When did Armenians convert to Christianity? Christianity of Armenia

Christianity was adopted in Armenia in 301, much earlier than in the Byzantine Empire and Greece. A huge contribution to the development of Christianity in the country was made by George the Illuminator, who became the first Catholicos of all Armenians.

apostolic church

In honor of the apostles Thaddeus and Bartholomew, the Armenian church was named Apostolic, much later, when after the death of George the Illuminator he was canonized as a saint, the Armenian church was named after him. It became known as the Armenian-Gregorian Holy Apostolic Church.

Tsar Trdat the Third the Great became famous for the fact that before the adoption of Christianity he was a persecutor of Christians. Having been baptized, Trdat made many efforts to spread Christianity throughout Armenia. By his order, all pagan sanctuaries were destroyed and Christian churches were built in their place.

In 303, Etchmiadzin was built - the world-famous cathedral, which is currently the residence of the Catholicos of all Armenians. It is held in Etchmiadzin to elect the next Catholicos. Delegates from all Russian and foreign Armenian dioceses come here.

Alphabet for the Word of God

Mesrop Mashtots, who is revered by Christians as a saint, in 404 from the Nativity of Christ created the first and only Armenian so far, at the time of creation it was recognized as the most modern and even then the classical writing style was used in it - from left to right.

Together with his followers, Mashtots translated the Bible into Armenian, his book became known throughout the world as the "Queen of Translation" for the perfect translation of the original source.

Mashtots, fulfilling his Christian duty, created an alphabet for the Alans.

Now in Yerevan, in the Mashtots Depository of Ancient Manuscripts, more than 20 thousand handwritten texts are stored, which Mashtots himself began to collect. This collection of manuscripts is of great historical and cultural value for the peoples of the whole world.

Spread of the Armenian Church

In the Promised Land, that is, on the territory of modern Israel, more than seventy Armenian churches were built already from the sixth century, and in 638 the Armenian Patriarchate was founded, which united and became the head of all Eastern Orthodox dioceses. These are the Ethiopian, Syrian and Coptic dioceses.

For almost two thousand years, a miracle has been happening every year - the descent of the Holy Fire, which takes place on the eve of Easter in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem. From among the bishops of the Armenian-Gregorian Holy Apostolic Church, a clergyman is annually elected who will be entrusted with receiving the Holy Fire.

Speaking about the holidays of Armenians, where national costumes are traditionally present, one cannot fail to mention the musical heritage of this people. Their music is very melodious, because it absorbed not only Middle Eastern motifs, but also took something from the Mediterranean.

a shining example musical instruments can be considered the Armenian duduk, which many call unique, and those who hear it claim that it is heavenly music. Under such fabulous motives it is impossible to move awkwardly. Therefore, they are always distinguished by extreme harmony and internal aestheticism.

It does not go unnoticed, which, as historians have proven, is one of the oldest in the world. In the gastronomic set of culinary specialists there is always a lot of greens, meat, dairy products. Sweets are widely known, often created only from sugar and flour, but with an indescribable taste.

Other Armenian dishes are no less unique, among which shish kebab is in the first place. It is no coincidence that their restaurants are famous all over the world for their delicious dishes.

What are modern Armenians like?

Armenians are an integral part modern society. They can equally be attributed to the European and Eastern ethnic groups. To date, their number cannot be accurately calculated, however, according to statistics, there are up to 10 to 12 million representatives of this people in the world. They live in many countries, ranging from Russia to Brazil and Australia. And everywhere they bring a touch of Armenian flavor, which is undoubtedly worthy of respect.

Even jokes about Armenians speak of what an unusual mentality these people have. In numerous literary sources, they appear as a benevolent, brave and cheerful people who can joke, dance, and stand up for their independence if necessary. And the old good-neighborly relations with the Russians have largely become a guarantee that their contribution to Russian and world culture has not gone unnoticed.

