Armenian Apostolic Church. How the Armenian and Georgian churches differ from the Russian

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 by the state. But millennia passed, and now one can see the contradictions and differences that the Russian and Armenian Apostolic Churches have. The difference from the Orthodox Church began to manifest itself in the 6th century.

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

Major 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, all the sacraments that Russian Christian Orthodoxy conducts, you cannot just remember and pray for them. If suddenly an Orthodox person attends a service in the Armenian Apostolic Church - this is a reason for his excommunication.

Some Armenians take turns visiting the temples. Today is Apostolic Armenian, the next day is Christian. This cannot be done, you should define your faith and adhere to only one teaching.

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

Armenian Apostolic Church(the full name of the Armenian Holy Apostolic Orthodox Church) is one of the oldest Churches in the world, to which the overwhelming majority of the inhabitants of the Republic of Armenia, the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, as well as the majority of Armenians living in the diaspora in many countries of the world belong. Belongs to the family of Ancient Eastern Pre-Chalcedonian Churches.

The dioceses and parishes of the Armenian Church are scattered across five continents of the world and unite, according to various estimates, from 7 to 9 million believers.

The supreme body of the Armenian Church is the Church-National Council, which consists of clergy and lay persons. At the Council, the election of the Supreme Spiritual Primate of the Armenian Apostolic Church takes place, who is the Most Holy Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians.

The Supreme Spiritual Council under the Catholicos currently consists of 2 Patriarchs, 10 archbishops, 4 bishops and 5 laity.

The spiritual center of the Armenian Apostolic Church -.

The Armenian Apostolic Church unites two administratively independent Catholicosates - Echmiadzin and Cilician, and two Patriarchates - Jerusalem and Constantinople, which do not have subordinate cathedra and are spiritually dependent on the Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of all Armenians.

The Catholicos of the Armenian Church have the exclusive right to consecrate the holy myrrh (the triumph of the world-making takes place once every seven years) and to ordain bishops. Ordination to the episcopate is performed by the Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians or the Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia, co-served by two bishops. A bishop who is elevated to the rank of Catholicos is anointed by several (from 3 to 12) bishops. The competence of the Catholicos includes the blessing of new church laws, the establishment of new holidays, the establishment of new dioceses and other issues of church administration.

Etchmiadzin Catholicosate

The jurisdiction of the Echmiadzin throne includes dioceses in Armenia, Nagorno-Karabakh, Georgia, Azerbaijan (currently not replaced), Russia, Ukraine, Iraq, Iran, Egypt, Bulgaria, Great Britain, Greece, Romania, USA, Canada, Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay , Australia and New Zealand, as well as the Armenian communities in Western Europe, Africa and India.

Cilician Catholicosate

The See of the Most Holy Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia (since 1995 - Aram I Keshishyan) is located in Antilyas near Beirut (Lebanon). In his jurisdiction are the dioceses: in Lebanon, Syria, Cyprus and the vicariate in Kuwait.

Jerusalem Patriarchate

Under the leadership of His Beatitude Patriarch of Jerusalem, Primate of the Apostolic See of St. James (since 1990 - Tork II Manukyan), there are Armenian communities in Israel, Jordan and Palestine. The Patriarch takes care of the holy places in Palestine belonging to the Armenian Church. In his subordination are 2 vicariates (Amman and Haifa) and 2 rectorships (Jaffa and Ramla).

Patriarchate of Constantinople

The role of the throne of Constantinople diminished significantly after the genocide of 1915. Today, the flock of the Patriarchate of Constantinople is made up of several tens of thousands of Armenians living in Turkey. His Beatitude Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople and all Turkey controls the Patriarchal Region - Turkey, which also includes vicariates: Rumelihisary, Kayseri, Diyarbakir, Iskenderun. More than 30 churches operate.

Due to the illness of the Patriarch of Constantinople (since 1998 - Mesrob II Mutafyan), his duties are performed by Archbishop Aram Ateshyan.

The main shrines of the Armenian Church are kept in Etchmiadzin:

• The holy spear (Geghard), which pierced the rib of Jesus Christ, - according to legend, was brought to Armenia by the Apostle Thaddeus;
• The right hand of St. Gregory the Illuminator is a symbol of the power of the Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of all Armenians. During the world-making, the Catholicos consecrates myrrh with the Holy Copy and the Right Hand of Saint Gregory;
• a particle of the tree of Noah's ark, which stopped “on the mountains of Ararat” (Gen. 8: 4) - was found at the beginning of the 4th century. Bishop Jacob of Nisiba.

