Gregory of Narek

Gregory of Narek (Armenian: Գրիգոր Նարեկացի Grigor Narekatsi, Western Gregory of Narek Armenian: Krikor Naregatsi; 951 – 1003) was an Armenian monk, poet, mystical philosopher, theologian and saint of the Armenian Apostolic Church and , born into a family of writers. Based in the monastery of Narek Narekavank, he was "Armenia's first great poet".[3]

He is the author of a mystical interpretation on the and numerous poetic writings. His Book of Prayers, also known as "Book of Lamentations", a long mystical poem in 95 sections written around 977, has been translated into many languages. The book, the work of his mature years, remains one of the definitive pieces of .

He was declared a by Francis in 2015.[4]

Contents Gregory of Narek as depicted on a 1173 manuscript 1 Biography Monk, Doctor of the Church 2 Book of Prayers / "Book of Lamentations" 3 Legacy Born 951 Narek, Ararat 4 Recognition in the Catholic Church province, Armenia 5 Translations [1] [2] 6 Recordings Died 1003 or 1010 Narekavank, 7 Bibliography , Armenia 8 References (now Turkey) 9 External links Venerated in Roman Catholic Church Armenian Apostolic Biography Church, Gregory was born c. 950 to a family of scholarly churchmen. His father, Khosrov, Armenian Catholic was an archbishop. He lost his mother very early, so he was educated by his cousin, Church Anania of Narek, who was the founder of the monastery and school of the village. At Feast 13 October (Holy a young age, Gregory entered the Narek Monastery known as Narekavank on the Translators day) south-east shore of in Vaspurakan, (Greater Armenia, now Turkey) and led 27 February (Roman almost all of his life in the monastery. Shortly before the first millennium of Catholic Church) Christianity, Narek Monastery was a thriving center of learning. These were the relatively quiet, creative times before the Turkic and Mongol invasions that changed Armenian life forever. Armenia was experiencing a renaissance in literature, painting, architecture and , of which St. Gregory was a leading figure. Gregory also taught at the monastic school. The monastery was completely destroyed in the 20th century after theArmenian Genocide.

Book of Prayers / "Book of Lamentations" Written shortly before the first millennium of Christianity, the prayers of St. Gregory of Narek have long been recognized as gems of Christian literature. St. Gregory called his book an "encyclopedia of prayer for all nations". It was his hope that it would serve as a guide to prayer by people of all walks of life around the world.

A leader of the well-developed school of Armenian at Narek Monastery, at the request of his brethren he set out to find an answer to an imponderable question: what can one offer to God, our creator, who already has everything and knows everything better than we could ever express it? To this question, posed by the prophets, psalmist, apostles and , he gives a humble answer – the sighs of the heart – expressed in his Book of Prayer, also called the Book of Lamentations.

In 95 prayers, St. Gregory draws on the potential of the Classical to translate feelings of suffering and humility into an offering of words thought to be pleasing to God. Calling it his last testament: "its letters like my body, its message like my soul", it is an edifice of faith for the ages, unique in Christian literature for its rich imagery, its subtle theology, its Biblical erudition, and the sincere immediacy of its communication with God.

The actual date he wrote the book is not known, but he finished it around 1001–1002, one year prior to his death.

For Narekatsi, peoples' absolute goal in life should be to reach to God, and to reach wherever human nature would unite with godly nature, thus erasing the differences between God and men. As a result, the difficulties of earthly life would disappear. According to him, mankind's assimilation with God is possible not by logic, but by feelings.

Legacy

Numerous miracles and traditions have been attributed to the saint and perhaps that is why he is referred to as "the watchful angel in human form".

In 1984–1985, composed Concerto for Mixed Chorus singing verses from Gregory's Book of Lamentations translated into Russian by Naum Grebnev, according to the Russian edition Kniga Skorbi, transl. by Naum Grebnev, Preface by Levon Mkrtchian, Sovetakan Grokh,Y erevan, 1977.

