When did Armenia adopt Christianity? The birth of Christianity in Armenia. Armenian Apostolic Church

2024 Author: Miguel Ramacey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 06:11

The Armenian Apostolic Church is one of the oldest in Christianity. When did Armenia adopt Christianity? There are several opinions of historians on this matter. However, they all consider dates close to 300 AD. It is believed that the apostles, the disciples of Jesus, brought this religion to Armenia.

According to the population census conducted in Armenia in 2011, about 95% of its inhabitants profess Christianity. The Armenian Apostolic Church has its own peculiarities regarding dogmatics, rituals, which distinguish it from both Byzantine Orthodoxy and Roman Catholicism. During worship, the Armenian rite is used.

More details about this church, as well as when Armenia converted to Christianity, will be discussed in the article.

Origins

The birth of Christianity in Armenia took place a very long time ago. The appearance of the very first Christians on the territory of this country is attributed to the first century of the newera. Armenia became the very first state in the whole world to officially become Christian. These events are closely connected with the names of St. Gregory the Illuminator and King Trdat.

But who brought Christianity to Armenia? According to legend, these were two apostles, followers of the teachings of Jesus - Thaddeus and Bartholomew. According to legend, at first Bartholomew preached together with the Apostle Philip in Asia Minor. Then he met Thaddeus in the Armenian city of Artashat, where they began to teach this people Christianity. The Armenian Church reveres them as its founders, therefore it is called "apostolic", that is, the recipient of the teachings of the apostles. They appointed Zakaria as the first bishop of Armenia, who performed this duty from 68 to 72.

Judas Thaddeus

Considering the question of how and when Armenia adopted Christianity, let's briefly dwell on the information about the life of Thaddeus and Bartholomew. The first of them has several more names: Judas Thaddeus, Yehuda Ben-Jacob, Judas Jacoblev, Levi. He was the brother of another of the twelve apostles - Jacob Alfeev. The Gospel of John describes a scene in which, during the Last Supper, Judas Thaddeus asks Christ about his future resurrection.

At the same time, in order to distinguish him from Judas, who betrayed the Teacher, he is named as "Judas, not Iscariot." This apostle preached in Arabia, Palestine, Mesopotamia, and Syria. After bringing the religious teaching to Armenia, he died there as a martyr in the 2nd half of the 1st century AD. It is assumed that his grave is located in the northwesternparts of Iran, in the monastery named after him. Part of the relics of Judas Thaddeus is kept in St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican.

Bartholomew Nathanael

That's the name of the Apostle Bartholomew. He was one of the first disciples of Jesus Christ. Artistically, he is depicted in clothes of light colors, decorated with a golden pattern. In his hand he holds a knife, which is a symbol of his martyrdom - Bartholomew was flayed. Apparently, he was a relative of the Apostle Philip, since it was he who led him to the Teacher. When Jesus saw Bartholomew, he said that he was an Israelite without guile.

Tradition tells of such a story of the death of this apostle. On the slander of the pagan priests, the brother of the Armenian king Astyages captured him in the city of Alban. Then Bartholomew was crucified upside down. However, even after that he did not stop his preaching. Then he was taken down from the cross, skinned alive and beheaded. The believers picked up the body parts of the apostle, placed them in a pewter shrine and buried them in the same city of Alban.

From the story of the two apostles it is clear that the path of Christians in Armenia to faith was not at all easy.

Gregory - