Armenian Church. Armenian Apostolic Church and Orthodoxy

The Christian world is so secularized that the European peoples, once the stronghold of the Gospel values, are called post-Christian civilization. The secularity of society allows you to embody the most phantasmagoric aspirations. The new moral values of Europeans come into conflict with what religion preaches. Armenia is one of the few examples of loyalty to millennial ethno-cultural traditions. In this state, at the highest legislative level, it is evidenced that the centuries-old spiritual experience of the people is a national treasure.

What is the official religion in Armenia

More than 95% of the country's three million people are members of the Armenian Apostolic Church. This Christian community is one of the oldest in the world. Orthodox theologians attribute the Transcaucasian community of believers to five other so-called anti-Chalcedonian communities. The established theological definition does not give an exhaustive answer to the question of what kind of religion is in Armenia.

The Orthodox call the Armenians Monophysites - they recognize one physical essence in Christ, the Armenian Orthodox theologians accuse the opposite. These dogmatic subtleties are understandable only to theologians. Upon closer inspection, it turns out that the mutual accusations are wrong. The official name of the community of believers in Armenia is “One Holy Ecumenical Apostolic Orthodox Armenian Church”.

The first Christian state in the world

For a whole decade before the Edict of Milan was adopted by the Great, in 301, Tsar Trdat III broke off relations with paganism and proclaimed Christianity as the state religion. During the time of terrible persecutions against the followers of Jesus throughout the Roman Empire, the ruler took a decisive and unexpected step. This was preceded by violent events in the Transcaucasus.

Emperor Diocletian officially proclaims Trdat king of Armenia, which was part of the Roman province of Cappadocia. In 287, he, through mediation, returns to his homeland and ascends the throne. Being a pagan, Trdat begins to zealously fulfill his orders to begin the persecution of Christians. The cruel execution of 40 Christian girls makes a sharp turn in the fate of the king and his subjects.

Great educator of the Armenian people

The baptism of an entire nation took place thanks to the educational activities of St. Gregory. He was a descendant of a noble Arxaid family. For his confession of faith, Gregory endured many torments. Through the prayers of Saint Trdat, he was punished with mental illness for torturing Christian women. Gregory the tyrant forced him to repent. After that, the king was healed. Having believed in Christ, he was baptized along with his courtiers.

In Caesarea, the main city of Cappadocia, in 302 Gregory was elevated to the rank of bishop. After returning to Armenia, he begins to baptize the people, build temples and schools for preachers. In the capital of King Trdat III, by revelation from above, the saint founded a temple, which was later named Echmiadzin. On behalf of the enlightener, the Armenian Church is called Gregorian.

Centuries of struggle

Christianity, as the official religion of Armenia, became an irritant to the rulers of neighboring Persia. Iran took decisive action to eradicate the new faith and plant Zoroastrianism. The pro-Persian landowners contributed a lot to this. From 337 to 345, Shapur II, having executed tens of thousands of Christians in Persia itself, made a series of ruinous campaigns in the Caucasus.

Shahinshah Yazdigird II, wishing to strengthen the position in the Transcaucasus, sent an ultimatum in 448. The Council of clergy and laity gathered in Artashat answered that the Armenians recognize the secular power of the Persian ruler, but religion should remain inviolable. By this resolution, Armenia rejected the proposal to accept an alien faith. The uprising began. In 451, the largest battle in the history of the country took place on the Avarayr field. Although the defenders lost the battle, the persecution was put on hold. After that, for another thirty years, Armenia fought for its faith, until in 484 a peace treaty was concluded with Persia, according to which the Armenians were allowed to freely profess Christianity.

Administrative structure of the Armenian Apostolic Church

Until 451, the Armenian Apostolic Church represented one of the local communities of the one Christian Church. However, as a result of an incorrect assessment of the decisions of the fourth, a misunderstanding arose. In 506, the Armenian Church officially separated from the Byzantine, which significantly influenced the history of the state, its political and social activities.

The main religion of Armenia is professed on five continents by more than 9 million believers. The spiritual head is the patriarch-katalikos, whose title states that he is the spiritual leader of the Nation both in Armenia itself and the Armenians scattered around the world.