Armen Nersisyan, a professor of psychiatry, developed a unique type of therapy based on Gregory of Narek's Book of Lamentations, called Narekabuzhutyun in Armenian: Նարեկաբուժություն.[5] Nersisyan claims that the therapy has treated fully or at least partially many diseases, including schizophrenia, Hepatitis C, periodic disease, stress symptoms and depression.[6]

Recognition in the Catholic Church

Gregory of Narek is recognized as a saint by the Roman Catholic Church, and is particularly venerated among Catholics of the Armenian rite. His name is listed among the saints for 27 February in theMartyrologium Romanum.

Pope John Paul II referred to Gregory of Narek in several addresses[7][8][9] as well as in his [10] and in his Apostolic Letter for the 1,700th Anniversary of the Baptism of the Armenian People.[11]

He is mentioned by name in Article 2678 of theCatechism of the Catholic Church.[12]

On 21 February 2015, it was announced that Saint Gregory of Narek would be named a Doctor of the Catholic Church by .[13][14][15] His being given this title was not an equipollent since he had already been listed as a saint in the Martyrologium Romanum. On 12 April 2015, , during a Mass for the centenary of the , Pope Francis officially proclaimed Gregory of Narek as Doctor of the Church.[16]

St. Gregory's proclamation as a Doctor of the Church was commemorated by the Vatican City state with a postage stamp issued September 2, 2015.

Translations Grigor Narekatsi. Lamentations of Narek. Mystic Soliloquies with God. Edited and translated by Mischa Kudian. Mashtots Press. London 1977. Grigor Narekatsi. Kniga Skorbi, translated into Russian by Naum Grebnev, Preface by Levon Mkrtchian, Sovetakan Grokh, , 1977 St. Grigor Narekatsi. Speaking with God from the Depths of the Heart. Translation and introduction by Thomas Samuelian. Yerevan: Vem, 2001. Kéchichian, , s.j. (introd., trad. et notes). Grégoire de Narek: Le Livre de Prières. Paris: Editions du Cerf, 1961. Mahé, Annie et Jean-Pierre (introd., trad. et notes). Grégoire de Narek: ragédie,T Matean Olbergut'ean, Le Livre de lamentation. Louvain: Peters, 2000 (Corpus Scriptorum Christianorum Orientalium; vol. 584. Subsidia, t. 106). Samwel Poghosyan, "My Narekaci" Yerevan, 2007 The Letter of St. Gregory of Narek Translated with annotations by Frederick Cornwallis Conybeare, CrossReach Publications, 2015 Ervine, Robert (trans.). The Blessing of Blessings: Grigor of Narek's Commentary on the Song of Songs. Kalamazoo, MI: Cistercian Publications, 2007 Terian, (trans). The Festal Works of St. Gregory of Narek: Annotated ranslationT of the Odes, Litanies, and Encomia. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2016

Recordings

Alfred Schnittke. Choir Concerto (Concerto for Mixed Chorus). Valery Polyansky directs the Russian State Symphonic Cappella. Duration: 45 minutes (43'44"). CHANDOS CHAN 9332 (CD) Alfred Schnittke. Choir Concerto. The Danish National Radio Choir with Stefan Parkman. Chandos Records CHAN 9126. © 1992 Chandos Records (CD) Alfred Schnittke. Compositions for Choir a Capella. Concerto for Choir in 4 Parts, verses by Grigor Narekatsi, Book of Lamentations, or Kniga Skorbi, translated into Russian by Naum Grebnev. Chamber Choir of the Tchaikovsky Conservatory. Art Director and Conductor Boris Tevlin. Sound director Petr Kondrashin. SFT. © Boris Tevlin 2002. (CD) Collected Songs Where Every Verse is Filled with Grief, arranged by the Kronos Quartet ( Harrington, 1997) from Alfred Schnittke's "Concerto for Mixed Choir." Recorded: 1993–97 Length – 8 min 13 sec Studio / Live: Studio. Performers: Dutt, Hank — Viola ; Harrington, David — Violin; Jeanrenaud, Joan — Cello; Sherba, John — Violin.

