of their property, and the second - to put to death the hiding Christians. These decrees show how dangerous Christianity was considered for the state.

Church of Saint Gayane. Vagharshapat

Church of Saint Hripsime. Vagharshapat

The adoption of Christianity by Armenia is most closely associated with the martyrdom of the holy virgins of the Hripsimeans. According to legend, a group of Christian girls originally from Rome, hiding from the persecution of Emperor Diocletian, fled to the East and found refuge near the capital of Armenia, Vagharshapat. King Trdat, fascinated by the beauty of the virgin Hripsime, wished to take her as his wife, but met with desperate resistance, for which he ordered all the girls to be martyred. Hripsime and 32 friends died in the north-eastern part of Vagharshapat, the teacher of the virgins Gayane, together with two virgins, in the southern part of the city, and one sick virgin was tortured right in the winepress. Only one of the virgins - Nune - managed to escape to Georgia, where she continued to preach Christianity and was subsequently glorified under the name of St. Nino Equal-to-the-Apostles.

The execution of the Hripsimian virgins caused the king a strong mental shock, which led to a severe nervous illness. In the 5th century, the people called this disease "pig", which is why the sculptors depicted Trdat with a pig's head. The king's sister Khosrovadukht repeatedly had a dream in which she was informed that only Gregory, imprisoned in prison, could heal Trdat. Gregory, who miraculously survived after spending 13 years in the stone pit of Khor Virap, was released from prison and solemnly received in Vagharshapat. After 66 days of prayer and preaching of the teachings of Christ, Gregory healed the king, who, having thus come to faith, declared Christianity the religion of the state.

The previous persecutions of Trdat led to the actual destruction of the sacred hierarchy in Armenia. For consecration to the rank of bishop, Gregory the Illuminator solemnly went to Caesarea, where he was ordained by the Cappadocian bishops, headed by Leontius of Caesarea. Bishop Peter of Sebastia performed the ceremony of enthroning Gregory in Armenia to the episcopal throne. The ceremony took place not in the capital Vagharshapat, but in distant Ashtishat, where the main episcopal see of Armenia founded by the apostles has long been located.

Tsar Trdat, together with the whole court and princes, was baptized by Gregory the Illuminator and made every effort to revive and spread Christianity in the country, and so that paganism could never return. In contrast to Osroene, where King Abgar (who, according to Armenian tradition, is considered an Armenian) was the first of the monarchs to adopt Christianity, making it only the sovereign's religion, in Armenia Christianity became the state religion. And that is why Armenia is considered the first Christian state in the world.

To strengthen the position of Christianity in Armenia and finally move away from paganism, Gregory the Illuminator, together with the king, destroyed pagan sanctuaries and, in order to avoid their restoration, built Christian churches in their place. This began with the construction of the Etchmiadzin Cathedral. According to legend, Saint Gregory had a vision: the sky opened up, a ray of light descended from it, preceded by a host of angels, and in the ray of light Christ descended from heaven and struck the Sandarametk underground temple with a hammer, indicating its destruction and the construction of a Christian church on this site. The temple was destroyed and covered up, in its place a temple dedicated to the Most Holy Theotokos was erected. Thus was founded the spiritual center of the Armenian Apostolic Church - Holy Etchmiadzin, which in Armenian means "the Only Begotten descended."

The newly converted Armenian state was forced to defend its religion from the Roman Empire. Eusebius of Caesarea testifies that Emperor Maximin II Daza (-) declared war on the Armenians, “long since the former friends and allies of Rome, moreover, this theomachist tried to force zealous Christians to sacrifice to idols and demons and this made them enemies instead of friends and enemies instead of allies ... He himself, together with his troops, suffered setbacks in the war with the Armenians” (IX. 8,2,4). Maximin attacked Armenia in the last days of his life, in 312/313. For 10 years, Christianity in Armenia has taken such deep roots that for their new faith, the Armenians took up arms against the strong Roman Empire.

