The difference between Armenian Orthodoxy and Russian. Armenian Apostolic Church and Orthodoxy

This question is regularly raised here and there on the net, often this question is asked to me. I have repeatedly given answers to such questions, but the questions are still repeated, because the previous answers "go into the depths." So I need to repeat myself. This post is specifically dedicated to this discussion - http://spectat.livejournal.com/380030.html , because the owner of the blog asked me to comment on this.
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So, in order to answer the question of who is Orthodox and who is not, you first need to find out - what is this very Orthodoxy? And what does it mean if you're not Orthodox? Let's start as in the first grade to put the words on the shelves.

RIGHT-GLORY(Greek Ortho-Doxia; Arm. Uhkha-Parutyun), i.e. Right, Correct, Direct Glorification, means that the Orthodox glorify God correctly. That is? Non-Orthodox do not properly glorify God. That is why Orthodoxy is opposed to nothing else but heresy. Those., one who is not Orthodox is a heretic . This is the main answer to the question "Are the Armenians Orthodox?".

Who would consider himself a heretic? Who, while remaining in their religion, will consider that someone's religion (or its subspecies) is more correct? Naturally, if the Armenians consider their faith to be the most correct, then they not only consider themselves Orthodox (Armenian uhkhapar), but consider themselves Orthodox. Accordingly, those who believe otherwise, they will consider non-Orthodox.

The question remains - who decides how it is CORRECT? Does the Pope Decide? Or Uncle Krymsky? Is it decided by the Turkish Sultan? Or Vladimir Volfovich Zhirinovsky? If any religion or its subspecies considers itself correct, then it does not care what anyone thinks about it. So what are the network hysterics doing when they start yelling about the non-Orthodoxy of the Armenians? And they goof off for one simple reason - due to the lack of brains.

Religious truth is an exclusively subjective concept, and therefore, how many heads, so many "truths". And there is nothing surprising in the fact that a believer of the Russian Orthodox Church (like a believer of any other Greek-Byzantine Church), considering his faith to be correct, considers himself Orthodox. Who can forbid him to believe in it? No one can. No one can forbid him to believe in the non-Orthodoxy of the Armenians.

But it is a completely different matter if this same believer of the Russian Orthodox Church comes to an Armenian and starts to be clever, like, he is Orthodox, but Armenians are not. This will just make him look like an idiot. However, such people are stupid because of their confessional misunderstanding. After all, the Greek-Byzantine church tradition monopolized the brand "Orthodoxy" for itself, and now local neophytes imagine themselves "Orthodox" by default. For them, the Orthodox is not the one who rightly glorifies God, but simply anyone who is in the Greek-Byzantine confession.

But this is not the biggest joke. Well, when one of the Christians, considering himself Orthodox, does not consider others Orthodox. It's like natural. But there are such inadequate people who, either being non-Christians of other faiths or even atheists, begin to talk about the non-Orthodoxy of the Armenians. In the original post, to which, in fact, the answer is given, there are comments by a couple of Turko-Muslims who, under the zombie encoding of Aliyev's propagandists, in all seriousness, squeal based on "what kind of Orthodox Armenians are there!".

No, well, a Turkish-Kurdo-Muslim is the main specialist in Orthodoxy in Christianity. Who Orthodox Christian, and who is not, they probably decide in Azeragitprop ...))))) However, since the employees of Azeragitprop do not differ in intelligence or knowledge, they take the criteria for Orthodoxy from the key literature of the ROC. Here in the Russian Orthodox Church they say that the Armenians are not Orthodox, but Monophysites, then the Aliyevs repeat this like green budgerigars.

Chief specialist on Orthodoxy in Christianity: " Armenians are not Christians at all. Armenian church political organization with a fascist twist. Everything is already very much running there, so there are Armenians who voluntarily accept Islam".

But what are we all about crazy?! Let's return to the essence of the topic.

So, who wants to understand whether someone is Orthodox, you need to realize that there are two understandings of this issue:

1. Orthodoxy is being in the true faith

2. Orthodoxy is a confessional self-designation.

And if about the first I said that this is a subjective matter, like everything in religion, then the second is completely empty words. You can even call yourself a pot, it does not change the essence of the matter. There is no monopoly on self-name. Just as the local Churches of the Greek-Byzantine Chalcedonian tradition contain the word "Orthodox" in their self-name, in the same way this word is present in the self-name of the ancient Eastern pre-Chalcedonian Churches. As the Bulgarian Church is called Orthodox, so the Coptic Church is called Orthodox.