The residence of the Armenian Patriarch since 1441 has been in the jurisdiction of the Catholicos are dioceses on the territory of all CIS countries, as well as in Europe, Iran, Egypt, Northern and Australia and Oceania, vicariates in India and the Far East. Canonically, the Armenian patriarchs in Istanbul (Constantinople), Jerusalem and the Great House of Cilicia (modern Kozan in Turkey) are subordinate to the Echmiadzin Catholicosate.

Features of the Armenian Church

The Armenian Church is practically a mono-ethnic religious community: the overwhelming majority of believers are Armenians. This confession includes a small community of Udins in the north of Azerbaijan and several thousand Azerbaijani Tats. For the Bosha Gypsies assimilated by the Armenians, wandering in the Caucasus and Syria, this is also their native religion. Armenia keeps the Gregorian chronology of the church calendar.

The liturgical features are as follows:

Bread for communion is used, as in the Catholic tradition, unleavened bread, and wine does not dissolve with water.
The Liturgy is served exclusively on Sundays and on special occasions.
The sacrament of unction is performed only on clergymen, and immediately after death.

Divine services in Armenian churches are performed in the ancient language of Grabar; the priest delivers the sermon in modern Armenian. Armenians cross from left to right. Only the son of a priest can become a priest.

Church and state

According to the Constitution, Armenia is a secular state. There is no specific legislative act defining that Christianity is the state religion of Armenia. However, the spiritual and moral life of society cannot be conceived without the participation of the Church. Thus, Serzh Sargsyan considers the interaction between the state and the church to be vital. In his speeches, he declares the need to preserve the relationship between secular and spiritual authorities both at the present historical stage and in the future.

Armenian legislation establishes certain restrictions on the freedom of activity of other religious confessions, thereby showing which religion is dominant in Armenia. The Law of the Republic of Armenia “On Freedom of Conscience”, adopted back in 1991, regulates the position of the Apostolic Church as a nationwide religious association.

Other religions

The spiritual image of a society is shaped not only by orthodox religion. Armenia is home to 36 parishes of the Armenian Catholic Church, which are called "Franks". The Franks appeared in the 12th century along with the crusaders. Under the influence of the preaching of the Jesuits, a small community of Armenians recognized the jurisdiction of the Vatican. Over time, supported by the missionaries of the Order, they united into the Armenian Catholic Church. The patriarch's residence is located in Beirut.

The few communities of Kurds, Azerbaijanis and Persians living in Armenia are Muslims. In Yerevan itself in 1766 the famous

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.

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).
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).
Priest, Archimandrite(performs all the Sacraments except Consecration).
Deacon(will concelebrate in the Sacraments).
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:

when you are making lunch or dinner, do not call your friends, nor your brothers, nor your relatives, nor the rich neighbors, so that when they do not call you, and you do not receive reward. But when you are making a feast, call the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed that they cannot repay you, for you will be rewarded in the resurrection of the righteous.
Luke 14: 12-14

Matah in the Armenian Apostolic Church is performed on various occasions, more often as gratitude to God for mercy or with a request for help. Most often, matah is performed as a vow for 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: in the first of them, he ordered the arrest of all Christians within the borders of Armenia with the confiscation of their property, and in the second - to put the harboring Christians to death. 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).

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.

Armenian Gregorian "Apostolic Church" ( Further AGATS) - one of the communities calling itself Christian, but whether it is such we will consider further. We often hear that the Armenians were the first to accept the faith at the state level, but we ask from whom did they accept the faith? From the Jerusalem and Byzantine Churches and, however, they failed to keep it intact! In addition, at the same time in the Roman Empire, edicts were issued that completely legalized Christianity, so there is no reason for AGATS to be proud. For many centuries there has been no church unity between us, this does not exclude good-neighborly relations, however, the schism and heresies of the AGATs run counter to the principle of preservation Unity of Faith transmitted to us by the apostles and indicated by the Word of God: « One the God, united faith, united baptism"(Ephesians 4: 5). Since the 4th century, the AGATS separated from all the plenitude of the most ancient Orthodox local Churches (Constantinople, Jerusalem, Antioch, Alexandria, etc.), having first mistakenly, and then deliberately, Monophysite and Monothelite and Miaphisite heresies and went into schism from all the others. Until now, we have this unhealed wound so that we cannot pray and take Communion together until the true doctrine of God is restored in the AGATS. Simple Armenians, unfortunately, often far from the subtleties of theology, become hostages of this misfortune of heresy and schism. You should know that it is impossible to simultaneously be both Orthodox and numbered among the Armenian "church" as it is impossible to be simultaneously saved and perished, truthful and a liar. You have to choose between true and false. Before talking about the Armenian direction of Monophysitism, let's talk about what Monophysitism is and how it arose.