The divine services of the Armenian Church are conducted in the ancient Armenian language (grabar). On January 1, 1924, the transition to a new calendar style took place, but the dioceses within Georgia, Russia and Ukraine, as well as the Jerusalem Patriarchate, continue to use the old style (Julian calendar).

Among the features of the Armenian worship and church calendar:

• On January 6, the feast of the Epiphany is celebrated, uniting the Nativity of Christ and Epiphany;
• unleavened bread and undiluted wine are used in the Sacrament of the Eucharist;
• when singing the Trisagion, after the words “Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal”, the words “Crucified for us” or others are added;
• Armenians cross themselves with three fingers, touching them to the forehead, below the chest, to the left and then to the right side of the chest, and at the end they put their palm to the chest;
• the so-called Forward Post (Arajavorats) is celebrated, which begins three weeks before Lent;
• on the days of major holidays, the slaughter of animals (matah) is performed, which has a charitable nature.

More details about the Armenian Apostolic Church (articles from the "Orthodox Encyclopedia"):

Many people from school know about the split of Christianity into Catholicism and Orthodoxy, as this is included in the course of history. From it, we know about some of the differences between these churches, the premises that led to the separation, and the consequences of this separation. But few people know what are the features of many other types of Christianity, which for various reasons have separated from the two main streams. One of the churches that are close in spirit to the Orthodox, but at the same time, are completely separate, is the Armenian Apostolic Church.

The Orthodox Church is the second largest branch of Christianity after Catholicism. Despite the frequent delusion, the split of Christianity into Catholicism and Orthodoxy, although it was brewing since the 5th century AD. e., occurred only in 1054.


The unofficial division of spheres of influence led to the emergence of two large regions of Europe, which, due to religious differences, took different paths of development. The Balkans and Eastern Europe, including Russia, fell into the sphere of influence of the Orthodox Church.

The Armenian Apostolic Church emerged much earlier than the Orthodox. So, already in 41, it acquired some autonomy (the autocephalous Armenian Church), and officially seceded in 372 due to the rejection of the Chalcedonian Ecumenical Council. Significantly, this split was the first serious division of Christianity.

As a result of the Chalcedon Cathedral, along with the Armenian one, four more churches emerged. Five of these churches are geographically located in Asia and northeast Africa. Subsequently, during the spread of Islam, these churches were isolated from the rest of the Christian world, which led to even greater differences between them and the Chalcedonian churches (Orthodoxy and Catholicism).


An interesting fact is that the Armenian Apostolic Church became the state religion back in 301, that is, it is the first official state religion in the world.

Common features

Despite such an early separation from the united Christian movement, there has always been a cultural exchange between the Armenian and Orthodox Churches. This is due to the fact that the partial isolation of Armenia during the spread of Islam separated it from a significant part of the Christian world. The only "window to Europe" remained through Georgia, which by that time had already become an Orthodox state.

Thanks to this, one can find some common features in the vestments of clergymen, the arrangement of temples, and, in some cases, architecture.

Difference

Nevertheless, it makes no sense to talk about the kinship of the Orthodox and Armenian churches. It is worth remembering at least the fact that the Orthodox Church in our time is very heterogeneous in its internal structure... So very authoritative, practically independent of the Ecumenical Patriarch (the formal head of the Orthodox Church), are the Russian Orthodox, Jerusalem, Antioch, and Ukrainian churches.

The Armenian Apostolic Church is one, even despite the presence of an autocephalous Armenian Church, because it recognizes the patronage of the head of the Apostolic Church.

From here we can jump straight to the question of the leadership of these two churches. So the head of the Orthodox Church is the Patriarch of Constantinople, and the head of the Armenian Apostolic Church is the Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians.

The presence of completely different titles among the heads of the church indicates that these are completely different institutions.

It is impossible not to note the difference in the traditional architecture of these two churches. Thus, Armenian cathedrals imagine the continuation and further development of the traditional oriental school of construction. This is largely influenced not only by the cultural background, but also by the climate and basic building materials. Armenian churches, which were built in the Middle Ages, are usually squat and have thick walls (the reason for this was that they were often fortifications).

Although the Orthodox churches are not an example of European culture, they look completely different from the Armenian ones. They usually stretch upward, their domes are traditionally gilded.

Rituals differ dramatically, as well as the time of the holidays and fasting at these churches. So, the Armenian rite has a national language, sacred books. It accepts a different number of people than in the Orthodox. Remarkably, the latter still does not have such a connection with the people, which is primarily associated with the language of worship.

Finally, the most important difference, which was the cause of the Chalcedonian split. The Armenian Apostolic Church is of the opinion that Jesus Christ is one person, that is, he has a single nature. In the Orthodox tradition, it has a double nature - it unites both God and man.

These differences are so significant that these churches considered each other to be heretical teachings, and mutual anathemas were imposed. Positive changes were achieved only in 1993, when representatives of both churches signed an agreement.

Thus, the Armenian Apostolic Church and the Orthodox have the same origins, and also differ less from each other than the Armenian from the Catholic or the Catholic from the Orthodox, in fact they are different and absolutely independent spiritual institutions.

The idea that in reality there is not much difference and, in the end, all Churches speak about the same thing, to put it mildly, are far from the truth. In fact, the Armenian Apostolic Church has serious grounds to assert that it has retained special faithfulness to the apostolic tradition. Each Church has taken a special name for itself, the Armenian one calls itself Apostolic. In fact, the name of each of the Churches is much longer than just Catholic, Orthodox, Apostolic. Our Church is called the Armenian Apostolic Orthodox Holy Church (Orthodox - in the sense of the truth of faith). Look how many definitions, but we most often use one, the closest and dearest to us and the most characteristic.

For centuries, our Church has had to defend the purity of the dogmas of faith. In 451, not only the Armenian Church, but also other Eastern Orthodox Churches - Coptic, Syrian, Ethiopian - did not accept the decision of the Council of Chalcedon, having substantial dogmatic reasons for this. There were serious grounds for fears that Chalcedon was restoring what was condemned at the Third Ecumenical Council of Ephesus - primarily the heresy of Nestorius.

The main reason for the disagreement is that the Armenians preferred to remain faithful to the theological tradition of the Alexandrian school, founded primarily by St. Athanasius the Great and Cyril of Alexandria. Only after the death of the latter was it possible to implement the decisions made by the Council of Chalcedon. The cathedral was not led by the clergy, but by the Emperor Marcian and Empress Pulcheria. It must be admitted that Chalcedon only confirmed the already existing theological contradictions between the Alexandrian and Antiochian schools. These discrepancies had roots in different spiritual and cultural layers, they arose as a result of the collision of the integral religious contemplation of the East and differential Hellenistic thinking, the unity and dualism of the confession of the Savior, the concrete and generalized perception of the human reality of Christ.

The Armenians remained faithful to the decrees of the three Ecumenical Councils, which, without distortion, defined the faith coming from the apostolic period. We didn’t have an empire, we didn’t even have time for a breather, forced to constantly struggle for existence. We have not tried to adapt Christology to imperial ambitions, to the service of the empire. Christianity was the main thing for us, for the sake of it we were ready to give what we had - this property was mainly life. As for the churches, with which, unfortunately, we do not have Eucharistic communion, we must take all the best from them. There are many good things, especially in Russian spiritual literature, in amazing testimonies of spiritual life. We have a special spiritual closeness with the Russian people. We constantly pray for the restoration of the Eucharistic unity of the Church of Christ. But until this happens, everyone should be in their own spiritual reality. This does not mean that we prohibit our believers from going to Russian Orthodox churches. Thank God, we do not have such fanaticism. You can go in, light a candle, pray. But during the Sunday liturgy, you have to be in your Church.

Sometimes a dispute arises when the Armenians themselves can prove that they are not Orthodox. This creates an absurd situation - the person actually himself claims that his faith is not true. The Orthodox in Russia do not consider Armenians to be Orthodox. The same is reflected in our theological tradition - we recognize the Orthodoxy of only five Eastern churches - ours, Coptic, Ethiopian, Syrian, Indian-Malabar. The Chalcedonian Churches, from the point of view of the AAC doctrine, are not considered Orthodox. In our theological literature they are simply referred to as the Greek Church, the Roman Church, the Russian Church, etc. True, we can also briefly call our Church Armenian.