Some exception among the pre-Chalcedonian Churches is the Armenian Church, which officially prefers to be called Apostolic, but this does not stop it from being Orthodox. Apparently there are historical reasons why this word is not in the official self-name of the AAC. Or maybe this is a normal, sensible idea that it’s simply not modest to call yourself True in public, and that who believed in the right and who didn’t, it’s up to God to decide at the Last Judgment.

However, there is also the nuance here that many people, wondering whether the Armenians are Orthodox, are least of all interested in the correct glorification of God or self-names, but simply want to understand whether the Armenian Apostolic Church belongs to the very church tradition to which refers to the Russian Church and what the Russians are familiar with as Orthodoxy. Here, of course, the answer is no. If by "Orthodoxy" we understand the Greek-Byzantine denomination, then the Armenians, like other non-Greek peoples of the ancient Christian East, do not belong to this denomination.

Neither the Armenians nor other peoples of the East, who stood at the origins of Christianity itself, are in the Greek-Byzantine confession, not because they are so wrong and do not like the correct Greek faith. They do not belong to the Greek confession because, unlike the Russians and other peoples of the second echelon of Christianization, they accepted the faith not from the Greeks, but directly from the apostles themselves. Just like the Greeks. Just as the Greeks and the Latins created their own special church traditions, with their own original rites and theological schools, the Armenians, and the Syrians with the Egyptians, created their own original church traditions in ritual and theology.

Those. questioners need to understand that, unlike the Russians, the Armenians were not obliged to accept from the Greeks everything that they invented, just as the Greeks were not obliged to adopt anything from the Armenians. But the Russians, having accepted the faith from the Greeks, are obliged to believe as prescribed by the Greeks, and it is this devotion to everything Greek that makes the former "Byzantines" a single confession. And until the Russian Church officially renounces the thousand-year-old moldy Greek-Byzantine lies about "Monophysites" and the like, it will continue to misinform its own believers and raise questions about the Orthodoxy of Armenians in the heads of the ignorant.

However, the zombie adherents of Aliyev's propaganda will be very upset if such a rattle is taken away from them...

Parishioners of the Armenian "church"

Armenian Gregorian Apostolic Church (AGAC)(hereinafter - highlights of the author, - note ed.) is one of the communities that call themselves Christian. But let's see if she rightly bears this name.

We often hear that the Armenians were the first to accept the faith of Christ at the state level. But how did it happen? Despite the acceptance of the true dogma from the Jerusalem and Byzantine Churches, the AGAC did not remain its confessor. In addition, during the same period, edicts completely legalizing Christianity were issued in the Roman Empire. Therefore, the AGAC has no reason to be glorified.

For many centuries there has been no ecclesiastical unity between representatives of this "church" and Orthodox Christians. This does not exclude good neighborly relations, however, the split and heresies of the AGAC are contrary to the principle of preserving unity of faith handed down to us by the apostles, and the indication of the word of God: One God, One Faith, One Baptism(Eph. 4, 5). From the 4th century, the AGAC separated from the fullness of the most ancient Orthodox Local Churches (Constantinople, Jerusalem, Antioch, Alexandria, etc.), accepting - first by misunderstanding, and then consciously - the Monophysite, Monothelite and Miaphysite heresies. This disease has not been cured to this day: we cannot pray and take communion together with members of the AGAC- until the true doctrine of God is restored in it.

Unfortunately, the hostages of this misfortune - heresy and schism - are ordinary Armenians, often far from the subtleties of theology. They should know that it is impossible to be both Orthodox and numbered in the Armenian “church”, just as it is impossible to be both saved and lost, truthful and a liar at the same time. It is necessary to make a choice between life and death, truth and falsehood.

ABOUT THE MONOPHYSITE HERESY IN GENERAL AND THE DELUSIONS OF THE ARMENIAN "CHURCH" IN PARTICULAR

A) THE HERESY OF MONOPHYSITISM

Before talking about the Armenian direction of Monophysitism, let's talk about what kind of heresy it is and how it arose.

Monophysitism- this is an incorrect doctrine about Christ, the essence of which lies in the fact that in the Lord only one nature, and not two, as the Word of God and the Orthodox Church teach.

The Orthodox Church confesses in Christ one Person(Hypostasis) and two natures - Divine and human, abiding unmerged, inseparable, inseparable, unchanging. Monophysites (including AGAC) recognized in Christ one Person, one hypostasis and one nature. As a result, they reject the Ecumenical Councils, starting with the Fourth (and, as is known, there were Seven in all).

