This question regularly comes up here and there on the Internet, and this question is often asked to me. I have already given answers to similar questions many times, but the questions are still repeated, because the previous answers “go deep.” Therefore, 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 speak about it.
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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 Orthodoxy anyway? And what does it mean if you are not Orthodox? Let's begin, like in first grade, sorting words into shelves.

PRAVO-SLAVIE(Greek: Orto-Doxia; Armenian: Ukhkha-Parutyun), i.e. Right, Correct, Direct Glorification means that the Orthodox correctly glorify God. That is? Non-Orthodox people glorify God incorrectly. That is why Orthodoxy is opposed to nothing other than heresy. Those., he who is not Orthodox is a heretic . This is the main answer to the question “Are Armenians Orthodox?”

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

The question remains - who decides what is CORRECT? Does the Pope decide? Or Uncle Crimean? That solves it Turkish Sultan? Or Vladimir Volfovich Zhirinovsky? If any religion or its subtype considers itself correct, then it does not care who there thinks about it. So why do online hysterics freak out when they start screaming about the non-Orthodoxy of Armenians? And they are stifled for one simple reason - due to lack of brains.

Religious truth is an exclusively subjective concept, and therefore there are as many “truths” as there are heads. 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 stop him from believing this? No one can. No one can forbid him from believing in the non-Orthodoxy of the Armenians.

But it’s a completely different matter if this very believer of the Russian Orthodox Church comes to an Armenian and starts being clever, like, he’s Orthodox, but the Armenians are not. This will simply make him look like an idiot. However, such people are stupid due to their confessional misunderstanding. After all, the Greek-Byzantine church tradition itself monopolized the brand “Orthodoxy” and now local neophytes consider themselves “Orthodox” by default. For them, an Orthodox is not someone who rightly glorifies God, but simply anyone who is a member of the Greek-Byzantine confession.

But this is not the biggest joke. It’s okay when one of the Christians considers himself Orthodox and does not consider others Orthodox. It's kind of 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 from a couple of Turkish-Muslims who, under the zombie coding of Aliyev’s propagandists, are in all seriousness screaming along the lines of “what kind of Orthodox Armenians are they!”

No, well, a Turkish-Kurdish-Muslim is the main expert on Orthodoxy in Christianity. Who Orthodox Christian, and who is not, they probably decide in Azeragitprop...))))) However, since the employees of Azeragitprop are not distinguished by either intelligence or knowledge, they take the criteria of Orthodoxy from the key literature of the Russian Orthodox Church. Here in the Russian Orthodox Church they say that Armenians are not Orthodox, but Monophysites, and the Aliyevites repeat this like green budgies.

Chief expert on Orthodoxy in Christianity: " Armenians are not Christians at all. The Armenian Church is a political organization with a fascist bias. Everything there is already very neglected, so there are Armenians who voluntarily convert to Islam".

But why are we all talking about abnormal people?! Let's return to the essence of the topic.

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

1. Orthodoxy is abiding in 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 a complete empty phrase. You can even call yourself a potty, it doesn’t 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 found in the self-name of the ancient Eastern pre-Chalcedonian Churches. How 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 cease to be Orthodox. Apparently there is historical reasons because the official self-name of the AAC does not contain this word. Or maybe this is a normal, common sense idea that it is simply not modest to call oneself the True One in public, and that who believed rightly and who did not is for God to decide at the Last Judgment.

However, there is also the nuance that many people, asking the question “Are the Armenians Orthodox?”, are least of all interested in the correct glorification of God or self-designations, 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 Russians hear as Orthodoxy. Here, of course, the answer is negative. If by “Orthodoxy” we mean the Greek-Byzantine confession, then the Armenians, like other non-Greek peoples of the ancient Christian East, do not belong to this confession.

Neither the Armenians nor the other peoples of the East who stood at the origins of Christianity itself are members of 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 like the Greeks and Latins created their own special church traditions, with their own original rituals and theological schools, both the Armenians, the Syrians and the Egyptians created their own original church traditions in ritual and theology.

Those. Questioners need to understand that, unlike the Russians, the Armenians did not undertake to accept from the Greeks everything that they came up with, just as the Greeks did not undertake 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 the Armenians in the minds of the ignorant.

