 |
|
|
The History of the Armenian Church
Who brought Christianity to Armenia?
Christianity was brought to the kingdom of Armenia by two of Jesus'
Apostles, Thaddeus and Bartholomew in first century A.D.
When did the Armenian nation become Christian?
Christianity
became the national religion in 301 A.D.
Who was responsible for Armenians embracing Christianity?
St. Gregory the Enlightener was imprisoned
for years, and upon his release he converted King Tiridates III, by
healing the king of an incurable affliction through the power of God.
After, the king proclaimed Christianity the official religion of Armenia,
making it the first country with a national Christian church, the pair
helped spread the religion.
Who were Hripsime and the virgins?
Hripsime
was one of a group of nuns who lived in Rome under the direction of
their superior, Gayane, around 284-305 A.D. When Roman Emperor Diocletian
tried to force the beautiful Hripsime to marry him, the nuns fled to
Armenia. There, the Armenian king, Drtad, fell in love with Hripsime's
beauty and decided she should be his wife. But the nun refused to break
her vows to God by marrying the king. King Drtad tortured Gayane, trying
to get her to permit Hripsime to marry him, but Gayane refused to give
in. Eventually King Drtad had Gayane, Hripsime, and the 32 nuns tortured
and killed because they chose their faith and devotion to God over the
wishes of a king.
What was the Battle of Avarayr?
Avaraya is the
site in southeastern Armenia where St. Vartan and 1,036 noblemen fell
defending the Christian faith against the Persian Empire.
Why is Mt. Ararat important to Armenians?
Mt.
Ararat, now in Turkey, but once part of the ancient Armenian kingdom,
is traditionally known as the resting place of Noah's Ark.
Why was the Armenian alphabet created?
Until
the 5th century, Christian worship in Armenia was conducted in Greek
or Syriac, since there was no Armenian alphabet, hence no written language.
In 404 A.D., St. Mesrob (at that time a monk) completed an alphabet
of 36 letters. His objective was to translate the Bible into Armenian,
and the golden age of classical Armenian literature began shortly thereafter.
What is Holy Muron?
Holy Muron is oil from extracts
of more than 40 different kinds of plants that is blessed by the Catholicos
once every seven years.
Where is the spiritual home of the Armenian Church?
The Armenian Church is headquartered in the Monastery
of Holy Etchmiadzin in the Armenian city of Etchmiadzin.
Who is the head of the Armenian Church?
The Catholicos is the leader of the Armenian Church; currently it
is His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos
of All Armenians. He is the 132nd Catholicos.
How is the Catholicos chosen?
Delegates from each diocese of the Armenian Church gather to chose
the Catholicos. The current Catholicos
was elected to a life term on October 27, 1999.
Why are there two Catholicoi?
The chief bishop of the Armenian Church, called the Catholicos
("universal bishop"), is at the head of the Armenian Church
hierarchy, and resides at Holy Etchmiadzin
in Armenia. The original title of the Catholicos was "chief bishop
of Armenia," which was replaced with "Catholicos of Armenia,"
presumably in the fifth century. The emergence of diocese outside Armenia
in the 10th and 11th centuries was responsible for the use of the title
"Catholicos of All Armenians." Since ancient times, the Armenian
Church recognized as autonomous administrative jurisdictions certain
areas with Armenian Christian inhabitants living outside the geo-political
borders of Armenia proper. The heads of such churches, while remaining
in very close contact with the center of the Armenian Church, was also
called "catholicoi." A good example of this category of catholicate
is that of Caucasian Albania, whose faith liturgy and traditions and
language were one and the same with the Church of Armenia, since the
people were Armenians. For centuries, from as early as the 5th century,
the catholicoi of Albania were ordained by the catholicoi of Armenia.
The tradition of local catholicates with specific geographic boarders
has been maintained until our own time. The Catholicate
of the Great House of Cilicia, originally in Cilicia, was, after
World War II, given the right to establish its jurisdiction over Syria,
Lebanon, and Cyprus, regions that belonged to the Catholicate of all
Armenians and the Patriarchate of Jerusalem.
What are the Patriarchates?
There are two patriarchates in the Armenian Church, one in Jerusalem
and the other in Istanbul, Turkey. Archbishop
Torkom Manoogian is the Patriarch of Jerusalem and Archbishop Mesrob
II Mutafyan is the Patriarch of Constantinople.
Why is there an Armenian presence in Jerusalem?
Armenia is one of the oldest Christian countries, so for centuries
its monks and nuns have played an important part in maintaining many
special sites in the Holy Land. The Armenian presence in Palestine
is attested from as early as the 4th century. There were also inscriptions,
artwork and graffiti in Armenian from as early as the 5th century.
Over the centuries, the Armenians founded more than 70 monasteries and
presently are serving as the guardians of the Holy Sites. The Armenian
Quarter covers 1/5 of the old city of Jerusalem and the Armenian
Patriarchate is in charge of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher with
the Greeks and Latins.