B) FALSE TEACHINGS OF THE AGAC

For this reason, members of the AGAC do not accept, insult and consider many Orthodox saints as heretics. Monophysitism is not only a complete denial of the real human flesh of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, but also any, even the slightest shift or bias from the human nature of Christ towards His Divinity. The AGAC, after many hesitations, leaned towards the heresy of Monophysitism, which for them consists not in denying the fact of the Incarnation, but in stubborn insistence on absorption by the Divinity of Christ of His human nature - which is blasphemy against the Lord and heretical teaching. For this reason, neither the symbol of the Armenian faith, in which the Incarnation is confessed in Orthodoxy, nor the statements of individual Armenian "theologians" about the presence of flesh in Christ, have any meaning.

It is noteworthy that the AGAC lacks any officially approved, at least summary foundations of doctrine. It uses three creeds: 1) short, used in the rank of announcement; 2) middle - in the rank of "divine liturgy" and 3) lengthy, read by the "priest" at the beginning of the morning "service". Phrase from the third space character "one Person, one appearance, and united in one nature" is completely heretical, and any lie and heresy is from the devil, and its acceptance is unacceptable for Christians, especially in matters of religion. This heresy leads to a lie about the God-man Christ, to the idea of ​​the impossibility of imitating Him - after all, He is allegedly God to the greatest extent, and humanity is absorbed in Him. That is, by humiliating the human nature of the Savior for believers, the motivation for imitation of Christ is also destroyed.

One misconception naturally led to others. Thus, the AGAC finally recognized icon veneration only in the 12th century; Armenians still use unleavened bread and perform animal sacrifices (the so-called “matah”) during the “sacred service” to this day, according to the Jewish custom. In addition, they eat cheese and milk food on Saturday and Sunday during fasts. And since 965, the AGAC began to “re-baptize” people who converted to it from Orthodoxy.

The main disagreements between the Armenian "church" and Orthodoxy are as follows:

The AGAC recognizes the Body of Christ not as consubstantial with human flesh, but "incorruptible and impassive, and ethereal, And uncreated and heavenly, who did everything that is characteristic of the body, not in reality, but in the imagination ”;

The AGAC believes that in the act of the Incarnation the Body of Christ “turned into the Divine and became consubstantial with Him, having disappeared in the Divine, like a drop in the sea, so that after that there are no longer two natures in Christ, but one, wholly Divine.” She confesses in Christ two natures before the Incarnation, and after - a single complex one, in which both are allegedly united - the Divine and the human.

In addition, Monophysitism is almost always accompanied by Monothelite and Monoenergetic heresies, i.e., the teachings that in Christ there is only one will and one action, one source of activity, which is the Divinity, and humanity is only His passive instrument. This is also an unholy blasphemy against the God-man Jesus Christ.

C) DIFFERENCES OF ARMENIAN MONOPHYSITIS FROM ITS OTHER VARIETY

The doctrine of the AGAC has its own characteristics, differences from the doctrines of other Monophysite "churches".

At present, there are three directions of Monophysitism:

1) Syrojacovites, Copts and Malabarians of the Severian tradition;

2) AGAC (Etchmiadzin and Cilicia Catholicasates);

3) Ethiopian and Eritrean "churches".

The AGAC differs from the rest of the non-Chalcedonian Monophysites in that one of the Monophysite heresiarchs, Sevir of Antioch, was anathematized by the Armenians in the 4th century as an insufficiently consistent Monophysite. Aphtartodocetism (the heretical doctrine of the incorruptibility of the Body of Jesus Christ from the moment of the Incarnation) also had a significant influence on the “theology” of the AGAC.

Unfortunately, the interest in the history of Armenian Christological thought today is shown mainly by people who consciously converted from the AGAC to Orthodoxy, both in Armenia itself and in Russia.

D) IS A THEOLOGICAL DIALOGUE WITH THE AGAC POSSIBLE?

The theological dialogue of the Orthodox Church with the AGAC today is seen as hopeless, since its representatives show no interest in dogmatic problems and are set to discuss only issues of social service, pastoral practice, and various problems of social and church life. It is sad, but true: the AGAC has placed itself outside the Church of Christ, turning into a self-isolated and one-national "church" that has communion in faith only with other heretical Monophysite false churches.