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

How is the Armenian Gregorian Church different from the Orthodox Church? I've read a lot, but there's no clear answer anywhere. I am Armenian, baptized in the Armenian Church. I live in Moscow, but very often I go to Orthodox church. I believe in God and believe that, first of all, God should be in the soul of each of us.

Dear Anna, the Armenian Apostolic Church belongs to communities that are not too far from us, but are not in complete unity. Due to certain historical circumstances, but, however, not without some human sin, after the IV Ecumenical Council of 451, it found itself among those communities that are called Monophysites, which did not accept the church truth that in a single hypostasis, in a single person incarnate The Son of God combines two natures: the Divine and the true human nature, unmerged and inseparable. It so happened that the Armenian-Gregorian Church, which was once part of the united Ecumenical Church, did not accept this teaching, but shared the teaching of the Monophysites, who recognize only one nature of the incarnate God the Word - the Divine. And although we can say that now the severity of those disputes of the 5th-6th centuries has largely become a thing of the past and that the modern theology of the Armenian church is far from the extremes of Monophysitism, nevertheless, there is still no complete unity in faith between us.

For example, the holy fathers of the Fourth Ecumenical Council of Chalcedon, which condemned the heresy of Monophysitism, are for us holy fathers and teachers of the Church, but for representatives of the Armenian Church and other “ancient Eastern churches” they are either anathematized (most often), or at least not by doctrinal authority enjoying. For us, Dioscorus is an anathematized heretic, but for them, he is “like the father of saints.” At least from this it is already clear which traditions are inherited by the family of local Orthodox churches, and which are those that are called ancient Eastern. There are quite noticeable differences between the ancient Eastern churches themselves, and the degree of Monophysite influence is very different: let’s say, it is noticeably stronger in the Coptic churches (with all due respect to Egyptian monasticism, one cannot help but see a completely clear Monophysite influence among the Copts, especially among modern Coptic theologians), and Its traces in the Armenian-Gregorian Church 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 the Pillar and affirmation of the 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 one Church is true, and the other is not completely, or vice versa - and think about the consequences of this conclusion. The only thing that cannot be done is to sit on two chairs and say that the teachings are not identical, but in fact coincide, and that the one and a half thousand year divisions stem solely from inertia, political ambitions and reluctance to unite.

It follows from this that it is still impossible to take communion alternately in the Armenian and then in the Orthodox Church, and one must make a decision, and for this, study the doctrinal positions of one and the other Church.

Of course, it is impossible to formulate the theological doctrine of the Armenian Gregorian Apostolic Church in a short answer, and you would hardly expect this. If you are quite seriously concerned about this problem, then I refer you to: among the more serious modern theologians, priest Oleg Davydenkov and Protodeacon Andrei Kuraev on this topic.

Armenia is one of the few countries that has only one religion at its core. Basically, even small countries with small populations have several religions. Such unity of the people of this country, of course, has a positive effect on the relations of citizens within the country. Therefore, many tourists are interested in the question, what religion do Armenians have?

There is one in Armenia religion - Christianity. The Church of Armenia is officially called the Armenian Apostolic Church named after the Holy Illuminator George. The church received its name in memory of Saint Apostle Thaddeus and Saint Apostle Bartholomew, who preached the Christian religion in this country in the first century and in honor of the Illuminator George, with whose help the king of the country was baptized in the 301st century BC, as well as all the king’s courtiers and the entire people living in the territory of this country.

This church is the oldest Christian church among many other sacred parishes. In this…

The Christian world is so secularized that the European nations, which were once the stronghold of evangelical values, are called post-Christian civilization. The secularity of society makes it possible to embody the most phantasmagoric aspirations. New moral values Europeans are in conflict with what religion preaches. Armenia is one of the few examples of fidelity to thousand-year-old ethnocultural 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 population are members of the Armenian Apostolic Church. This Christian community is one of the oldest in the world. Orthodox theologians classify the Transcaucasian community of believers among five other, so-called anti-Chalcedonian communities. The established theological definition does not provide a comprehensive answer to the question of what religion in...

The religion of Armenia is very diverse. It includes Christianity, Islam, Yazidism and Frengi. The majority of Armenians are believers. It is believed that the most widespread religion is Christianity.