Monophysitism - this is a false teaching about Christ, the essence of which is that in the Lord Jesus Christ only one nature, and not two (Divine and human), as the Word of God and the Orthodox Church teach.

Orthodox Church confesses in Christ one person(hypostasis) and two natures – divine and human dwelling inseparably, inseparably, inseparably, invariably. Monophysites the same (including AGATs) in Christ they acknowledge one person, one hypostasis and one nature. As a result, the Monophysites do not recognize the Ecumenical Councils starting from the 4th (and there are seven of them in total).

Therefore, most of the saints they insult, condemn and do not accept. Monophysitism is not only a complete denial of the real human flesh of Jesus Christ the Son of God, but any slightest transfer, shift or skew from the human nature of Christ towards His Deity. AGATS, after many hesitation, remained a confessor of the heresy of Monophysitism, which for them consists not in denying the Incarnation, but in persistent insistence on the absorption of Christ's deity into His human nature - which is a lie against Christ and a heretical teaching. It's all about this specific alignment of accents in the Christology of the God-man Jesus Christ. After that, neither the symbol of the Armenian faith, in which the Incarnation of Christ is Orthodox, nor the statements of individual fathers about the presence of the flesh of Christ have any meaning. The Armenian Church is twice Monophysite: by its own confession of heresy and by communion with Monophysite churches (for, according to the teaching of the Church, whoever communes with a heretic is himself a heretic). In AGATs there is no K.-L. an officially approved concise statement of the fundamentals of the doctrine. There are three Articles of Faith used in AGATS: 1) a short Symbol used in the rite of catechism. 2) "average" in the order of the Divine Liturgy AGATS, 3) a lengthy Symbol, read by the priest at the beginning of the morning service. Phrase from the third long Symbol "One face, one look, and united in one nature" completely heretical, and all lies and heresy are from the devil, which is unacceptable especially with regard to God. This heresy leads to a lie about the God-man Christ, to the idea of the impossibility of imitating Christ "after all, He is more God, and humanity is swallowed up in Him." That. humankind in Christ is humiliated and motivation to imitate Christ is torn and grace is not given.

One delusion drew others as well. So only in the 12th century. the veneration of icons is finally recognized, during the sacrament of the AGATs, according to the Jewish custom, they use unleavened bread and sacrifice animals (matah), they allow cheese and milk food on Saturday and Sunday during fasting. And from 965 the AGATS began to re-baptize the Armenians passing into it from Orthodoxy.

The main disagreements with Orthodoxy:

- in AGATS they recognize the body of Christ not as consubstantial to us, but “incorruptible and impassive, and ethereal, and n uncreated and heavenly, who did everything that is characteristic of the body, not in reality, but in the imagination ”;

- AGATS believes that in the act of Incarnation, the body of Christ “turned into the Divine and became consubstantial with him, disappearing in the Divine like a drop of honey in the sea, so that after that two natures no longer remain in Christ, but one, completely Divine,” they confess in Christ two natures before union, and after union, profess a single complex, merging both - the Divine and the human, and as a result of this they call it a single nature.

In addition, monophysitism is almost always accompanied by a monophilic and monoenergetic position, i.e. the teaching that in Christ there is only one will and one action, one source of activity, which is deity, and humanity turns out to be his passive instrument. It is also a terrible lie about the God-man Jesus Christ.

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

- Yes, it is different. Currently, there are only three of them:

1) Syroyakovites, Copts and Malabarians of the Severian tradition. 2) Armenian Gregorian AGATS (Etchmiadzin and Cilician Catholicasats). 3) Ethiopian (Ethiopian and Eritrean "churches").

AGATS in the past differed from the rest of the non-Chalcedonian Monophysites, even Sevir of Antioch himself was anathematized by the Armenians in the IV century. at one of the Dvina cathedrals as an insufficiently consistent Monophysite. The theology of AGATs was significantly influenced by afthartodoceticism (the heretical teaching about the incorruptibility of the body of Jesus Christ from the moment of the Incarnation).

At present, some Armenians are more likely to show interest in the history of Armenian Christological thought, deliberately transferred from AGATS to Orthodoxy , moreover, both in Armenia itself and in Russia.