INFORMATION ABOUT CHRISTIANITY IN ARMENIA

A) HISTORICAL INFORMATION

In 354, the first Council of the Armenian Church took place, condemning Arianism and reaffirming adherence to Orthodoxy. In 366, the Church of Armenia, which had previously been in canonical dependence on the Caesarean See of Byzantium, received autocephaly (independence).

In 387, Great Armenia was divided, and its East End in 428 it was annexed to Persia, and the western one became a province of Byzantium. In 406, Mesrop Mashtots created the Armenian alphabet, which made it possible to translate into National language worship, Holy Scripture and the works of the Fathers of the Church.

Representatives of the Armenian Church were present at the First and Second Ecumenical Councils; they also adopted decisions of the Third. But now the Fourth Ecumenical Council, held in 451 in Chalcedon, passed without the participation of the Armenian bishops, and for this reason they were not exactly aware of the decisions of this Council. Meanwhile, the Monophysites arrived in Armenia, spreading their delusions. True, the decisions of the Council soon appeared in the Armenian Church, but, out of ignorance exact value Greek theological terms, the Armenian teachers fell into an unintentional error. As a result, the Armenian Council in Dovin in 527 decided to recognize one nature in Christ and thus unequivocally placed the AGAC among the Monophysites. The Orthodox faith was officially rejected and condemned. So the Armenian "church" fell away from Orthodoxy. However, a significant number of Armenians remained in communion with the Ecumenical Church, passing under the control of the Patriarchate of Constantinople.

In 591, due to the attack of the Persians, Armenia was divided. Most of the country became part of the Byzantine Empire, and in the city of Avan (which was located northeast of Yerevan, and now became part of it), a Orthodox catholicosate.

He was opposed catholicosate of monophysite, located in Dovin, on Persian territory, and the Persians artificially supported it, fearing the reunification of local Armenians with Byzantine Orthodox Armenians (however, many Orthodox Armenians also lived on Persian territory).

During the Byzantine-Persian war of 602-609, the Orthodox Catholicosate was abolished by the Persian invaders. The Monophysite Catholicos Abraham initiated the persecution of the Orthodox, forcing all clerics to either anathematize the Council of Chalcedon or leave the country.

However, repression failed to eradicate Orthodox faith among Armenians. In 630, the Council of Karin was held, at which the Armenian Church officially returned to Orthodoxy. But after the Arab conquests of 726, the AGAC again fell away from the Universal 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 9th century, the population and princes of the Taron region, as well as the majority of the population of the Tao and Klarjeti regions, were Orthodox.

Through the efforts of St. Photius of Constantinople and Bishop of Harran Theodore Abu Qurra under Prince Ashot I in 862 at the Shirakavan Cathedral The Church of Armenia returned to Orthodoxy, however, 30 years later, by the decision of the new Catholicos Hovhannes V once again veered into Monophysitism.

In the XI century in Armenia the number of sees in communion with Constantinople is increasing, in this period Orthodoxy began to prevail among the Armenians. After the invasion of the Seljuk Turks in the second half of the 11th century, the Orthodox Armenians found themselves under the jurisdiction of the Georgian Patriarch, and a century and a half later their bishops were already referred to and perceived as Georgian.

The last attempt to return the Armenian "church" to Orthodoxy was made in 1178. At the Council convened by Emperor Manuel Komnenos, its hierarchs recognized the Orthodox confession of faith, but the death of the Emperor prevented their reunification with the Church of Christ.

In 1198, an alliance between papal crusaders and the Armenian King of Cilicia led to a union between the heretical Roman Catholic and Armenian "churches". This union, which was not accepted by the Armenians outside of Cilicia, ended with the split of the Armenian "church", resulting in the emergence of the "Armenian Catholic Church". But the bulk of the Armenians living in Armenia still belong to the AGAC.

B) THE REASON FOR THE AGATZ DECLINE INTO HERESY

Saint Ignatius (Bryanchaninov), who was bishop in the Caucasus, knew perfectly well the state of affairs in the Armenian "church" and the views of the Armenians, drawn to Orthodoxy. He said with great regret and sorrow that the AGAC is close to the Orthodox Church in many ways, but does not want to abandon the heresy of Monophysitism that divides us. There is only one reason for this - the pride that has grown incredibly strong over the centuries due to the one-nationality of the Armenian "church". The latter brought to the AGAC the belief in the national exclusiveness of its members, contrary to the Gospel teaching. About the falsity of this proud worldview, Scripture says: There is no Greek, no Jew, no circumcision, no uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free, but Christ is everything and in everything(Col. 3:11).