Of course, the Churches have their own official name, and in official relations we call them as they call themselves. But, realizing all the differences between us and the Orthodox-Chalcedonites, one cannot shirk the assertions that we have Orthodox, in other words, correct, true faith.

Father Mesrop (Aramyan).

From an interview with Aniv magazine

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 Cilician (Arm. Մեծի Տանն Կիլիկիոյ Կաթողիկոսություն / Catholicosate of the Great House of Cilicia), centered (since 1930) in Antilias, Lebanon. With the administrative independence of the Cilician Catholicos, the primacy of honor belongs to the Catholicos of All Armenians, who has the title of Supreme Patriarch of the Armenian Apostolic Church.

All dioceses within Armenia, as well as most foreign dioceses around the world, in particular in Russia, Ukraine and other countries of the former USSR, are under the jurisdiction of the Catholicos of All Armenians. The dioceses of Lebanon, Syria and Cyprus are ruled by the Cilician Catholicos.

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 have the spiritual degree of archbishop. The jurisdiction of the Jerusalem Patriarchate includes the Armenian churches of Israel and Jordan, and the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Constantinople - the Armenian churches of Turkey and the island of Crete (Greece).

Church organization in Russia

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

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

Spiritual degrees at the AAC

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

1. Catholicos/ Bishop / (has the absolute authority to perform the Sacraments, including the Consecration of all spiritual degrees of the hierarchy, including bishops and Catholicos. Ordination and chrismation of bishops is performed in the concelebration of two bishops. Confirmation of the Catholicos is performed in concelebration of twelve).
2. Bishop, Archbishop (differs from the Catholicos in some limited powers. The bishop can ordain and chrismate priests, but usually cannot independently ordain bishops, but only concelebrate the Catholicos in the episcopal consecration. When a new Catholicos is elected, twelve bishops anoint him to the spiritual degree).
3. Priest, Archimandrite(performs all the Sacraments except Consecration).
4. Deacon(will concelebrate in the Sacraments).
5. Dpyr(the lowest spiritual degree, received in the 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 decrees, like all Ancient Eastern churches. In his dogma he is based on the decrees of the first three Ecumenical Councils and adheres to the pre-Chalcedonian Christology of St. Cyril of Alexandria, who confessed the One of the two nature of God, the Word of the Incarnate (myafizitism). Theological critics of the AAC argue that its Christology should be interpreted as Monophysite, which the Armenian Church rejects, anathematizing both Monophysitism and Diophysitism.

Veneration of icons

Among the critics of the Armenian Church, there is an opinion that in the early period it was characterized by iconoclasm. This opinion could arise due to the fact that, in general, there are few icons and no iconostasis in Armenian churches, but 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 veneration of icons, when all walls of the temple, this can be perceived as "absence" of icons or even "iconoclasm"). On the other hand, such an opinion could have been formed 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 bishop's hand 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 of Muslims in the 8th-9th centuries in Armenia, whose religion prohibits images of people, "Monophysitism", which does not imply human essence in Christ, and therefore the subject of the image. as well as the identification of veneration of icons with the Byzantine Church, with which the Armenian Apostolic Church had significant disagreements since the time of the Chalcedon Council. Well, since the presence of icons in Armenian churches testifies against the assertion of iconoclasm in the Armenian Apostolic Church, the opinion began to be put forward that, starting from the 11th century, in matters of icon veneration, the Armenian Church converges with the Byzantine tradition (although Armenia in subsequent centuries was under the rule of Muslims, and many the dioceses of the Armenian Apostolic Church are still in Muslim territories, despite the fact that there have never been any 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 struggle against this heresy. Even at the end of the 6th - the beginning of the 7th centuries (that is, more than a century before the emergence of iconoclasm in Byzantium, the 8th-9th centuries), preachers of iconoclasm appeared in Armenia. The Dvin priest Khesu with several other clergymen proceeded to the Sodk and Gardmank regions, where they preached the rejection and destruction of icons. They were ideologically opposed by the Armenian Church represented by the Catholicos Movses, theologians Vrtanes Kertokh and Hovhan Mairagometsi. But the struggle against the iconoclasts was not limited to theology alone. The iconoclasts were persecuted and, seized by the Gardman prince, went to the judgment of the Church in Dvin. Thus, the 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 VIII century, with which the Armenian and Alvanian churches fought.