Christianity in Armenia

About 94% of the total population preach Christianity and belong to the Armenian Apostolic Church. This church is one of the oldest in the world. Few people know that Armenia is the first Christian state in the world: in 301, faith in the Heavenly King and his son Christ became the state religion of the country. Bartholomew and Thaddeus are considered the first preachers here.

In 404, the Armenian alphabet was created, and in the same year the Bible was translated into Armenian, and in 506 the Armenian Church officially separated from the Byzantine Church, which significantly influenced the further history of the state, its political and social activities.

Catholicism in Armenia

But Christianity is not the only religion whose adherents...

The Armenian Church is one of the oldest Christian communities. In 301, Armenia became the first country to adopt Christianity as a state religion. For many centuries there has been no church unity between us, but this does not interfere with the existence of good neighborly relations. At the meeting held on March 12 with the Ambassador of the Republic of Armenia to Russia O.E. Yesayan, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill noted: “Our relations go back centuries... The closeness of our spiritual ideals, the common moral and spiritual value system in which our peoples live are a fundamental component of our relations.”

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's Theological University answers questions from the portal “Orthodoxy and the World” about pre-Chalcedonian churches, one of which…

Articles – Non-Orthodoxy

Christianity of Armenia. Armenian Apostolic Church.

The Armenian Apostolic Church (AAC) is one of the oldest Christian churches, which has a number of significant features that distinguish it from both Byzantine Orthodoxy and Roman Catholicism. Refers to the ancient Eastern churches.

Many people are mistaken in understanding the position that the Armenian Church occupies in the Christian world. Some consider it one of the Local Orthodox Churches, others, misled by the title of the First Hierarch of the AAC (“Catholicos”), consider it part of the Roman Catholic Church. In fact, both of these opinions are wrong - Armenian Christians stand apart from both the Orthodox and Catholic worlds. Although even their opponents do not argue with the epithet “Apostolic”. After all, Armenia truly became the world's first Christian state - in 301, Great Armenia adopted Christianity as the state religion. A primary role in this greatest...

This most important event in the history of the Armenian people occurred in 301. The primary role in the adoption of Christianity was played by Gregory the Illuminator of Armenia, who became the first Catholicos of the Armenian Church (302-326), and King Tirdat III of Armenia (287-330).

According to the writings of Armenian historians of the 5th century, in 287 Trdat arrived in Armenia, accompanied by Roman legions, to return his father’s throne. In the Yeriza estate, Gavar Ekegeats. he performs a ritual of sacrifice in the temple of the pagan goddess Anait.

One of the king’s associates, Gregory, being a Christian, refuses to sacrifice to the idol. Then Trdat learns that Gregory is the son of Anak, the murderer of Trdat’s father, King Khosrow II. For these “crimes” Gregory is imprisoned in the Artashat dungeon, intended for death row. In the same year, the king issues two decrees: the first of them orders the arrest of all Christians within Armenia with the confiscation of their property, and the second orders the death penalty...

Protopresbyter Theodore Zisis

professor at the University of Thessaloniki

ARE ARMENIANS ORTHODOX?

THE VIEW OF ST. PHOTIA...

History of the Armenian Church

(44-60).
Sacred Tradition The Armenian Church says that after the Ascension of Christ, one of his disciples, Thaddeus arrived in Greater Armenia with Christian preaching. Among the many who were converted by him to the new faith was the daughter of the Armenian king Sanatruk, Sandukht. For professing Christianity, the apostle, together with Sandukht and other converts, accepted martyrdom in Shavarshan by order of the king.

Some time after preaching in Persia, Apostle Bartholomew arrived in Armenia. He converted King Sanatruk’s sister Vogui and many nobles to Christianity, after which, on Sanatruk’s orders, he accepted martyrdom in the city of Arebanos, which is located between lakes Van and Urmia.

In the 1st century, the spread of Christianity in...

The Armenian Apostolic Church is very ancient church, which has a number of features. There are many myths circulating around Russia about its essence. Sometimes Armenians are considered Catholics, sometimes Orthodox, sometimes Monophysites, sometimes iconoclasts. The Armenians themselves, as a rule, consider themselves Orthodox and even a little more Orthodox than other Orthodox churches, which in the Armenian tradition are usually called “Chalcedonian”. But the truth is that there are three types of Armenian Christians: Gregorians, Chalcedonians and Catholics.