The ecumenical teacher and Saint John Chrysostom testifies: “To create divisions in the Church is no less evil than to fall into heresy<…>. The sin of schism is not washed away even by martyr's blood. Therefore, we are waiting for the return of our Armenian brothers from the sin of heresy and schism into the unity of faith (see: Ephesians 4:5).

CONCLUSION

So, the AGAC refers to communities that are not united with the Orthodox Church. After the Fourth Ecumenical Council, because of the rejection of the church truth that in a single Hypostasis, in a single Person of the incarnate Son of God, two natures - Divine and human - were unmerged and inseparably united, she found herself among those false churches that are called Monophysite. Once a part of the one Ecumenical Church, the AGAC accepted the false teaching of the Monophysites, recognizing only one nature of the incarnate God the Word - Divine. And although it can be said that now the sharpness of the theological disputes of the 5th-6th centuries has largely receded into the past and that the modern “theology” of the Armenian “church” is far from the extremes of Monophysitism, nevertheless, there is still no unity in faith between us.

So, the Fathers of the Fourth Ecumenical Council of Chalcedon, which condemned the heresy of Monophysitism, for us, Orthodox believers, are holy saints of God and teachers of the Church, and for representatives of the AGAC and other "ancient Eastern churches" - persons either anathematized (which is most often), or, at least measure without doctrinal authority. And on the contrary, the heresiarch Dioscorus for us is a blasphemer, but for the Armenians - "like a holy father." Even from the above example, it is already clear what traditions the family of Local Orthodox Churches inherits, and what are the false churches called "ancient Eastern". Yes, there are quite significant differences between these “non-Chalcedonian churches”, and the degree of Monophysite influence on their dogma is not the same (it is much stronger in the Coptic “churches” and almost imperceptible in the AGAC). However, it remains a historical, canonical and doctrinal fact that for one and a half thousand years there has been no Eucharistic communion between us. And if we recognize the Church as the pillar and affirmation of the truth, if we believe that the promise of Christ the Savior that the gates of hell will not overcome it has not a relative, but an absolute meaning, then it is necessary to conclude that either one Church is true, and the other - heretical, or vice versa - and think about the consequences of this conclusion. The only thing that should not be allowed in any way is attempts to affirm the truth of both the Orthodox Church and the AGAC at the same time, arguing that although their teachings are not identical, in fact they supposedly coincide and the reason for the 1500-year separation is, as it were, only human inertia, political ambitions and unwillingness to join.

In conclusion, we note that Armenians living or temporarily staying in Russia cannot alternately receive communion in the "churches" of the AGAC, then in Orthodox churches. They need to carefully examine the doctrinal positions of the AGAC and the Orthodox Church and make their choice.

Hieromonk Demetrius,
resident of the monastery of the Holy Cross Hermitage (Sochi)

Most historians believe that the Armenians officially became Christians in 314, and this is the latest date of the supposed. Numerous followers of the new faith appeared here long before the proclamation Armenian Church government institution.

The faith of the Armenian people is considered to be the first apostolic, that is, received directly from the disciples of Christ. Despite dogmatic differences, the Russian and Armenian churches maintain friendly relations, especially in matters of studying the history of Christianity.

Before the adoption of Christianity in ancient state paganism reigned on the banks of Sevan, leaving meager monuments in the form of stone sculptures and echoes in folk customs. According to legend, the apostles Thaddeus and Bartholomew laid the foundation for the destruction of pagan temples and the establishment of Christian churches in their places. In the history of the Armenian Church, one can single out the following milestones:

