Difference between revisions of "Church of Armenia"

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==External links==
 
==External links==
* [http://www.armenianchurchwd.com/ Western Diocece of the Armenian Church of North America]
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* [http://www.armenianchurchwd.com/ Western Diocese of the Armenian Church of North America]
* [http://www.armenianchurch.net Eastern Diocece of the Armenian Church of America]
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* [http://www.armenianchurch.net/ Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church of America]
* [http://www.stnersess.edu St. Nersess Armenian Seminary]
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* [http://www.stnersess.edu/ St. Nersess Armenian Seminary]
* [http://www.stvartanbookstore.com St. Vartan Bookstore]
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* [http://www.stvartanbookstore.com/ St. Vartan Bookstore]
 
* [http://www.cnewa.org/ecc-bodypg.aspx?eccpageID=5&IndexView=toc Eastern Christian Churches: Armenian Apostolic Church] by Ronald Roberson, a Roman Catholic priest and scholar
 
* [http://www.cnewa.org/ecc-bodypg.aspx?eccpageID=5&IndexView=toc Eastern Christian Churches: Armenian Apostolic Church] by Ronald Roberson, a Roman Catholic priest and scholar
 
* [http://www.armeniapedia.org/index.php?title=Armenian_Apostolic_Church Armeniapedia - Armenian Apostolic Church]
 
* [http://www.armeniapedia.org/index.php?title=Armenian_Apostolic_Church Armeniapedia - Armenian Apostolic Church]

Revision as of 01:39, December 12, 2005

The Church of Armenia, sometimes called the Armenian Apostolic Church or the Armenian Orthodox Church is one of the Oriental Orthodox churches. It separated from the Eastern Orthodox Church in AD 506, after the Council of Chalcedon (AD 451).

Liturgically, the Church has much in common with the Roman Catholic Church. For example, their bishops wear vestments almost identical to those of Western bishops. The Armenian Apostolic Church should not, however, be confused with the Armenian Catholic Church, which is in union with the Roman Catholic Church. They also typically do not use a full iconostasis, but rather a curtain.

Coptic Orthodox Cross

Churches of the Oriental
Orthodox Communion

Autocephalous Churches
Armenia | Alexandria | Ethiopia | Antioch | India | Eritrea
Autonomous Churches
Armenia: Cilicia | Jerusalem | Constantinople
Antioch: Jacobite Indian


History

Christianity in Armenia

Tradition tells us that the Apostles Thaddeus and Bartholomew first brought Christianity to the land of the Armenians in the first century. However, it would not be for about 200 more years that Armenia would become the first country to adopt Christianity as a state religion, in AD 301, when St. Gregory the Illuminator, a missionary from Caesarea, converted the king of Armenia, Trdat IV, to Christianity. In time, St. Gregory was sent back to Caesarea to be elevated to the episcopate and returned to Armenia as the first Catholicos (or "universal" bishop of an area). Gregory’s son, Aristakes, attended the First Ecumenical Council at Nicea in AD 325.

In addition to the obvious spiritual benefits which resulted from the "baptism" of Armenia, this conversion aided in unifying various ethnic groups into a cohesive Armenian identity. The Armenian Church was instrumental in the early missions to neighboring Georgia and Albania.

The Council of Chalcedon

Together with the other churches that have come to be called Oriental Orthodox churches, the Church of Armenia split with Orthodoxy in the 5th Century, rejecting the dogmas of the Council of Chalcedon regarding Christ's two natures. They are sometimes called Monophysites, however this is a term that they reject, preferring to be called "Non-Chalcedonian," since they do claim that Christ did indeed have two natures.

The Armenian Genocide

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Leadership

The hierarch of the Armenian Church is the Catholicos of Armenia. The current Catholicos is Garegin II, who resides in the city of Echmiadzin, west of Yerevan. However, a minority of the church has recognized instead the Catholicos of Cilicia, who resides in Antilyas in Lebanon, as a result of a dispute that emerged while Armenia was under Communist rule.

Armenian Christianity Outside of Armenia

Today there are large Armenian Orthodox congreations in many middle-eastern countries outside Armenia. Of particular importance is the Armenian Apostolic Church of Iran, where Armenians are the largest Christian ethnic minority. The Armenian Church also is one of the churches (together with the Orthodox Church, the Roman Catholic Church, the Copts, Ethiopians and Syrians) which cooperates in the use and administration of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre (Jerusalem).

In America, the Armenian Church maintains St. Vartan Cathedral in New York City, and St. Nersess Seminary in New Rochelle, NY. The latter cooperates very closely with St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary (Crestwood, New York).

Resources

Sources

External links