Calendar-ritual features

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

Matah

One of the ritual features of the Armenian Apostolic Church is matah (literally "bring salt") or a charitable meal, which some people mistakenly perceive as an animal sacrifice. The main meaning of matah is not a 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, then only in the sense of a donation. This is a sacrifice of mercy, and not a blood sacrifice, like the Old Testament or pagan.

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

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 the 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 it is also done as a petition for repose. However, it is customary to do mata in the form of a public meal for parish members during major church holidays or in connection with the consecration of the church.

Participation in the rite of a priest is limited exclusively to the consecration of the salt with which matah is prepared. It is forbidden to bring an animal to church, and therefore it is slaughtered by a donor at home. For matah, a bull, ram or poultry is slaughtered (which is perceived as a sacrifice). The meat is boiled in water with the addition of blessed salt. It is handed out to the poor or they have a meal at their own place, and the meat should not be left over the next day. So the meat of a bull is distributed to 40 houses, a ram - to 7 houses, a rooster - to 3 houses. It is traditional and symbolic matah, when a dove is used, it is released into the wild.

Forward post

The advanced fast, which is currently inherent exclusively in the Armenian Church, begins 3 weeks before Lent. The origin of the fast is associated with the fast of St. Gregory the Illuminator, after which he healed the sick Tsar Trdat the Great.

Trisagion

In the Armenian Church, as in other Ancient Eastern Orthodox churches, in contrast to the Orthodox churches of the Greek tradition, the Trisagion Song is sung not by the Divine Trinity, but by one of the Hypostases of the Triune God. More often this 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 a particular biblical event.

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

On the non-Sunday Liturgy and on the feasts of the Holy Cross: "... that he was crucified for our sake ...".

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

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

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

Other…

Communion

Bread in the Armenian Apostolic Church, unleavened is traditionally used during the celebration of the Eucharist. The choice of the Eucharistic bread (unleavened or leavened) is not given a dogmatic meaning.

Wine during the celebration of the sacrament of the Eucharist, the whole is used, not diluted with water.

The consecrated Eucharistic bread (Body) is immersed by the priest in the Chalice of consecrated wine (Blood) and, broken by fingers into pieces, is given to those who are partaking.

Sign of the cross

In the Armenian Apostolic Church, the sign of the cross is three-fingered (similar to the Greek) and is performed from left to right (like the Latins). Other versions of the Sign of the Cross, practiced in other churches, are not considered "wrong" by the AAC, but they 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 adopted between the 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, etc. Tertullian in the book "Against the Jews", written in 197, narrating about the peoples who converted to Christianity: Parthians, Lydians, Phrygians, Cappadocians, - mentions and Armenians. Blessed Augustine also confirms this testimony in his work Against the Manichees.

In the late II - early III 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 Firmilian (230-268), Bishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia, in his book "The History of the Persecution of the Church." Eusebius of Caesarea mentions a letter from Dionysius, bishop of Alexandria, "On repentance to the brothers in Armenia, where Meruzhan was bishop" (VI, 46.2). The letter is dated 251-255. It proves that in the middle of the 3rd century there was a Christian community organized and recognized by the Ecumenical Church in Armenia.

The adoption of Christianity by Armenia

The traditional historical date of the proclamation of Christianity as “the state and only religion of Armenia” is considered to be 301 years. According to S. Ter-Nersesyan, this happened not earlier than 314, between 314 and 325 years, but this does not negate the fact that Armenia was the first to adopt Christianity at the state level. the first first hierarch of the state Armenian Church (-), and the king of Great 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 to his father's throne. In the estate of Yeriza, gavar Ekegeats, when the king performed the sacrifice ritual 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 assassin of Trdat's father, Tsar Khosrov II. For these "crimes" Gregory is imprisoned in the Artashat dungeon, intended for death row. In the same year, the tsar issued two decrees: the first of them ordered the arrest of all Christians within the borders of Armenia with the confiscation of their property, and in the second - the death penalty for harboring Christians. These decrees show how dangerous Christianity was for the state.