With Catholics everything is simple: these are those Armenians who lived in Ottoman Empire and who were converted to Catholicism by European missionaries. Many Catholic Armenians later moved to Georgia and now inhabit the regions of Akhalkalaki and Akhaltsikhe. In Armenia itself they are few in number and live somewhere on far north countries.

It’s already more difficult with the Chalcedonians. These include both Catholic Armenians and Orthodox Armenians. Historically, these are those Armenians who lived on the territory of Byzantium and recognized...

[Full name: Armenian Holy Apostolic Orthodox Church; arm….

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Baptism of Armenia

Vladimir Akopdzhanov

The year 301 is the official date of the proclamation of Christianity as the state religion in Armenia. This date is historical, dry and, to some extent, conditional. It is impossible to consciously accept faith in one day or year for an entire state or people. The adoption of Christianity in Armenia did not take place immediately: it did not last for years, but for centuries. The Faith of Christ became an integral part of the Armenian soul and determined the historical destiny of the people. The process of preaching the Word of God had a number of key points, without illuminating the essence of the adoption of Christianity Armenian people don't understand. So, first things first.

According to Holy Tradition, the gospel in Armenia began in the middle of the first century by the apostles Thaddeus and Bartholomew (Tadeos and Bartuchimeos, in Armenian). It is this fact that explains that the Armenian Church is Apostolic. Unfortunately, in Russia they mistakenly use something else...

Work on this difficult topic began last year, during a dialogue with a famous Italian scientist, specialist in history and theology Eastern Churches Giovanni Guaita (unfortunately, Mr. Guaita was not able to participate in the dialogue to the extent that he wanted). Why did the magazine's editors consider this topic relevant? Perhaps in the near future we will talk about a new axis of reference for the Armenian Apostolic Church (AAC) and a significant part of its flock.

The term “axis of reference” means that external, actual-significant, correlated thing with which an individual or community first compares themselves. Self-identification is, first of all, distinguishing oneself from the “other”, “different”. In a changing world, it occurs continuously - including through conflict or cooperation, through polemical dialogue, through understanding the similarities and differences with the reference object. Contacts with other Churches, which often had immeasurably greater resources in material and...

Armenian Gregorian "Apostolic Church" ( Further AGAC) – 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 let us ask from whom did they accept the faith? From the Jerusalem and Byzantine Churches and, however, they failed to preserve it intact! In addition, at the same time, edicts were issued in the Roman Empire that completely legalized Christianity, so there is no reason left for the AGAC 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 go against the principle of preservation Unity of Faith transmitted to us by the apostles and indicated by the Word of God: « One God, united faith, united baptism"(Eph.4,5). Since the 4th century, the Agats separated from the entirety of the most ancient Orthodox local Churches(Constantinople, Jerusalem, Antioch, Alexandria, etc.) having accepted, first by mistake, and then consciously, the Monophysite and Monothelite and Miaphysite heresies and went into schism from everyone else. Until now we have this unhealed wound so that we cannot pray and receive communion together until the true teaching about God is restored in the Agats. Ordinary 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 be both Orthodox and included in the Armenian “church” at the same time, just as it is impossible to be simultaneously saved and lost, truthful and liar. You have to make a choice between the truth and the lie. Before we talk about the Armenian direction of Monophysitism, let’s talk about what Monophysitism is and how it arose.

Monophysitism - this is an incorrect 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 abiding unmergedly, inseparably, inseparably, unchangeably. Monophysites same (including AGAC) in Christ they recognize 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 in total).