During the time of St. Gregory of Christ, the Albanian and Georgian kings accepted the faith, respectively making Christianity the state religion in Georgia and Caucasian Albania. The local churches, whose hierarchy originates from the Armenian Church, maintaining doctrinal and ritual unity with it, had their own catholicoses, who recognized the canonical authority of the Armenian primate. The mission of the Armenian Church was also sent to other regions of the Caucasus. Thus, the eldest son of Catholicos Vrtanes Grigoris set out to preach the Gospel to the country of the Mazkuts, where he later was martyred by order of King Sanesan Arshakuni in 337.

After a long hard work (according to legend, by Divine revelation), Saint Mesrop in 405 created the Armenian alphabet. The first sentence translated into Armenian was “To know wisdom and instruction, to understand the sayings of the understanding” (Proverbs 1:1). With the assistance of the Catholicos and the king, Mashtots opened schools in various places in Armenia. Translated and original literature originates and develops in Armenia. The translation activity was headed by Catholicos Sahak, who first of all translated the Bible from Syriac and Greek into Armenian. At the same time, he sent his best students to the famous cultural centers of that time: Edessa, Amid, Alexandria, Athens, Constantinople and other cities to improve in Syriac and Greek and translate the works of the Church Fathers.

In parallel with the translation activity, the creation of original literature of various genres took place: theological, moral, exegetical, apologetic, historical, etc. The contribution of the translators and creators of Armenian literature of the 5th century to the national culture is so great that the Armenian Church canonized them as saints and every year solemnly celebrates the memory of the Cathedral of Holy Translators.

Defense of Christianity from persecution of the Zoroastrian clergy of Iran

Since ancient times, Armenia has been alternately under the political influence of either Byzantium or Persia. Starting from the 4th century, when Christianity became the state religion first of Armenia and then of Byzantium, the sympathies of the Armenians turned to the west, to the Christian neighbor. Well aware of this, the Persian kings from time to time made attempts to destroy Christianity in Armenia and forcibly plant Zoroastrianism. Some nakharars, especially the owners of the southern regions bordering Persia, shared the interests of the Persians. Two political currents were formed in Armenia: Byzantophile and Persophile.

After the Third Ecumenical Council, the supporters of Nestorius, persecuted in the Byzantine Empire, found refuge in Persia and began to translate and distribute the writings of Diodorus of Tarsus and Theodore of Mopsuestia, which were not condemned at the Council of Ephesus. Bishop Akakios of Melitina and Patriarch Proclus of Constantinople warned Catholicos Sahak in their messages about the spread of Nestorianism.

In response letters, the Catholicos wrote that the preachers of this heresy had not yet appeared in Armenia. In this correspondence, the foundation of Armenian Christology was laid on the basis of the teachings of the Alexandrian school. The letter of St. Sahak, addressed to Patriarch Proclus, as a model of Orthodoxy, was read out in 553 at the Byzantine "Fifth Ecumenical" Council of Constantinople.

The author of the life of Mesrop Mashtots Koryun testifies that “there appeared in Armenia false books brought, empty legends of a certain Roman named Theodoros.” Upon learning of this, Saints Sahak and Mesrop immediately took steps to condemn the champions of this heretical teaching and destroy their writings. Of course, we were talking about the writings of Theodore of Mopsuestia.

Armenian-Byzantine Church Relations in the Second Half of the 12th Century

Over the centuries, the Armenian and Byzantine churches have repeatedly made attempts to reconcile. For the first time in 654 in Dvin under the Catholicos Nerses III (641-661) and the Emperor of Byzantium Constas II (-), then in the VIII century under the Patriarch of Constantinople German (-) and the Catholicos of Armenia David I (-), in the IX century under the Patriarch of Constantinople Photius (-, -) and Catholicose Zechariah I (-). But the most serious attempt to unite the churches took place in the XII century.

In the history of Armenia, the 11th century was marked by the migration of the Armenian people to the territories of the eastern provinces of Byzantium. In 1080, the ruler of Mountainous Cilicia, Ruben, a relative of the last king of Armenia, Gagik II, annexed the plain part of Cilicia to his possessions and founded the Cilician Armenian principality on the northeastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. In 1198 this principality became a kingdom and existed until 1375. Together with the royal throne, the patriarchal throne of Armenia (-) also moved to Cilicia.

