Armenia and the Armenian Apostolic Church Dr. Law Chi Lim Armenia Is
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Armenia and the Armenian Apostolic Church Dr. Law Chi Lim Armenia is a landlocked country in South Caucasia in Euroasia. The Armenians trace their origin as far back as 1000 BC, and the Armenian Empire at its zenith ( 95 to 66 BC) occupied a much larger areas than what it does today, encompassing lands in what is now Eastern Turkey and Iran. In the past, Armenia has been invaded and conquered numerous times by her powerful neighbours: Persians, Monguls, Arabs, Ottoman Turks and Russians. Thus , the history of the land, particularly in the 20th century, is one of tragedy and trauma, resulting in waves of exodus of its people. The fact is , while there are only about 3 million people living in present-day Armenia now , there are up to 8 million ethnic Armenians living outside the country in various parts of the world. The Armenian Apostolic Church Christianity spread to Armenia as early as AD 40 . In fact, it was in AD 301 that it became the first country in the history of the world to make Christianity a state religion---- a full ten years before the Roman Empire officially stopped persecuting Christians, and 36 years before Constantine the Great was baptized. Tradition has it that it was Bartholomew and Thaddeus ( two of the original twelve apostles of Christ) who went to Armenia to spread the gospel in the 1st century and hence the name of Armenia Apostolic Church. While initially the church remained in communion with the religious authorities in Rome, in time, because of theological reasons( Note 1), it began to distant itself from Rome . By the year 406 , Armenia has invented its own alphabet and the Bible and lithurgy were translated into Armenian . In the year 554, the Armenian Church officially severed ties with Rome and Constantinople. Together with the churches in Egypt, Ethiopia , Eritrea ( originally part of Ethiopia) , Syria , and Kerala( a state in India), they are collectively known as the Oriental Orthodox Churches ( note 2). With its long history Christianity , there are simply too many interesting churches and monasteries for one to see in Armenian . The following is a just a glimpse of some of the ancient churches and monasteries that we visited in Armenia when we were there in May this year. Saghmosavank The 13th century Saghmosavank monastic complex is in a really spectacular location , situated atop a precipitous gorge carved out by a river and with a snow-capped Mount Aragat in the background. The outside of the church exemplifies the unique classical architectural design of Armenian churches with its pointed conical towers and simple crosses. Inside , the altar is raised quite high like a stage and a curtain can be drawn to separate the faithful from the altar proper during church services (lithurgies). On the altar is an icon of Mary holding baby Jesus. Similar set up and icons are seen in ancient and modern churches all over Armenia. In Eastern Orthodox churches ( as in Russia and many Eastern European countries) women are required to cover their heads when entering a church and worshippers are required to stand throughout the service . This custom probably arose from the idea that one should be humble and stand before God. Also men are supposed to stand on the right side of the altar and women to the left. However, in Armenia churches, men and women are not segregated and most interestingly, women do not have to cover their hair as in Eastern Orthodox churches (Note 3). In addition, in some Armenia churches, benches are sometimes seen just like the sitting benches in the Catholic and Protestant churches in Hong Kong. Etchmaiadzin Etchmaiadzin is the historical centre of the Armenia Apostolic Church , the seat of Holy See of the Catholicos--- i.e. the Patriarch or Head of the church. The Etchmiadzin cathedral was in fact first built in 301-303 but has been destroyed and rebuilt many times. It has the classical design of Armenian churches ------ a rectangular cruciform plan with a dome. There are four altars and four columns in the main hall ( said to represent the four evangelists ( Mark, Mathew, Luke and John). The museum next to the main Cathedral is very impressive . On display are pieces of wood said to be from Noah’s Ark , and there are many relics said to be remains of John the Baptist, Saint Ananias( who baptisted Saint Paul), and various saints ( Mathew, Luke , Thaddeus ,etc). But , perhaps the most intriguing item on display is the legendary spear that was said to have been used by Roman soldiers to pierce Jesus’ side after his death on the cross ( John 19 :34). Apparently , there are altogether four such spears all over the world, all claiming to be the authentic spear , but this one in Armenia is the only one that has been carbon-dated to be from the 1st century AD. So , if this is the real thing………………….vow! Note 1. In the first few centuries AD , churches from various Christian countries met periodically to discuss issues of theological importance. In AD 451, church leaders met at the Council of Chalcedon to affirm that Jesus was in fact “in two natures” : one divine and one human. However, leaders of what subsequently known as Oriental Orthodoxy ( the Armenian Apostolic Church being one of them) would only accept that Jesus is “of or from two natures” but not “in two natures”. While to the modern observer, such distinction is hairline thin, it was enough to split the church in AD451. Note 2. Oriental Orthodoxy must be distinguished from the more dominant Eastern Orthodoxy ( which is prevalent in places like Russia , and countries of Eastern and Southeastern Europe). The Eastern Orthodox Church also claims its connections to the original Church founded by Christ and his apostles. It origin can be traced to its splitting ( on ideology as well as political grounds) of churches which looked to Rome for leadership from those churches that looked instead to Constantinople( modern day Istanbul)for leadership from 11th century onwards. The final break occurred around 1450 when leaders from both camps excommunicate each other. Note 3. This custom for women to cover their hair probably originates from the writings of Saint Paul ( see 1 Corinthians 11:4-6). Apparently , it was also the wide-spread custom in the Middle East in the 1st century AD for married women to cover their hair when they go outside their homes. .