Bibliography

Nikoghos Tahmizian, Grigor Narekatsi and the Armenian Music from 5th to 15th Centuries (in Armenian), 1985, Armenian Academy of Sciences, Yerevan, Armenia. "My Narekatsi" Samvel Poghosyan, Yerevan, 2007, http://grigornarekaci.su/one_books.php?book_id=3

References

1. Nersessian, Vrej (2001). The Bible in the Armenian Tradition (https://books.google.com.vn/books?id=7tSkalMzNvkC &lpg=PA1&hl=vi&pg=PA46#v=onepage&q&f=false). Getty Publications. p. 46.ISBN 9780892366408. 2. Herzig, Edmund; Kurkchiyan, Marina (2004).The : Past and Present in the Making of National Identity (htt ps://books.google.com.vn/books?id=B8WRAgAAQBAJ&lpg=PP1&hl=vi&pg=PA63#v=onepage&q&f=false). Routledge. p. 63. ISBN 9781135798376. 3. Shoemaker, M. Wesley (2013). Russia and The Commonwealth of Independent States 2013. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield. p. 211. ISBN 9781475804911. 4. "Pope Francis declares Armenian saint Doctor of the Church" (http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2015/02/23/pope_fran cis_declares_armenian_saint_doctor_of_the_church/1125062). . 23 February 2015. 5. "Նարեկաբուժություն` սա բժշկության մեջ նոր տերմին է (ռեպորտաժ)" (http://www.armeniatv.am/hy/new s/46133) (in Armenian). Armenia TV. 3 February 2014. 6. Tovmasyan, Satenik (9 March 2015)."Narek Therapy: Armenians read medieval monk's verses as cure for ailments" (http://www.armenianow.com/society/health/61265/armenia_health_narek_therapy_psychotherapy_armen_nersisya n). ArmeniaNow. 7. http://w2.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/audiences/2000/documents/hf_jp-ii_aud_20001018.html 8. http://w2.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en//2001/documents/hf_jp-ii_ang_20010218.html 9. http://w2.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/audiences/2002/documents/hf_jp-ii_aud_20021113.html 10. "Archived copy" (https://web.archive.org/web/20150204020124/http://w2.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/encyclical s/documents/hf_jp-ii_enc_25031987_redemptoris-mater.html). Archived from the original (http://w2.vatican.va/conten t/john-paul-ii/en//documents/hf_jp-ii_enc_25031987_redemptoris-mater.html) on 2015-02-04. Retrieved 2016-03-18. 11. http://w2.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/apost_letters/2001/documents/hf_jp-ii_apl_20010217_battesimo- armenia.html 12. "Archived copy" (https://web.archive.org/web/20100907023909/http://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catech ism/p4s1c2a2.htm). Archived from the original (http://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p4s1c2a2.h tm) on 2010-09-07. Retrieved 2010-10-07. 13. McCarthy, Emer (February 23, 2015)."Pope Francis declares Armenian saint Doctor of the Church" (http://en.radiov aticana.va/news/2015/02/23/pope_francis_declares_armenian_saint_doctor_of_the_church/1125062). Vatican Radio. 14. "10th-century Armenian mystic, poet and monk St Gregory of Narek to be a Doctor of the Universal Church" (http://w ww.catholicherald.co.uk/news/2015/02/23/armenian-saint-proclaimed-doctor-of-the-church-by-pope-francis/). The Catholic Herald. 23 February 2015. 15. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUFesF-Q880 16. http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/messages/pont-messages/2015/documents/papa- francesco_20150412_messaggio-armeni.html

External links

St. Gregory of Narek at "Santi e Beati" www.stgregoryofnarek.am Book of Prayer CWR – St. Gregory of Narek: Was the New Doctor of the Church a Catholic?

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This page was last edited on 3 October 2017, at 22:39.

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