Today, a dogmatic dialogue with AGATs is hardly possible at all, they are ready to discuss issues of social service, pastoral practice, various problems of social and church life, but shows no interest in discussing dogmatic questions. Unfortunately, the representatives of the AGATs placed themselves outside the Church of Christ, from this it turned into a single-national church, self-isolated and separated from the Ecumenical Church, having communion in faith only with the Monophysite heretical churches.

How are those baptized in the AGATS (and other Monophysites) accepted into the Orthodox Church today?

- Through repentance and a special rite. This is an ancient practice, as was accepted by non-Chalcedonites in the era of the Ecumenical Councils.

In 354, the first Council of the Armenian Church was held, condemning Arianism and reaffirming its commitment to Orthodoxy. V 366 year, the Church of Armenia, which was before in the canonical dependence on Caesarea Chair Byzantium, received autocephaly (independence).

In 387, Great Armenia was divided, and soon its eastern part was annexed to Persia in 428, and the western part became a province of Byzantium. In 406, Mesrop Mashtots created the Armenian alphabet, which made it possible to translate divine services, Holy Scripture, and the works of the Church Fathers into the national language.

Representatives of the Armenian Church attended the I and II Ecumenical Councils; also decisions were made III. But now the IV Ecumenical Council, which took place in 451 in the city of Chalcedon, passed without the participation of the Armenian bishops and for this reason they did not know exactly the decisions of this Council. Meanwhile, Monophysites arrived in Armenia and spread their delusions. True, the resolutions of the Council soon appeared in the Armenian Church, but, due to ignorance of the exact meaning of Greek divine terms, the Armenian teachers fell into error at first without intent. However, the Armenian Council in Dovin in 527 decided to recognize in Christ one nature and, thus, unambiguously placed AGATs among the monophysites. The Orthodox faith was officially rejected and condemned. So the Armenian Church fell away from Orthodoxy. However, a significant part of the Armenians remained in communion with the Ecumenical Church, passing into the subordination of the Patriarchate of Constantinople.

In 591, Armenia was divided due to the attack of the Persians. Most of the country became part of the Byzantine Empire, and in the city of Avan (located northeast of Yerevan, now part of the city) was formed Orthodox Catholicosat. He was opposed Monophysite Catholicosate, located in the city of Dvin, on the Persian territory, and the Persians artificially supported it, so that there was no unity with the Byzantine Orthodox Armenians, however, on the Persian territory, there were also many Orthodox Armenians. During the Byzantine-Persian War 602-609. the Orthodox Catholicosate was abolished by the Persian invaders. Monophysite Catholicos Abraham initiated the persecution of the Orthodox, forcing all clerics to either anathematize the Council of Chalcedon, or leave the country.

Repression not eradicated Orthodox faith among Armenians. In 630, the Karin Council was held, at which the Armenian Church officially returned to Orthodoxy. After the Arab conquests in 726, the AGATS again fell away from the Ecumenical Church into Monophysitism. Orthodox Armenians again began to move to the territory of Byzantium, under the omophorion of the Patriarch of Constantinople. Those who remained in the regions of Armenia bordering on Georgia ended up under the jurisdiction of the Georgian Church. In the IX century. the population and princes of the Taron region and the majority of the population of the Tao and Klarjeti regions were Orthodox.

Through the efforts of Saint Photius of Constantinople, as well as the Bishop of Harran Theodore Abu Kurra under Prince Ashot I in 862 at the Shirakavan Cathedral Church of Armenia returned to Orthodoxy again, however, thirty years later, by the decision of the new Catholicos Hovhannes V, again deviated towards Monophysitism.

In the 11th century, the number of departments in Armenia increased. in communion with Constantinople, in this period Orthodoxy began to predominate among the Armenians. After the invasion of the Seljuk Turks in the second half of the 11th century Orthodox Armenians ended up in jurisdiction Georgian Patriarch, and after a century and a half their bishops are already referred to and perceived as "Georgian".

The last attempt to return the Armenian Church to Orthodoxy was made in 1178 year... Her hierarchs at the Council convened by Emperor Manuel Comnenus recognize the Orthodox confession of faith. The death of Emperor Manuel prevented the reunification. In 1198, an alliance between the crusaders and the Armenian king of Cilicia led to the conclusion of a union between the heretical Roman Catholic and Armenian churches. This union, which was not accepted by the Armenians outside of Cilicia, ended with a split in the Armenian Church, as a result of which the Armenian Catholic Church emerged in 1198. Today the majority of Armenians living in Armenia belong to the AGATs.