• I century: the sermon of the apostles Thaddeus and Bartholomew, which determined the name of the future Church - Apostolic.
• Middle of the 2nd century: Tertullian's mention of " in large numbers Christians" in Armenia.
• 314 (according to some sources - 301) - the martyrdom of the holy virgins Hripsime, Gaiania and others who suffered on Armenian soil. The adoption of Christianity by the king of Armenia Trdat III under the influence of his servant Gregory, the future saint Illuminator of Armenia. The construction of the first temple of Etchmiadzin and the establishment of the patriarchal throne in it.
• 405: Creation of the Armenian alphabet for translation purposes Holy Scripture and liturgical books.
• 451: Battle of Avarayr (war with Persia against the imposition of Zoroastrianism); Council of Chalcedon in Byzantium against the heresy of the Monophysites.
• 484 - removal of the patriarchal throne from Etchmiadzin.
• 518 - division with Byzantium in matters of religion.
• XII century: attempts to reunite with Byzantine Orthodoxy.
• XII - XIV centuries - attempts to accept the union - to unite with the Catholic Church.
• 1361 removal of all Latin innovations.
• 1441 - return of the patriarchal throne to Etchmiadzin.
• 1740 - detachment of the Syrian community of Armenians, whose religion became Catholicism. Armenian Catholic Church spread to Western Europe, there are parishes in Russia.
• 1828 - the entry of Eastern Armenia into the Russian Empire, the new name "Armenian-Gregorian Church", a branch of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, which remained on the territory of the Ottoman Empire.
• 1915 - extermination of Armenians in Turkey.
• 1922 - beginning of repressions and anti-religious movement in Soviet Armenia.
• 1945 - the election of a new Catholicos and the gradual revival of church life.

At present, despite the friendly relations between the Orthodox and Armenian churches, there is no Eucharistic communion. This means that their priests and bishops cannot serve the liturgy together, and the laity cannot be baptized and receive communion. The reason for this is differences in creed or dogma.

Ordinary believers who are not students of theology may not be aware of these barriers or may not consider them important. For them, ritual differences are more important, the cause of which is history and national customs.

In the III-IV centuries, disputes about faith were as popular as political battles are now. To resolve dogmatic issues, Ecumenical Councils were convened, the provisions of which formed the modern Orthodox dogma.

One of the main topics of discussion was the nature of Jesus Christ, who He was, God or man? Why does the Bible describe His suffering, which should not be part of the divine nature? For Armenians and Byzantines, the authority of the Holy Fathers of the Church (Gregory the Theologian, Athanasius the Great, etc.) was indisputable, but the understanding of their teachings turned out to be different.

The Armenians, among other Monophysites, believed that Christ is God, and the flesh in which He dwelt on earth was not human, but divine. Therefore, Christ could not experience human feelings and did not even feel pain. His sufferings under torture and on the cross were symbolic, apparent.

The teaching of the Monophysites was analyzed and condemned at the I.V. Ecumenical Council, where the doctrine of the two natures of Christ - divine and human - was adopted. This meant that Christ, while remaining God, accepted the present at birth. human body and experienced not only hunger, thirst, suffering, but also the mental anguish inherent in man.

When the Ecumenical Council was held in Chalcedon (Byzantium), the Armenian bishops could not take part in the discussions. Armenia was in a bloody war with Persia and on the verge of destroying statehood. As a result, the decisions of the Chalcedon and all subsequent Councils were not accepted by the Armenians, and their centuries-old separation from Orthodoxy began.

The dogma about the nature of Christ is the main difference between the Armenian Church and the Orthodox. Currently, theological dialogues are being held between the ROC and the AAC (Armenian Apostolic Church). Representatives of the learned clergy and church historians are discussing what contradictions arose due to a misunderstanding and can be overcome. Perhaps this will lead to the restoration of full communion between confessions.

Both Churches also differ in their external, ceremonial side, which is not a significant obstacle to the communion of believers. The most notable features are:

There are other features in worship, the vestments of clergy and church life.

Renegation of Armenians

Armenians who wish to convert to Orthodoxy will not have to be baptized again. The rite of accession is performed over them, where a public renunciation of the teachings of the Monophysite heretics is supposed. Only after this, a Christian from the AAC can proceed to the Orthodox Sacraments.

There are no strict regulations in the Armenian Church regarding the admission of the Orthodox to the Sacraments; Armenians are also allowed to take communion in any of the Christian churches.

Hierarchical arrangement

The head of the Armenian Church is the Catholicos. The name of this title comes from the Greek word καθολικός - "universal". The Catholicos leads all local churches, standing above their patriarchs. The main throne is located in Etchmiadzin (Armenia). Currently, the Catholicos is Karekin II, the 132nd head of the church after St. Gregory the Illuminator. Below the Catholicos are the following sacred degrees:

The Armenian diaspora in the world has about 7 million people. All these people are bonded folk traditions associated with religion. In places permanent residence Armenians try to erect a temple or a chapel where they gather for prayer and holidays. In Russia, churches with characteristic ancient architecture can be found on the Black Sea coast, in Krasnodar, Rostov-on-Don, Moscow and other large cities. Many of them are named in honor of the Great Martyr George - the beloved saint of the entire Christian Caucasus.