The Pope of Rome wrote a letter to the Armenian Catholicos, in which he recognized the Orthodoxy of the Armenian Church and, for the perfect unity of the two Churches, invited the Armenians to mix water into the holy Chalice and celebrate Christmas on December 25. Innocent II also sent a bishop's baton as a gift to the Armenian Catholicos. Since that time, the Latin baton appeared in the everyday life of the Armenian Church, which the bishops began to use, and the eastern Greek-Cappadocian baton became the property of the archimandrites. In 1145, Catholicos Gregory III turned to Pope Eugene III (-) with a request for political assistance, and Gregory IV - to Pope Lucius III (-). Instead of helping, however, the popes again offered the AAC to mix water into the holy Chalice, to celebrate the feast of the Nativity of Christ on December 25, etc.

King Hethum sent a message from the pope to the Catholicos Constantine and asked him to answer it. The Catholicos, although he was full of respect for the Roman throne, could not accept the conditions that the pope proposed. Therefore, he sent a message to King Hethum, consisting of 15 points, in which he rejected the dogma of the Catholic Church and asked the king not to trust the West. The See of Rome, having received such an answer, limited its proposals and, in a letter written in 1250, offered to accept only the doctrine of the filioque. To answer this proposal, Catholicos Constantine in 1251 convened the III Council of Sis. Without coming to a final decision, the council turned to the opinion of the church leaders of Eastern Armenia. The problem was new for the Armenian Church, and it is natural that different opinions could exist in the initial period. However, no decision was ever made.

The period of the most active confrontation between these powers for a dominant position in the Middle East, including power over the territory of Armenia, falls on the 16th-17th centuries. Therefore, from that time on, the dioceses and communities of the Armenian Apostolic Church were divided for several centuries on a territorial basis into Turkish and Persian. Since the 16th century, both of these parts of a single church have developed under different conditions, had different legal status, which affected the structure of the AAC hierarchy and the relationships of various communities within it.

After the fall of the Byzantine Empire in 1461, the AAC Patriarchate of Constantinople was formed. The first Armenian Patriarch in Istanbul was the Archbishop of Bursa Hovagim, who headed the Armenian communities in Asia Minor. The patriarch was endowed with broad religious and administrative powers and was the head (bashi) of a special "Armenian" millet (ermeni milleti). In addition to the Armenians themselves, the Turks included in this millet all Christian communities that were not included in the "Byzantine" millet that united Greek Orthodox Christians in the territory of the Ottoman Empire. In addition to the believers of other non-Chalcedonian Old Eastern Orthodox churches, the Maronites, Bogomils and Catholics of the Balkan Peninsula were included in the Armenian millet. Their hierarchy was administratively subordinate to the Armenian Patriarch in Istanbul.

Other historical thrones of the Armenian Apostolic Church - the Akhtamar and Cilician Catholicosates and the Jerusalem Patriarchate - also appeared on the territory of the Ottoman Empire in the 16th century. Despite the fact that the Catholicoses of Cilicia and Akhtamar were higher in spiritual rank than the Patriarch of Constantinople, who was only an archbishop, they were administratively subordinate to him as an Armenian ethnarch in Turkey.

The throne of the Catholicoses of all Armenians in Etchmiadzin ended up on the territory of Persia, and the throne of the Catholicos of Albania, subordinate to the AAC, was also located there. The Armenians in the territories subordinated to Persia almost completely lost their rights to autonomy, and the Armenian Apostolic Church remained the only public institution here that could represent the nation and influence public life. Catholicos Movses III (-) managed to achieve a certain unity of governance in Etchmiadzin. He strengthened the position of the church in the Persian state, getting the government to stop bureaucratic abuses and abolish taxes for the AAC. His successor Pilipos I sought to strengthen the ties between the ecclesiastical dioceses of Persia, subordinate to Etchmiadzin, and the dioceses in the Ottoman Empire. In 1651, he convened a local council of the AAC in Jerusalem, at which all the contradictions between the autonomous thrones of the AAC, caused by political division, were eliminated.