Church of St. Gayane. Vagharshapat

Church of Saint Hripsime. Vagharshapat

The adoption of Christianity by Armenia is closely associated with the martyrdom of the holy virgins Hripsimeans. According to legend, a group of Christian girls originally from Rome, hiding from the persecution of the emperor Diocletian, fled to the East and found refuge near the capital of Armenia Vagharshapat. Tsar Trdat, fascinated by the beauty of the virgin Hripsime, wished to marry her, but met desperate resistance, for which he ordered all the girls to be martyred. Hripsime with 32 girlfriends perished in the northeastern part of Vagharshapat, the teacher of the virgins Gayane together with two maidens - in the southern part of the city, and one sick maiden was tortured right in the wine press. Only one of the virgins - Nune - managed to escape to Georgia, where she continued to preach Christianity and was later glorified under the name of St. Nino, Equal to the Apostles.

The execution of the virgins Hripsimenean women caused a strong emotional shock in the king, which led to a serious nervous illness. In the 5th century, the people called this disease "swine", so the sculptors depicted Trdat with a pig's head. The sister of the king Khosrovadukht repeatedly had a dream in which she was informed that Trdat could be healed only by Gregory imprisoned. Gregory, who miraculously survived, having spent 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 Christ's teachings, Gregory healed the king, who, having thus come to faith, declared Christianity to be the religion of the state.

Earlier persecutions of Trdat led to the actual destruction of the sacred hierarchy in Armenia. To be ordained 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 elevating Gregory to the episcopal throne in Armenia. The ceremony took place not in the capital Vagharshapat, but in the distant Ashtishat, where the main episcopal see of Armenia, founded by the apostles, was already located.

Tsar Trdat, along with the entire 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. Unlike Osroena, 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 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 the final departure 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, a ray of light came down from it, preceded by a host of angels, and in a 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 place. The temple was destroyed and filled up, a temple dedicated to the Most Holy Theotokos was erected in its place. This is how the spiritual center of the Armenian Apostolic Church was founded - Saint Echmiadzin, which in translation from 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 the emperor Maximinus II Daza (-) declared war on the Armenians, “for a long time the former friends and allies of Rome, moreover, the zealous Christians, this God-fighter tried to force sacrifices 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). Maximinus 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 raised arms against the strong Roman Empire.

During the time of St. Gregory the Christian faith was accepted by the Albanian and Georgian kings, respectively, making Christianity the state religion in Georgia and Caucasian Albania. Local churches, whose hierarchy originates from the Armenian Church, while maintaining doctrinal and ritual unity with it, had their own Catholicos, who recognized the canonical authority of the Armenian First Hierarch. The mission of the Armenian Church was also directed to other regions of the Caucasus. So the eldest son of Catholicos Vrtanes, Grigoris, set out to preach the Gospel to the country of Mazkuts, where he later received a martyr's death by order of King Sanesan Arshakuni in 337.

After a long diligent work (according to legend, by divine revelation), Saint Mesrop in 405 creates the Armenian alphabet. The first sentence translated into Armenian was “To learn wisdom and instruction, to understand the sayings of the mind” (Proverbs 1: 1). With the assistance of the Catholicos and Tsar Mashtots, he opened schools in various parts of Armenia. Translated and original literature is born and developed in Armenia. The translation activity was headed by Catholicos Sahak, who first of all translated the Bible from Syrian and Greek into Armenian. At the same time, he sent his best students to the famous cultural centers of that time: Edessa, Amides, Alexandria, Athens, Constantinople and other cities to improve their skills in the Syrian and Greek languages ​​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. solemnly celebrates the memory of the Cathedral of Holy Translators.

Protecting Christianity from the Persecution of the Zoroastrian Clergy of Iran

Since ancient times, Armenia has been alternately under the political influence of either Byzantium or Persia. Beginning in the 4th century, when Christianity became the state religion at first in Armenia and then Byzantium, the sympathies of the Armenians turned to the west, to their Christian neighbor. Realizing this well, the Persian kings from time to time attempted to destroy Christianity in Armenia and forcibly implant Zoroastrianism. Some nakharars, especially the owners of the southern regions bordering with Persia, shared the interests of the Persians. Two political trends emerged in Armenia: the Byzantophile and the Persophile.