The Armenian Church in Moscow is represented by two beautiful churches: the Resurrection and the Transfiguration. Transfiguration Cathedral- cathedral, i.e. the bishop constantly serves in it. Nearby is his residence. Here is the center of the Novo-Nakhichevan diocese, which includes all former republics USSR except Caucasian. The Church of the Resurrection is located at the national cemetery.

In each of the temples you can see khachkars - stone arrows made of red tuff, decorated with fine carvings. This expensive work is performed by special masters in memory of someone. The stone is delivered from Armenia as a symbol of the historical homeland, reminding every Armenian in the Diaspora of his sacred roots.

The oldest diocese of the AAC is located in Jerusalem. Here it is headed by the patriarch, who has a residence at the church of St. James. According to legend, the temple was built on the site of the execution of the Apostle James, nearby was the house of the Jewish high priest Anna, in front of whom Christ was tortured.

In addition to these shrines, the Armenians also keep the main treasure - the third part of Golgotha ​​granted by Constantine the Great (in the Church of the Resurrection of Christ). This property entitles the Armenian representative along with the Jerusalem Patriarch to participate in the ceremony of the Holy Light (Holy Fire). In Jerusalem, a service is performed daily over the Tomb of the Mother of God, which belongs in equal shares to Armenians and Greeks.

The events of church life are covered by the Shagakat TV channel in Armenia, as well as the English and Armenian-language Armenian Church YouTube channel. Patriarch Kirill with the hierarchs of the Russian Orthodox Church regularly take part in the celebrations of the AAC, connected with the centuries-old friendship of the Russian and Armenian peoples.

ARMENIAN-GRIGORIAN CHURCH

one of the oldest Christians. churches. Christianity began to spread in Armenia in the first centuries AD. e. In 301, King Tiridates III proclaimed Christianity the state. religion, dissociating itself in religion. against Sasanian Iran, which sought to subjugate Armenia. The spread of the new religion was associated with the name of the first Catholicos Grigory Partev, nicknamed in the TsSR. literature by the Enlightener. By his name, Arm. the church was named Gregorian. In 303, the Etchmiadzin Cathedral (near Yerevan) was built, which became a religious. the center of all Armenians and the seat of the head of A.-g. c. In the 4th c. A.-g. c. turned into a strong economy. and ideological. org-tion. Having received from the royal power means. part of the property of the priests and large lands. awards, A.-g. c. exploited the labor of a large number of dependent peasants and artisans. Priests, in addition to other income, received an allotment from communal lands and were exempt from taxes. The peasants of Armenia were obliged to pay special. tax on the maintenance of the church - tithe. To strengthen the ideological impact on the masses was built mean. number of churches and monasteries.

Strengthening A.-g. c. led to the fact that the Catholicos Nerses (3rd quarter of the 4th century) tried to subordinate the royal power to his influence, but met with a decision. repulsed by King Pope (d. 374). With him, Arm. Catholicoses stopped going to Caesarea for approval, they were approved by the king of Armenia. At the Dvina church. cathedral 554 A.-g. ts., reflecting the desire of the feudal lords of Armenia to resist the aggression of Byzantine, finally separated from the Greek. church and became autocephalous. According to the doctrine of A.-g. c. became a follower of Monophysitism - a trend in Christianity, representatives of which claim that Christ had more than two natures - divine and human - as Orthodox and Catholic preach. church, but only divine.

For centuries, the struggle of various religions took place in Armenia. currents and directions, reflecting the class. and intraclass. fight. In the 4th-5th centuries. heresies of Borborites and Messalians spread in Armenia, in the 6th-9th centuries - Paulicians, in the 9th - ser. 11th century - Tondrakians and others, followers of which under the religion. the shell reflected the protest of the people. the masses against the feud. and religious oppression. Official Church with the support of the state. authorities brutally suppressed these movements. Starting from the 13th century. Catholic the church sought to spread its influence in Armenia, but to no avail.

After the loss of its statehood by Armenia, A.-g.ts. was in the Middle Ages the only centralized nat. org-tion; at the behest of foreign conquerors, it performed a number of functions of secular power. Catholicos, heading A.-g. c., was the supreme judge, participated in the development of civil. laws, convened a council - the highest council. body of the secular and spiritual nobility of Armenia and was its chairman. Political events led to the fact that the center of A.-g. c. moved from Etchmiadzin to the cities of Dvin, Ani, Romkla, Sis. From 1441, Echmiadzin again became the residence of the head of the army. churches. In the 17-18 centuries. the attraction of the Armenians to Russia intensified, from which they hoped to receive help in the fight against the domination of the Turks. and iran. conquerors. Reflecting these sentiments, Arm. Catholicoses tried to establish relations with Russia. A prominent role in the development of Russian-Arm. connections in the 2nd floor. 18th century played by Archbishop Joseph Argutinsky.