However, in the second half of the 17th century, a confrontation arose between Etchmiadzin and the growing strength of the Patriarchate of Constantinople. Patriarch Egiazar of Constantinople, with the support of the High Porte, was proclaimed the Supreme Catholicos of the Armenian Apostolic Church in opposition to the legitimate Catholicos of All Armenians with the throne in Etchmiadzin. In 1664 and 1679, Catholicos Hakob VI visited Istanbul and negotiated with Egiazar on unity and delimitation of powers. In order to eliminate the conflict and not destroy the unity of the church, according to their agreement, after the death of Hakob (1680), the throne of Etchmiadzin was occupied by Egiazar. Thus, a single hierarchy and a single supreme throne of the AAC were preserved.

The confrontation between the Turkic tribal unions Ak-Koyunlu and Kara-Koyunlu, which took place mainly on the territory of Armenia, and then the wars between the Ottoman Empire and Iran led to huge destruction in the country. The Catholicosate in Etchmiadzin made efforts to preserve the idea of ​​national unity and national culture, improving the church-hierarchical system, but the difficult situation in the country forced many Armenians to seek salvation in a foreign land. By this time, Armenian colonies with a corresponding church structure already existed in Iran, Syria, Egypt, as well as in the Crimea and Western Ukraine. In the 18th century, the positions of the AAC were strengthened in Russia - Moscow, St. Petersburg, New Nakhichevan (Nakhichevan-on-Don), Armavir.

Catholic proselytism among Armenians

Simultaneously with the strengthening of the economic ties of the Ottoman Empire with Europe in the XVII-XVIII centuries, there was an increase in the propaganda activity of the Roman Catholic Church. The Armenian Apostolic Church as a whole took a sharply negative position in relation to the missionary activity of Rome among the Armenians. Nevertheless, in the middle of the 17th century, the most significant Armenian colony in Europe (in Western Ukraine), under powerful political and ideological pressure, was forced to accept Catholicism. At the beginning of the 18th century, the Armenian bishops of Aleppo and Mardin spoke openly in favor of converting to Catholicism.

In Constantinople, where the political interests of East and West intersected, European embassies and Catholic missionaries from the Dominican, Franciscan and Jesuit orders launched an active proselytizing activity among the Armenian community. As a result of the influence of Catholics, a split occurred among the Armenian clergy in the Ottoman Empire: several bishops converted to Catholicism and, through the mediation of the French government and the papacy, separated from the AAC. In 1740, with the support of Pope Benedict XIV, they formed the Armenian Catholic Church, which became subordinate to the See of Rome.

At the same time, the ties of the Armenian Apostolic Church with the Catholics played a significant role in the revival of the national culture of Armenians and the spread of European ideas of the Renaissance and Enlightenment. Since 1512, books in Armenian began to be printed in Amsterdam (the printing house of the Hagopa Megapart monastery), and then in Venice, Marseille and other cities of Western Europe. The first Armenian printed edition of the Holy Scriptures was made in 1666 in Amsterdam. In Armenia itself, cultural activity was greatly hindered (the first printing house opened here only in 1771), which forced many representatives of the clergy to leave the Middle East and create monastic, scientific and educational associations in Europe.

Mkhitar Sebastatsi, who was carried away by the activities of Catholic missionaries in Constantinople, founded a monastery in 1712 on the island of San Lazzaro in Venice. Having adapted to local political conditions, the brethren of the monastery (Mkhitarists) recognized the primacy of the Pope; nevertheless, this community and its offshoot in Vienna tried to stay away from the propaganda activities of Catholics, being engaged exclusively in scientific and educational work, the fruits of which deserved national recognition.

In the 18th century, the Catholic monastic order of Antonites acquired great influence among the Armenians who collaborated with the Catholics. The Antonite communities in the Middle East were formed from representatives of the Ancient Eastern churches who converted to Catholicism, including from the AAC. The Order of Armenian Antonites was founded in 1715 and its status was approved by Pope Clement XIII. By the end of the 18th century, most of the episcopate of the Armenian Catholic Church belonged to this order.