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

In his reply messages, the Catholicos wrote that the preachers of this heresy had not yet appeared in Armenia. This correspondence laid the foundation for the Armenian Christology based on the teachings of the Alexandrian school. The letter of Saint Sahak, addressed to Patriarch Proclus, as an example of Orthodoxy, was read in 553 at the Byzantine "Fifth Ecumenical" Council of Constantinople.

The author of the life of Mesrop Mashtots Koryun testifies to the fact that “in Armenia there were brought false books, the empty legends of a certain Romei named Theodoros”. Learning of this, Saints Sahak and Mesrop immediately took measures to condemn the champions of this heretical teaching and destroy their writings. Of course, it was about the works 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 made repeated attempts to reconcile. For the first time in 654 in Dvin under Catholicos Nerses III (641-661) and Emperor of Byzantium Konstas II (-), then in the 8th century under Patriarch German of Constantinople (-) and Catholicos of Armenia David I (-), in the 9th century under Patriarch of Constantinople Photius (-, -) and Catholicos Zechariah I (-). But the most serious attempt at uniting churches took place in the 12th century.

In the history of Armenia, the 11th century was marked by the migration of the Armenian people to the territory 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 flat part of Cilicia to his possessions and founded the Cilician Armenian principality on the northeastern coast 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 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, a Latin rod appeared in the everyday life of the Armenian Church, which bishops began to use, and the eastern Greco-Cappadocian rod became the property of the archimandrites. In 1145, Catholicos Grigor III turned to Pope Eugene III (-) with a request for political assistance, and Gregory IV turned to Pope Lucius III (-). Instead of helping, however, the popes again suggested that the AAC should mix water into the Holy Chalice, celebrate the feast of the Nativity of Christ on December 25, etc.

King Hetum sent a message from the Pope to Catholicos Constantine and asked to answer it. The Catholicos, although he was full of respect for the Roman throne, could not accept the conditions offered by the pope. Therefore, he sent King Hethum a 15-point letter in which he rejected the doctrine of the Catholic Church and asked the king not to trust the West. The Roman throne, having received such an answer, limited its proposals and in a letter written in 1250 proposed to accept only the doctrine of the Filioque. To answer this proposal, Catholicos Constantine convened the III Sis Council in 1251. 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 in the initial period there could be different opinions. However, no decision was made.

The 16th-17th centuries saw the period of the most active confrontation between these powers for a dominant position in the Middle East, including for power over the territory of Armenia. 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 the single church developed in different conditions, had different legal status, which affected the structure of the AAC hierarchy and the relationship 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 Ovagim, 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 all Christian communities that were not included in the Byzantine millet that united Greek Orthodox Christians on the territory of the Ottoman Empire. In addition to the believers of other non-Chalcedonian Ancient 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.

On the territory of the Ottoman Empire in the 16th century, there were also other historical thrones of the AAC - the Akhtamar and Cilician Catholicosates and the Jerusalem Patriarchate. Despite the fact that the Catholicos of Cilicia and Akhtamar were above the spiritual level of 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 Catholicos 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 right to autonomy, and the AAC 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, having obtained from the government an end to bureaucratic abuses and the abolition of taxes for the AAC. His successor, Pilipos I, sought to strengthen the ties of the ecclesiastical dioceses of Persia, subordinate to Echmiadzin, with the dioceses in the Ottoman Empire. In 1651, he convened a local council of the AAC in Jerusalem, at which all contradictions between the autonomous thrones of the AAC were eliminated due to the political division.

However, in the second half of the 17th century, a confrontation arose between Echmiadzin and the Constantinople Patriarchate, which was gaining strength. Patriarch Egiazar of Constantinople, with the support of the High Port, 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 held negotiations with Egiazar on unity and delineation of powers. In order to eliminate the conflict and not destroy the unity of the church, according to their agreement, after the death of Akob (1680), Yeghiazar occupied the throne of Echmiadzin. Thus, a single hierarchy and a single supreme throne of the AAC were preserved.