So, among those who fought against the fascist aggressors in the Great Patriotic War, there were many Armenian heroes. This is Senior Lieutenant Sergey Burnazyan, Lieutenant Colonel Garnik Vartumyan, Marshal Soviet Union Ivan Bagramyan. These are just three names of those representatives of the Armenian people who became Heroes of the Soviet Union. And there were dozens of such people, and thousands more ordinary Armenians, along with Russians, Belarusians, Georgians, fought for a common homeland.

There are no less of those who are among the symbols of world culture and sports. Among the most famous Armenians are film director Sergei Parajanov, actors Dmitry Kharatyan and writer William Saroyan, football player, chess player, singer Bulat Okudzhava (the last names of both are on the maternal side). These and many other people have contributed to the development of modern civilization.

They really gave a lot not only to those peoples, next to which they were historically forced to live, but also to the entire world community. Today in a special way complement the commonality of the Caucasian ethnic groups, while maintaining their identity and at the same time remaining a people, genetically whole. The Armenian diasporas that exist all over the world only confirm this.

Readers of our portal often ask the question: “What is the difference between Orthodoxy and Armenian Christianity”?

Archpriest Oleg Davydenkov, Doctor of Theology, Head of the Department of Eastern Christian Philology and Eastern Churches of the Orthodox St. Tikhon Theological University, answers the questions of the Orthodoxy and World portal about pre-Chalcedonian churches, one of which is the Armenian Church.

– Father Oleg, before talking about the Armenian direction of Monophysitism, tell us about what Monophysitism is and how it arose?

– Monophysitism is a Christological doctrine, the essence of which is that in the Lord Jesus Christ there is only one nature, and not two, as the Orthodox Church teaches. Historically, it appeared as an extreme reaction to the heresy of Nestorianism and had not only dogmatic but also political reasons.

Orthodox Church confesses in Christ one person (hypostasis) and two natures - divine and human. Nestorianism teaches about two persons, two hypostases and two natures. M onophysite 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 4th Chalcedon, which adopted the definition (oros) of the two natures in Christ, which converge into one person and one hypostasis .

The name "Monophysites" was given by Orthodox Christians to the opponents of Chalcedon (they call themselves Orthodox). Systematically, the Monophysite Christological doctrine was formed in the 6th century, thanks primarily to the work of Severus of Antioch (+ 538).

– Does the Armenian direction of Monophysitism differ from its other types?

- Yes, it is different. There are currently six non-Chalcedonian churches (or seven, if the Armenian Catholicasates of Etchmiadzin and Cilicia are considered as two, de facto autocephalous churches). The ancient Eastern churches can be divided into three groups:

1) Syro-Jacobites, Copts and Malabars (Malankara Church of India). This is the monophysitism of the Severian tradition, which is based on the theology of Severus of Antioch.

2) Armenians (Etchmiadzin and Cilicia Catholicasates).

3) Ethiopians (Ethiopian and Eritrean churches).

The Armenian Church in the past differed from other non-Chalcedonian churches, even Sever of Antioch was anathematized by the Armenians in the 4th century. at one of the Dvina cathedrals as an insufficiently consistent Monophysite. The theology of the Armenian Church was significantly influenced by Aphthartodoketism (the doctrine of the incorruptibility of the body of Jesus Christ from the moment of the Incarnation). The emergence of this radical Monophysite doctrine is associated with the name of Julian of Halicarnassus, one of the main opponents of Severus within the Monophysite camp.

At present, all the Monophysites, as the theological dialogue shows, act from more or less the same dogmatic positions: this is a Christology close to the Christology of Severus.

Speaking about the Armenians, it should be noted that the consciousness of the modern Armenian Church is characterized by pronounced adogmatism. If other non-Chalcedonites of the church show considerable interest in their theological heritage and are open to Christological discussion, the Armenians, on the contrary, are little interested in their own Christological tradition. At present, interest in the history of Armenian Christological thought is rather shown by some Armenians who consciously converted from the Armenian-Gregorian Church to Orthodoxy, both in Armenia itself and in Russia.