Therefore, they insult, condemn and do not accept most saints. 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 distortion from the human nature of Christ towards His Divinity. The AGAC, after many hesitations, remained a confessor of the heresy of Monophysitism, which for them consists not in denying the Incarnation of God, but in stubbornly insisting on the absorption by the deity of Christ of His human nature - which is a lie against Christ and a heretical teaching. It's all about this particular emphasis in the Christology of the God-man Jesus Christ. After this, neither the symbol of the Armenian faith, in which the Incarnation of Christ is orthodoxly confessed, nor the statements of individual fathers about the presence of the flesh of Christ have any significance. 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 communicates with a heretic is a heretic). There is no k.-l. in the AGAC. officially approved summary fundamentals of faith. The AGATs uses three Symbols of Faith: 1) a short Symbol used in the rite of announcement. 2) “average” in rank Divine Liturgy AGATZ, 3) a lengthy Symbol, read by the priest at the beginning of the morning service. Phrase from the third spatial symbol “one face, one appearance, and united in one nature” completely heretical, and all lies and heresies are from the devil, which is unacceptable especially when it comes to God. This heresy leads to lies about the God-man Christ, to the idea that it is impossible to imitate Christ “after all, He is more God, and humanity is swallowed up in Him.” That. humanity is humiliated in Christ and motivation for Christ-imitation is torn and grace is not given.

One misconception led to others. So only in the 12th century. Icon veneration is finally recognized; during sacred ceremonies, the Agats consumes unleavened bread according to Jewish custom and performs animal sacrifices (matah); cheese and milk foods are allowed on Saturday and Sunday during Lent. And since 965, the Agats began to rebaptize Armenians converting to it from Orthodoxy.

Main disagreements with Orthodoxy:

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

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

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

Is the Armenian direction of Monophysitism different from its other types?

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

1) Siroyakovites, Copts and Malabarians of the Sevirian tradition. 2) Armenian Gregorian Agats (Etchmiadzin and Cilician Catholics). 3) Ethiopian (Ethiopian and Eritrean “churches”).

AGAC in the past differed from the rest of the non-Chalcedonian Monophysites; even Sevier of Antioch itself was anathematized by the Armenians in the 4th century. at one of the Dvina Councils as an insufficiently consistent Monophysite. The theology of the Agats was significantly influenced by aphthartodocetism (the heretical doctrine of the incorruptibility of the body of Jesus Christ from the moment of the Incarnation).

Currently, some Armenians are more likely to show interest in the history of Armenian Christological thought, those who deliberately transferred from the AGAC to Orthodoxy , moreover, both in Armenia itself and in Russia.

Today, a dogmatic dialogue is hardly possible at all with the AGAC; they are ready to discuss issues social service, pastoral practice, various problems of social and church life, but he shows no interest in discussing dogmatic issues. Unfortunately, representatives of the AGAC have placed themselves outside the Church of Christ; as a result, it has become self-isolated and separated from Universal Church a one-national church that has communion in faith only with Monophysite heretical churches.

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

— Through repentance and a special rite. This is an ancient practice; this is how non-Chalcedonites were received in the era of the Ecumenical Councils.

In 354, the first Council of the Armenian Church took place, condemning Arianism and confirming its adherence to Orthodoxy. IN 366 year the Church of Armenia, which was before in canonical depending on Caesarea See Byzantium, received autocephaly (independence).

In 387, Greater 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 into National language worship, Holy Bible, works of the Church Fathers.

Representatives of the Armenian Church were present at the I and II Ecumenical Councils; decisions were also made III. But now the IV Ecumenical Council, held in 451 in the city of Chalcedon, took place without the participation of the Armenian bishops and for this reason they did not know the exact resolutions 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 theological terms, the Armenian teachers first fell into error without intent. However, the Armenian Council in Dovin in 527 decided to recognize Christ one nature and, thereby, unambiguously 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 part of Armenians remained in communion with the Universal Church, coming under the subordination of the Patriarchate of Constantinople.

In 591, Armenia was divided as a result of the Persian attack. 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) Orthodox Catholicosate. He was opposed Monophysite Catholicosate, located in the city of Dvin, on Persian territory, and the Persians artificially supported it so that there would be no unity with the Byzantine Orthodox Armenians, however, there were also many Orthodox Armenians on Persian territory. During the Byzantine-Persian war 602-609. The Orthodox Catholicate 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.

Repression not eradicated Orthodox faith among Armenians. In 630, the Council of Karin took place, at which the Armenian Church officially returned to Orthodoxy. After the Arab conquests in 726, the Agats 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 Georgia found themselves under the jurisdiction of the Georgian Church. In the 9th 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 Council, the Church of Armenia returned to Orthodoxy again, however, thirty years later, by the decision of the new Catholicos Hovhannes V, deviated towards Monophysitism.