The confrontation between the Ak-Koyunlu and Kara-Koyunlu Turkic tribal unions, which took place mainly on the territory of Armenia, and then the wars between the Ottoman Empire and Iran led to enormous destruction in the country. The Catholicosate in Echmiadzin 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, there were already Armenian colonies with a corresponding church structure in Iran, Syria, Egypt, as well as in the Crimea and Western Ukraine. In the 18th century, the positions of the AAC in Russia were strengthened - in 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 17th-18th 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) was forced to convert to Catholicism under powerful political and ideological pressure. At the beginning of the 18th century, the Armenian bishops of Aleppo and Mardin openly spoke out in favor of converting to Catholicism.

In Constantinople, where the political interests of East and West intersected, European embassies and Catholic missionaries from the orders of the Dominicans, Franciscans and Jesuits launched active proselytizing activities among the Armenian community. As a result of the influence of Catholics among the Armenian clergy in the Ottoman Empire, a split occurred: 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 came under the control of the Roman throne.

At the same time, the ties of the Armenian Apostolic Church with 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. From 1512 in Amsterdam (the printing house of the Agopa Megaparta monastery), and then in Venice, Marseille and other cities of Western Europe, books began to be printed in Armenian. The first Armenian printed edition of the Holy Scriptures was carried out in 1666 in Amsterdam. In Armenia itself, cultural activity was greatly hampered (the first printing house was 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, carried away by the activities of Catholic missionaries in Constantinople, in 1712 founded a monastery 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, engaging exclusively in scientific and educational work, the fruits of which deserved nationwide recognition.

In the 18th century, the Catholic monastic order of the Anthonites gained great influence among the Armenians who collaborated with Catholics. Anthony communities in the Middle East were formed from representatives of the Ancient Eastern churches who converted to Catholicism, including the AAC. The Order of the Armenian Anthonites 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 AAC 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 priest and scholar Vardan Bagishetsi. The monastery of Armashi gained great fame in the Ottoman Empire. The graduates of this school enjoyed great prestige in church circles. By the time of the patriarchate of Zakaria II in Constantinople 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 administration of dioceses and monasteries.

AAC after the annexation of Eastern Armenia to Russia

Simeon I (1763-1780) was the first among the Armenian Catholicos to establish official ties 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 advancement of its borders in the North Caucasus. The dioceses located on the Persian territory, primarily the Albanian Catholicosate with the center in Gandzasar, launched an active activity aimed at joining Armenia to Russia. The Armenian clergy of the Erivan, Nakhichevan and Karabakh khanates strove 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 Tiflis bishop Nerses Ashtaraketsi contributed to the creation of Armenian volunteer detachments, which made a significant contribution to the victories of the Russian troops in the Transcaucasus. In 1828, according to the Treaty of Turkmanchay, 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 a special “Statute” (“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 part of the AAC itself. Compared to other Christian communities in the Russian Empire, the Armenian Church, due to its confessional isolation, occupied a special position that could not be significantly influenced by some restrictions - in particular, the Armenian Catholicos was to be ordained only with the consent of the emperor.

The confessional differences of the AAC in the empire, where Byzantine Orthodoxy prevailed, were reflected in the name “Armenian-Gregorian Church” coined by Russian church officials. This was done in order not to call the Armenian Church Orthodox. 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 ROC, 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 Armenian Apostolic Church by the authorities. In 1885-1886. Armenian parish schools were temporarily closed, and from 1897 they were transferred to the Ministry of Education. In 1903, a decree was issued on the nationalization of Armenian church property, which was canceled in 1905 after massive indignations of the Armenian people.

In the Ottoman Empire, the Armenian church organization in the 19th century also acquired a new status. 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 entered them. Nevertheless, the Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople continued to be regarded by the High Port as the official representative of the entire Armenian population of the empire. The election of the patriarch was confirmed by the Sultan's charter, 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 dethroning.

Increasingly wider strata of society were involved in the sphere of activity of the Patriarchate of Constantinople of the Armenian Apostolic Church, and the patriarch gradually acquired significant influence in the Armenian Church of the Ottoman Empire. The internal church, cultural or political issues of the Armenian community were not resolved without his intervention. The Patriarch of Constantinople was a mediator during Turkey's contacts with Echmiadzin. According to the "National Constitution" drawn up in 1860-1863 (in the 1880s it 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: spiritual (out of 14 bishops chaired by the patriarch) and secular (out of 20 members elected by the assembly of 400 representatives of the Armenian communities).