– Is there a theological dialogue with the Pre-Chalcedonian churches now?

- Conducted with varying degrees of success. The result of such a dialogue between Orthodox Christians and the Ancient Eastern (Pre-Chalcedonian) churches was the so-called Chambesian agreements. One of the main documents is the Chambesian Agreement of 1993, which contains an agreed text of the Christological teaching, and also contains a mechanism for restoring communion between the "two families" of Churches through the ratification of agreements by the synods of these Churches.

The Christological teaching of these agreements aims to find a compromise between the Orthodox and Ancient Eastern churches on the basis of a theological position that could be characterized as "moderate Monophysitism". They contain ambiguous theological formulas that allow for a Monophysite interpretation. Therefore, the reaction in the Orthodox world to them is not unambiguous: four Orthodox Churches accepted them, some did not accept them with reservations, and some are fundamentally against these agreements.

The Russian Orthodox Church has also recognized that these agreements are not sufficient to restore Eucharistic communion, since they contain ambiguities in Christological teaching. Further work is required to eliminate ambiguous interpretations. For example, the teaching of the Covenants about wills and actions in Christ can be understood both diphysite (Orthodox) and monophysite. It all depends on how the reader understands the relationship between will and hypostasis. Is the will considered as an attribute of nature, as in Orthodox theology, or is it assimilated into a hypostasis, which is characteristic of Monophysitism. The Second Agreed Statement of 1990, which forms the basis of the 1993 Chambesia Accords, does not provide an answer to this question.

A dogmatic dialogue with the Armenians today is hardly possible at all, due to their lack of interest in problems of a dogmatic nature. After the mid 90s. it became clear that the dialogue with the non-Chalcedonites had reached a dead end, the Russian Orthodox Church began bilateral dialogues - not with all the non-Chalcedonian Churches together, but with each one separately. As a result, three directions for bilateral dialogues were determined: 1) with the Syrian-Jacobites, Copts and the Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia, who agreed to conduct a dialogue only in such a composition; 2) Etchmiadzin Catholicosate and 3) with the Ethiopian Church (this direction has not been developed). The dialogue with the Catholicosate of Etchmiadzin did not touch upon dogmatic issues. The Armenian side is ready to discuss issues of social service, pastoral practice, various problems of social and church life, but it does not show any interest in discussing dogmatic issues.

– How are Monophysites accepted into the Orthodox Church today?

- Through repentance. Priests are received in their existing rank. This is an ancient practice, and this is how non-Chalcedonites were received in the era of the Ecumenical Councils.

Alexander Filippov spoke with Archpriest Oleg Davydenkov

On the this moment Christianity is considered the dominant religion in Armenia, and most Armenians are members of the Armenian Apostolic Church. However, as in any country, there are also religious minorities, followers of other churches and people who continue the oldest known traditions of their ancestors, who are adherents of pre-Christian beliefs. It is difficult to say with certainty in what year the Armenians converted to Christianity. Despite the fact that the traditional date still exists (301 AD), it is believed that the first Christians appeared on the territory of Armenia somewhat earlier. We will talk about this and what other religious movements exist in the country today.

Christianity

According to the legend, Christianity began to spread on the territory of Armenia in the 1st century AD. e. through the sermons of the apostles Bartholomew and Thaddeus, who are considered the founders of the Armenian Apostolic Church, numbering the largest number parishioners. In 301, Christianity was given the status of the state religion, thanks to which Armenia became the first Christian country in the world.

According to the 2011 census, almost 95% of Armenians identify themselves as Christians. The majority (92.6%) are parishioners of the Armenian Apostolic Church, the rest:

• evangelists - 1%;
• Catholics - 0.5%;
• Jehovah's Witnesses - 0.3%;
• Orthodox - 0.25%;
• Molokans - 0.1%;
• adherents of other currents of Christianity - 0.26%.