In the 11th century in Armenia the number of departments consisting of in communication with Constantinople, in this period Orthodoxy began to prevail among Armenians. After the invasion of the Seljuk Turks in the second half of the 11th century Orthodox Armenians found themselves in jurisdiction Georgian Patriarch, and after a century and a half their bishops are already called and perceived as “Georgian”.

The last attempt to return the Armenian Church to Orthodoxy was made in 1178. Its hierarchs at the Council convened by Emperor Manuel Komnenos 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 Armenians outside Cilicia, ended in a split in the Armenian Church, resulting in the emergence of the Armenian Catholic Church in 1198. Today, the majority of Armenians living in Armenia belong to the Agats.

Saint Ignatius Brianchaninov, who was at the Caucasian See, knew very well the state of affairs in the Armenian Church and the opinions of many Armenians, gravitated towards Orthodox faith. He said with great regret and sorrow that the Agats Church 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 mononationality The Armenian Church (which brought a sense of national exclusivity and contradicts the Gospel) only strengthened, grew and increased pride Armenian religion. About falsity proud the path of national exclusivity, God says in Scripture: “There is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free, but Christ is all and in all."(Col. 3:11). As you know, God proud resists and does not give them His saving grace (1 Peter 5:5) That is why we do not see in the AGAC such saints as Seraphim of Sarov, Matrona of Moscow and many other great saints whom the Orthodox Church gives birth to.

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

“I beseech you, brethren, beware of those who make divisions and temptations, contrary to the teachings which you have learned, and deviate from them; for such people serve not to our Lord Jesus Christ, but to my own belly, And flattery and eloquence deceive the hearts of the simple." (Rom. 16:17)

So, AGAC refers to communities that are not too far from us, but are not in complete unity. Due to certain historical circumstances, but, however, not without some human sin, after the IV Ecumenical Council of 451, it found itself among those communities that are called Monophysites, which did not accept the church truth that in a single hypostasis, in a single person incarnate The Son of God combines two natures: the Divine and the true human nature, unmerged and inseparable. It so happened that the AGAC, which was once part of the united Ecumenical Church, did not accept this teaching, but shared the teaching of the Monophysites, who recognize only one nature of the incarnate God the Word - the Divine. And although we can say that now the severity of those disputes of the 5th-6th centuries has largely become a thing of the past and that the modern theology of the Agats is far from the extremes of Monophysitism, nevertheless, there is still no complete unity in faith between us.

For example, the holy fathers of the Fourth Ecumenical Council of Chalcedon, which condemned the heresy of Monophysitism, are for us the holy fathers and teachers of the Church, and for representatives of the AGAC and other “ancient Eastern churches” - persons either anathematized (most often), or at least not enjoying doctrinal authority . For us, Dioscorus is an anathematized heretic, and for them, “like the father of saints.” At least from this it is already clear which traditions are inherited by the family of local Orthodox churches, and which are those that are called ancient Eastern. There are quite noticeable differences between the ancient Eastern churches themselves, and the degree of Monophysite influence is very different: let’s say, it is noticeably stronger in the Coptic churches (with all due respect to Egyptian monasticism, one cannot help but see a completely clear Monophysite influence among the Copts, especially among modern Coptic theologians), and Its traces in the 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 the Pillar and affirmation of the 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 one Church is true, and the other is not completely, or vice versa - and think about the consequences of this conclusion. The only thing that cannot be done is to sit on two chairs and say that the teachings are not identical, but in fact coincide, and that the one and a half thousand year divisions stem solely from inertia, political ambitions and reluctance to unite.

It follows from this that it is still impossible to receive communion alternately in the AGAC and in the Orthodox Church, and one must make a decision, and for this, study the doctrinal positions of the AGAC and the Orthodox Church.

Of course, it is impossible to formulate the theological creed of the AGAC in a short answer, and you would hardly expect this.

(By motherprot. Oleg Davydenkov and Pravosl. Encycl.)

