Armenian Apostolic Church
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The Armenian Apostolic Church (Armenian: Հայաստանեայց Առաքելական Եկեղեցի, Hayasdaneaytz Arakelagan Yegeghetzi) is the world's oldest national church[1][2] and one of the most ancient Christian communities.[3]
The official name of the church is the Armenian Orthodox and Apostolic Church[citation needed]. It is sometimes referred to as the Armenian Orthodox Church or the Gregorian Church, however the latter name is not preferred by the church, as it views the Apostles Bartholomew and Thaddeus as the founders, and St. Gregory the Illuminator as merely the first official head of the church.
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[edit] Origins and history
The earliest Christian accounts of the introduction of Christianity into Armenia date from the 1st century. The Church teaches that it was first preached by two Apostles of Jesus, St. Bartholomew and St. Jude. The Armenian Apostolic Church has been in existence since the days of the apostles and therefore would be one of the oldest churches of Christianity.
The Kingdom of Armenia was the first state to adopt Christianity as its religion [4] when St. Gregory the Illuminator converted King Tiridates III and members of his court,[5] an event traditionally dated to 301 (after Mikayel Chamchian 1784).[6] The Church teaches that St. Gregory was imprisoned by Tiridates in an underground pit, called Khor Virap, for 13 years, after which he healed the King of an incurable disease, whereupon Tiridates accepted Christianity.
Christianity was strengthened in Armenia by the translation of the Bible into the Armenian language by the Armenian theologian, monk and scholar St. Mesrob Mashtots.
The Eastern Armenian Apostolic Bible has 48 books in the Old Testament. The New Testament is the same as in the Roman Catholic and Protestant Bibles.
[edit] Monophysite label
Historically, the Armenian church has been referred to as monophysite by both Catholic and Orthodox theologians because it (as well as the Coptic Orthodox Church) rejected the decisions of the Council of Chalcedon, which condemned monophysitism. The Armenian Church officially severed ties with Rome and Constantinople in 554, during the second Council of Dvin where the dyophysite formula of the Council of Chalcedon was rejected.
However, the Armenian Orthodox Church argues that this is an incorrect description of its position, as it considers Monophysitism, as taught by Eutyches and condemned at Chalcedon, a heresy and only disagrees with the formula defined by that council. The Armenian church instead adheres to the doctrine defined by Cyril of Alexandria, considered as a saint by the Chalcedonian churches as well, who described Christ as being of one incarnate nature, where both divine and human nature are united. To distinguish this from Eutychian and other versions of Monophysitism this position is called miaphysitism.
In recent times, both Chalcedonian and anti-Chalcedonian churches have developed a deeper understanding for each other's positions, recognizing their substantial agreement while maintaining their respective theological language. Hence, the Monophysite label is avoided when describing the Armenians' or Copts' belief regarding the Nature of Christ.
[edit] Structure and leadership
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The Armenian Apostolic Church is headed by a Catholicos (the plural is Catholicoi). The Armenian Apostolic Church should not be confused, however, with the Armenian Catholic Church whose patriarch (governing bishop of the Armenian Rite) is Nerses Bedros XIX, which is an Eastern Catholic church in communion with the Holy See in Rome. At present, the Catholicos of All Armenians is his Holiness Karekin II (sometimes spelled as Garegin), who resides in the city of Echmiadzin, west of Yerevan. A second Catholicos, His Holiness Aram I Catholicos of Cilicia, who resides in Antilyas in Lebanon, leads churches belonging to the Holy See of Cilicia. The division stems from frequent relocations of the Church headquarters under Ottoman Rule and was further reinforced during the period in which Armenia was part of the Soviet Union. However, the Catholicos of All Armenians claims theoretical sovereignty over the Catholicos of Cilicia. The Armenian Apostolic Church is one of a few apostolic churches in the world to have a democratic system; the people decide if they want to keep priests in their churches and may ask for different ones, as do some other ecclesiastical constitutions, such as Presbyterians.
[edit] Similarities to other churches
Liturgically speaking, the Church has much more in common with the Latin rite in its externals, especially as it was at the time of separation, than the Eastern Orthodox Churches. For example, their bishops wear mitres almost identical to those of Western bishops. They usually do not use a full iconostasis, but rather a curtain (which was also used in the West at the time of separation). The liturgical music is Armenian chant.
Armenian priests below the rank of bishop are allowed to be married before ordination and their descendants' surnames are prepended with the prefix "Ter" (or "Der" in Western Armenian), meaning "Lord", to indicate their lineage.
[edit] Today
Today there are large Armenian Apostolic congregations in many countries outside Armenia, including Russia, Georgia, France, the United States, Lebanon, Syria, Canada, Australia, Cyprus, Israel, Greece, Bulgaria, Belgium, Estonia, England, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, Argentina, Uruguay and others. Of particular importance is the Armenian Apostolic Church of Iran (see also Christians in Iran) and the Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople. Armenians represent the largest Christian ethnic minority in both of these predominantly Muslim countries.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- David Marshall Lang.Armenia: Cradle of Civilization. London:George Allen and Unwin. 1973.
[edit] Notes
- ^ The Journal of Ecclesiastical History – Page 268 by Cambridge University Press, Gale Group, C.W. Dugmore
- ^ The Armenian Massacres, 1894–1896: 1894–1896 : U.S. media testimony – Page 131 by A. Dzh. (Arman Dzhonovich) Kirakosian
- ^ The Antiquities of the Christian Church – Page 466 by Johann Christian Wilhelm Augusti, Georg Friedrich Heinrich Rheinwald, Carl Christian Friedrich Siegel
- ^ "The conversion of Armenia to Christianity was probably the most crucial step in its history. It turned Armenia sharply away from its Iranian past and stamped it for centuries with an intrinsic character as clear to the native population as to those outside its borders, who identified Armenia almost at once as the first state to adopt Christianity". (Nina Garsoïan in Armenian People from Ancient to Modern Times, ed. R.G. Hovannisian, Palgrave Macmillan, 1997, Volume 1, p.81).
- ^ Academic American Encyclopedia – Page 172 by Grolier Incorporated
- ^ Estimated dates vary from 284 to 314. Garsoïan (op.cit. p.82), following the research of Ananian, favours the latter.
[edit] External links
- The Armenian Church
- http://www.armenianorthodoxchurch.org/ Armenian Orthodox Church Catholicosate of Cilicia
- Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem
- Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople
- Araratian Patriarchal Diocese
- Diocese of the Armenian Church of Canada
- Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern)
- The Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Western)
- Armenian Apostolic (Orthodox) Church Library Online: English | Armenian | Russian
- Prayer Book of the Armenian Church
- Armeniapedia – Armenian Apostolic Church
- Some information
- Basic info
- Embassy of the Republic of Armenia to the US General Information
- Directory of Armenian Churches Worldwide
Apostolic Churches in Asia
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