| Presenting the ~ Light of Christ ~ of the Holy Armenian Church |
| ~ Looys Kreesdosee ~ |
| The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death, light has dawned. (S. Madteos 4:16) |
| St. Gregory: The Illuminator of Armenia ~AD 301~ The first Christian Nation |
| Armenians have a recorded history of over three thousand years and are the bearers of an ethnic and cultural patrimony which distinguishes them as one of the most ancient, continuous people in the world. Armenia's majestic Mount Ararat is the place where Noah's Ark rested, making our historic homeland in eastern Anatolia a cradle of civilization. But more important than these is the fact that after two centuries of intense persecution upon those who adhered to the faith brought there by the Holy Apostles Thaddaeus and Bartholomew, Armenia became the first nation on earth to "turn to God from idols, to serve the living and true God." This definitive conversion of the nation, in A.D. 301, was accomplished through the preaching and sufferings of Saint Gregory the Illuminator who established the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church in Armenia. The Apostolic Authority given by Christ to His Apostles was passed on through Sts. Thaddaeus and Bartholomew to their chosen successors: the first bishops, and ultimately to the first Catholicos-Patriarch of the Armenian Church: St. Gregory the Illuminator. Today one his successors, Catholicos-Patriarch Nerses Bedros, is in full communion with the Pope of Rome. Thus in the U.S.A., there are three Armenian canonical jurisdictions: the Diocese, the Prelacy and the Eparchy (an autonomous Eastern Catholic Church). Together with the other historic Orthodox and Catholic Churches we comprise the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church of our God and Savior Jesus Christ (Eph. 4:4-6). Today western influences have greatly impacted our Church and people. Many Armenians in the west are sophisticated in everything except knowledge of their faith. Others study our Church and Tradition like an artifact in a museum or a specimen in a science lab. But unless we allow our orthodox faith, liturgy, hymns, feasts and fasts to be internalized in our hearts and actualized in our lives, they do us no good. As Eastern Christians, our faith and liturgy must be a meaningful part of our daily lives and impact all that we do. Today, many Armenians have lost, drifted away from or abandoned that Holy Faith which Saint Gregory once preached, turning back again to the idols of this world: materialism, secularism and even atheism. We need a New Illumination in order to turn again from darkness to the light of the knowledge of God -as we pray in our Liturgy. To accomplish this we need to return to the roots of our faith, the same ancient faith once preached by the Apostles and Church Fathers. Our Holy Translators, led by Sts. Sahag and Mesrob, not only translated the Bible into Armenian, they also translated the Divine Liturgy and the writings of the Church Fathers. They did this in order to ensure that the Armenian faithful received the fullness of the Orthodox Faith. Therefore in order to re-embrace this fullness, we must study not only the Holy Scriptures and Armenian writers but also the Liturgy and the teachings of the same Church Fathers endorsed by our Holy Translators and canonized by the Armenian Church. As the early Church Father, St. Cyprian of Carthage, said, "No one can have God for his Father, who does not have the Church for his mother." We need to rediscover that the Church, as St. Paul wrote, is the “pillar and foundation of truth” (1 Tm 3:15). We must embrace this "once for all delivered faith" to ensure that we remain true, ultimately, to Jesus Christ and the Holy Faith which He established (St. Jude 1:3). This web-site is meant, in some small way, to contribute to this mission. |
| The following pages of this site are for your perusal: FAITH: The Orthodox Faith of the Armenian Church The Holy Scriptures in the Armenian Church The Holy Theological Tradition of the Eastern Church HOPE: The Divine Liturgy & Services of the Armenian Church An Orthodox Christian Understanding of the Armenian Genocide Ecumenical Church Links Page CHARITY: The Soorp Stepanos Deacon's Page The Brotherhood of St. Nerses & St. Hripsimeh |
| Thank you for visiting this site. The web-servant: Rev. Sub-Deacon Lazarus W. Der-Ghazarian, B.N.H. is a member of the Armenian Catholic Eparchy of the U.S.A & Canada & has his Eparch's permission to assist in the Byzantine Catholic Church |
| St. Thaddaeus the Apostle One of the "1st Illuminators" of Armenia: Martyred c. AD 50 |
| St. Bartholomew the Apostle One of the "1st Illuminators" of Armenia: Martyred c. AD 68 |
| This is a personal web-site. The views expressed herein are those of the authors. To the best of my knowledge they are in full accord with authentic Holy Tradition. You may contact me with any questions or concerns (St. Mt. 18:15-17). Copyright 2001-2012 |
| Khatchkar: Traditional Armenian Stone Carving of the Holy Cross |
| As for us, we shall glorify Him who was before the ages, worshipping the All=Holy Trinity and one Godhead, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and always and unto the ages of ages. Amen. -The Words of St. Gregory the Illuminator in his acceptance of the 1st Ecumenical Council |
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| Holy Icons (Surpabadger) of those who first brought Christ's Light to the Armenian people. |