The Christian world is so secularized that the European nations, which were once the stronghold of evangelical values, are called post-Christian civilization. The secularity of society makes it possible 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 fidelity to thousand-year-old ethnocultural 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 population are members of the Armenian Apostolic Church. This Christian community is one of the oldest in the world. Orthodox theologians classify the Transcaucasian community of believers among five other, so-called anti-Chalcedonian communities. The established theological definition does not provide a comprehensive answer to the question of what religion is in Armenia.

The Orthodox call the Armenians monophysites - recognizing in Christ one physical essence; Armenian Orthodox theologians accuse the Orthodox of the opposite. These dogmatic subtleties are understandable only to theologians. Upon closer examination, it turns out that the mutual accusations are wrong. Official name communities of believers in Armenia - “One Holy Ecumenical Apostolic Orthodox Armenian Church.”

The first Christian state in the world

A whole decade before the adoption of the Edict of Milan by the Great, in 301, King Trdat III broke relations with paganism and proclaimed Christianity as the state religion. During a time of terrible persecution of the followers of Jesus throughout the Roman Empire, the ruler took a decisive and unexpected step. This was preceded by turbulent events in Transcaucasia.

Emperor Diocletian officially proclaims Trdat king of Armenia, which was part of the Roman province of Cappadocia. In 287, through mediation, he returned to his homeland and assumed the throne. Being a pagan, Trdat begins to zealously fulfill the command to begin the persecution of Christians. The brutal 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 people occurred thanks to the educational activities of St. Gregory. He was a descendant of the noble Arksaid family. For his confession of faith, Gregory suffered many torments. Through the prayers of Saint Trdat, he was punished with mental illness for torturing Christian women. Gregory forced the tyrant to repent. After this, 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 churches and schools for preachers. In the capital of King Trdat III, by revelation from above, the saint founded a temple, which was later named Etchmiadzin. On behalf of the enlightener, the Armenian Church is called Gregorian.

Centuries of struggle

Christianity like official religion Armenia, became an irritant to the rulers of neighboring Persia. Iran has taken decisive action to eradicate new faith and the propagation of Zoroastrianism. This was greatly facilitated by pro-Persian landowners. From 337 to 345, Shapur II, having executed tens of thousands of Christians in Persia itself, made a series of devastating campaigns in Transcaucasia.

Shahinshah Yazdegerd II, wanting to strengthen his position in Transcaucasia, sent an ultimatum in 448. The Council of clergy and laity assembled in Artashat gave the answer that the Armenians recognize the secular power of the Persian ruler, but religion should remain inviolable. With 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 suspended. After this, 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 practice Christianity.

Administrative structure of the Armenian Apostolic Church

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

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

The residence of the Armenian Patriarch since 1441 is located in. The jurisdiction of the Catholicos includes dioceses in all CIS countries, as well as in Europe, Iran, Egypt, North and Australia and Oceania, vicariates in India and Far East. The Armenian patriarchs in Istanbul (Constantinople), Jerusalem and the Great House of Cilicia (modern Kozan in Turkey) are canonically subordinate to the Etchmiadzin Catholicosate.

Features of the Armenian Church

The Armenian Church is an almost mono-ethnic religious community: the overwhelming majority of believers are Armenians. The small Udin community in northern Azerbaijan and several thousand Azerbaijani Tats belong to this denomination. For the Bosha gypsies assimilated by Armenians, wandering in Transcaucasia and Syria, this is also their native religion. Armenia retains the Gregorian chronology of the church calendar.

The liturgical features are as follows:

• Bread for communion is used, as in the Catholic tradition, unleavened, and wine is not dissolved in water.
• The Liturgy is celebrated exclusively according to Sundays and under special circumstances.
• The sacrament of unction is performed only on clergy, and immediately after death.

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

Church and State

In accordance with the Constitution, Armenia is a secular state. A specific legislative act defining what Christianity is state religion Armenia, no. However, the spiritual and moral life of society cannot be imagined without the participation of the Church. Thus, Serzh Sargsyan considers 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 power both at the present historical stage and in the future.

Armenian legislation establishes certain restrictions on the freedom of activity of others religious denominations, 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 situation Apostolic Church as a national religious association.

Other religions

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

The small communities of Kurds, Azerbaijanis and Persians living in Armenia profess Islam. In Yerevan itself in 1766 the famous