Simultaneously with the development of the pro-Catholic movement on the territory of the Ottoman Empire, the Armenian Apostolic Church created Armenian cultural and educational centers of national orientation. The most famous of them was the school of the monastery of John the Baptist, founded by the clergyman and scholar Vardan Bagishetsi. Armashi Monastery gained great fame in the Ottoman Empire. Graduates of this school enjoyed great prestige in church circles. By the time of the patriarchate in Constantinople, Zakariya II at the end of the 18th century, the most important area of ​​the Church's activity was the training of the Armenian clergy and the training of the necessary personnel for the management of dioceses and monasteries.

AAC after the annexation of Eastern Armenia to Russia

Simeon I (1763-1780) was the first Armenian Catholicos to establish official relations with Russia. By the end of the 18th century, the Armenian communities of the Northern Black Sea region became part of the Russian Empire as a result of the advance of its borders in the North Caucasus. The dioceses located on Persian territory, primarily the Albanian Catholicosate with its center in Gandzasar, launched an active activity aimed at joining Armenia to Russia. The Armenian clergy of the Erivan, Nakhichevan and Karabakh khanates sought to get rid of the power of Persia and linked the salvation of their people with the support of Christian Russia.

With the beginning of the Russian-Persian war, the Bishop of Tiflis Nerses Ashtaraketsi contributed to the creation of Armenian volunteer detachments, which made a significant contribution to the victories of the Russian troops in Transcaucasia. In 1828, according to the Turkmanchay Treaty, Eastern Armenia became part of the Russian Empire.

The activities of the Armenian Church under the rule of the Russian Empire proceeded in accordance with the special “Regulations” (“Code of Laws of the Armenian Church”), approved by Emperor Nicholas I in 1836. According to this document, in particular, the Albanian Catholicosate was abolished, the dioceses of which became directly part of the AAC. Compared to other Christian communities in the Russian Empire, the Armenian Church, due to its confessional isolation, occupied a special position, which could not be significantly affected by some restrictions - in particular, the Armenian Catholicos had to be ordained only with the consent of the emperor.

The confessional distinctions of the Armenian Apostolic Church in the empire, where Byzantine Orthodoxy dominated, were reflected in the name “Armenian-Gregorian Church” coined by Russian church officials. This was done in order not to call the Armenian Orthodox Church. At the same time, the “non-Orthodoxy” of the AAC saved it from the fate that befell the Georgian Church, which, being of the same faith with the Russian Orthodox Church, was practically liquidated, becoming part of the Russian Church. Despite the stable position of the Armenian Church in Russia, there were serious harassment of the AAC by the authorities. In 1885-1886. Armenian parochial schools were temporarily closed, and since 1897 they were transferred to the department of the Ministry of Education. In 1903, a decree was issued on the nationalization of Armenian church property, which was canceled in 1905 after mass indignations of the Armenian people.

In the Ottoman Empire, the Armenian church organization also acquired a new status in the 19th century. After the Russian-Turkish war of 1828-1829, thanks to the mediation of the European powers, Catholic and Protestant communities were created in Constantinople, and a significant number of Armenians became part of them. Nevertheless, the Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople continued to be regarded by the High Porte as the official representative of the entire Armenian population of the empire. The election of the patriarch was approved by the sultan's letter, and the Turkish authorities tried in every possible way to put him under their control, using political and social levers. The slightest violation of the limits of competence and disobedience could lead to deposition from the throne.

Increasingly wider sections of society were involved in the sphere of activity of the Patriarchate of Constantinople of the AAC, and the patriarch gradually gained significant influence in the Armenian Church of the Ottoman Empire. Without his intervention, the internal church, cultural or political issues of the Armenian community were not resolved. The Patriarch of Constantinople acted as an intermediary during Turkey's contacts with Etchmiadzin. According to the "National Constitution", developed in 1860-1863 (in the 1880s, its operation was suspended by Sultan Abdul-Hamid II), the spiritual and civil administration of the entire Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire was under the jurisdiction of two councils: the spiritual (of 14 bishops chaired by the patriarch) and secular (out of 20 members elected by a meeting of 400 representatives of the Armenian communities).