An important fact is that representatives of national minorities (Greeks, Ukrainians, Russians, Georgians) living in Armenia, for the most part, are also parishioners of the Armenian Apostolic Church.

Speaking about the faith of the Armenians, one cannot call the country completely Christian, since freedom of religion is supported at the legislative level in the state. However, the Armenian Apostolic Church enjoys certain privileges that other branches of Christianity and other religions professed on the territory of Armenia are deprived of.

Other religions practiced by the citizens of Armenia

Yezidism. Despite the widespread spread of Christianity, it is impossible to unequivocally answer the question of what faith the Armenians are. Thus, about 35,000 ethnic Yezidis live in Armenia, 69% of whom profess Yezidism, a creed based on Zoroastrianism. Zoroastrianism is one of ancient religions information about which has survived to this day. According to the beliefs of the followers of Zoroastrianism, the god Ahuramazda revealed a revelation to his prophet, Spitama Zarathustra. Zarathustra's teaching is based on freedom moral choice, that is, a person himself comes to a choice in favor of the right decisions, good deeds. Studying the foundations of Zoroastrianism, one can notice both monotheistic features (Ahuramazda is the only creator god) and dualistic ones (two opposites on which the ethical aspect of the teaching is built: Asha - truth, creation, goodness, harmony; Druj - lie, destruction, evil , degradation). At the same time, Zoroastrianism is not a dogmatic religion, because its basis is freedom and rationalism. In addition to Zoroastrianism, Yezidism also contains elements drawn from Islam, Christianity and Judaism.

Islam. There are quite a few Muslims in Armenia, about a thousand of them live in Yerevan, where a mosque operates. They are mainly ethnic Persians, Kurds and Azerbaijanis.

Judaism. The Jewish community in Armenia is also small: only about three thousand people, most of them living in the capital.

Paganism. About 5,500 people consider themselves to be pagans in Armenia. These are mainly Yezidis (about 1/10 of all Yezidis) and Kurds (1/2 of all Kurds). Only less than a thousand ethnic Armenians identify themselves as pagans.

The restoration of some traditions inherent in the Armenians of the pre-Christian period began at the beginning of the 20th century and was marked by the publication of the work of Garegin Nzhdeh, a well-known politician and philosopher, called “Tseghakron”, which translates as “national religion”. A new neo-pagan trend was born - ethanism, which received official status after the fall of the USSR. Now even some representatives of the ruling elite consider themselves adherents of this religion.

Adherents of ethanism call themselves "ethanos" and consider it their task to revive the polytheistic traditions, mythology and beliefs that had the status of a state religion before the adoption of Christianity in 301. However, to call ethanism a religion is not entirely correct, since it is the totality of all neo-pagan ideas spread in the territory of Armenia. However, all neo-pagan trends are based on a common origin and similar ideas.

Summing up, we can say the following: despite the year in which the Armenians adopted Christianity, it was quite common in the country even before it received official status. However, given the fact that many representatives of other faiths live on the territory of the state, today's Armenia cannot be called an absolutely Christian country.

I am not God knows what theologian.

Or rather, I am not a theologian at all. But every time I read in the blogosphere about the foundations of the Armenian Church, 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 some of the most frequently encountered 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 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, however, can call itself apostolic with a big stretch, because it is known that Orthodoxy came to Rus' from Byzantium, and relatively late - in the 10th century.

True, here the concept of the catholicity of the Church comes to the aid 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 Orthodox churches, also, as it were, ascends directly to Christ, but we will not delve into theology especially - I noted this in fairness.

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 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 one organizational structure with their 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 decision was made that had importance for Christian teaching. 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. 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 community. 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 the most different countries, uniting in three evangelical unions - the Middle East with a 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 dedicated to the Armenians who converted to Islam.