On Wednesday. century A.-g. c. objectively played a certain role in the development of science and culture in Armenia. In schools at monasteries, along with religion. subjects taught rhetoric, grammar, philosophy, mathematics, painting. Books and manuscripts were copied in monasteries. However, in general, the dominance of the church hindered the development of culture in Armenia. A.-g. c., like other religions, has always played reactionary. role, being in the hands of the exploiters a means of spiritual oppression of the arm. people. A.-g. c. was a powerful support of the feud. orders and feud. ideology, actively participated in the suppression of antifeuds. cross. movements. After the annexation of Armenia to Russia (1828) Rus. pr-in confirmed main. privileges of A.-g. c. Later, with the growth of the revolution. movement in Armenia, arm. church for the sake of tsarism and arm. bourgeoisie actively contributed to the suppression of the revolution. performances in Armenia. Like other churches, she was hostile to Vel. Oct. socialist. revolution.

During the existence of the "independent" bourgeois. Arm. republics (1918-20) A.-g. c. actively supported the counter-revolutionary, nationalist. pr-in Dashnaks. After the establishment of the Soviet power in Armenia, the church was separated from the state and the school from the church. As a result of the victory of socialism in the USSR, the growth of culture and the well-being of owls. people, the majority of Armenians living in Arm. SSR, became atheists. In present time A.-g. c. abandoned the hostile position against the Sov. power and participate in the struggle for peace.

At the head of A.-g. c. stands the Catholicos (since 1955 - Vazgen I). His residence is Etchmiadain, where there is a special spiritual (theological) educational institution, a monthly magazine is published. "Echmiadzin". For communication between the state-tion and A.-g. c. under the Council of Ministers of the Arm. The SSR created the Council for A.-g. c. In the religion relation A.-g. c. unites Armenians living in all countries of the world. The Catholicos of Echmiadzin is subordinated in religion. regarding the Cilician Catholicosate, the Patriarchate of Jerusalem and Constantinople, as well as diocesan administrations located abroad: in the USA (California and North America), in the South. America, in Europe (center - Paris), on Bl. and Wed. East (Iranian-Azerbaijani, Tehran, Isfahan, Iraqi and Egyptian), on Far East(Indian-Far Eastern), in the Balkans (Romanian, Bulgarian and Greek).

Lit.: Ormanyan M., Arm. church, its history, doctrine, management, ext. system, liturgy, literature, its present, trans. from French, Moscow, 1913; Harutyunyan B.M., Large monastery farm in Armenia in the 17th-18th centuries, Er., 1940; East arm. people, part 1, Er., 1951; Cherni history of the USSR, III-IX centuries., M., 1958, p. 167-228, 480-502.

Soviet historical encyclopedia. - M.: Soviet Encyclopedia. Ed. E. M. Zhukova. 1973-1982 .

See what the "ARMENIAN-GRIGORIAN CHURCH" is in other dictionaries:

Christian church, 5th century separated from the Greek; the majority of Armenians belong to it. Dictionary of foreign words included in the Russian language. Chudinov A.N., 1910 ... Dictionary of foreign words of the Russian language

Armenian Gregorian Church one of the oldest Christians. churches. Christ at the beginning of the spread. in Armenia in the first centuries AD. In 301, King Tiridates III proclaimed Christ in the state. religion, dissociating itself in religion. respect from Sasanian Iran, aspiring. subdue Armenia. ... ... Ancient world. encyclopedic Dictionary

See Armenian Apostolic Church… Great Soviet Encyclopedia

- ... Wikipedia Wikipedia

A special type of religion org tsii, an association of followers of a particular religion on the basis of a common doctrine and cult. Ch. features Ts .: 1) the presence of a more or less developed dogmatic. and cult system; 2) hierarchical. character,… … Soviet historical encyclopedia

Jesus Christ spoke about his church (on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it, Mt 16:18), but in the short period of his ministry he did not give any instructions regarding its organization. According to Christian doctrine,… … Collier Encyclopedia

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 today accepted in Orthodox Church?

- 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