Saint Ignatius Brianchaninov, who was at the Caucasian See, knew perfectly well the state of affairs in the Armenian Church and the opinions of many Armenians, gravitated towards the Orthodox faith. He said with great regret and sorrow that AGATs is very close to the Orthodox faith in many ways, but does not want to abandon the heresy of Monophysitism that divides us. There is only one reason for this - pride, which from many centuries of wrong confession and from mono-nationality The Armenian Church (which brought a sense of national exclusivity and contradicts the Gospel) only got stronger, grew and grew pride Armenian confession. About falsity proud the path of national exclusivity God says in Scripture: “There is no Hellene, no Jew, no circumcision, no uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free, but all and in all is Christ.”(Col. 3:11). As you know, God proud opposes and does not give them His saving grace (1 Peter 5: 5) That is why we do not see in AGATS such saints as Seraphim of Sarov, Matrona of Moscow and many other great saints, whom the Orthodox Church gives birth to.

Saint John Chrysostom, recognized by all as a saint, says: “To make divisions in the Church is no less evil than to fall into heresies… sin split not washed away even with martyr's blood. " Therefore, with sorrow and pain we await our brothers Armenians from sin heresy and schism, fearing the eternal death of those souls who are not attentive to the personality and teaching of Christ's Unity of Faith (see Eph. 4: 5).

“I implore you, brothers, beware of those who produce divisions and temptations, contrary to the teachings you have learned and shy away from them; for such people serve not to our Lord Jesus Christ, but to his womb, and caress and eloquence deceive the hearts of the simple-minded. " (Rom. 16:17)

So, AGATS refers to communities that are not too far from us, but also not in complete unity. Due to certain historical circumstances, but, incidentally, not without some human sin, after the IV Ecumenical Council of 451, it turned out to be among those communities that are called Monophysite, which did not accept the church truth that in a single hypostasis, in a single person embodied The Son of God unites two natures: Divine and true human nature, indivisibly and indivisible. It so happened that the AGATS, once a part of the one Universal Church, did not accept this teaching, but shared the teaching of the Monophysites, who recognize only one nature of the incarnated God-Word - the Divine. And although we can say that now the acuteness of those disputes of the 5th-6th centuries has largely receded into the past and that the modern theology of the AGATS is far from the extremes of Monophysitism, but, nevertheless, there is still no complete unity in faith between us.

For example, the holy fathers of the Fourth Ecumenical Council, Chalcedonian, which condemned the heresy of Monophysitism, for us are the holy fathers and teachers of the Church, and for the representatives of the AGATs and other "ancient Eastern churches" they are either anathematized persons (most often), or at least do not use doctrinal authority. ... For us, Dioscorus is an anathematized heretic, and for them - “like a holy father”. At least from this it is clear which traditions are followed by the family of local Orthodox churches, and which ones are those that are called ancient Eastern. There are quite noticeable differences between the ancient Eastern churches themselves, and the measure of Monophysite influence is very different: say, it is noticeably stronger in Coptic churches (with all due respect to Egyptian monasticism, one cannot but see, especially among Coptic modern theologians, a completely distinct Monophysite influence), and its traces in AGATs are almost imperceptible. But the historical, canonical and doctrinal fact remains that for one and a half thousand years there has been no Eucharistic communion between us. And if we believe in the Church as a Pillar and an affirmation of truth, if we believe that the promise of Christ the Savior that the gates of hell will not prevail against Her has not a relative, but an absolute meaning, then we must conclude that either the Church alone is true, and the other is not quite, or vice versa - and think about the consequences of this conclusion. The only thing that can’t be done is to sit on two chairs and say that the teachings are not identical, but in fact coincide, and that the 1,500-year divisions stem solely from inertia, political ambition and unwillingness to unite.

It follows from this that it is still impossible to take communion in turn either in the AGATS or in the Orthodox Church, and one should make up his mind, and for this to study the doctrinal positions of the AGATS and the Orthodox Church.

Of course, in a short answer it is impossible to formulate the theological doctrine of the AGATS, and you could hardly expect this.

(By mater.prot. Oleg Davydenkov and Orthodoxy Encyclopedia.)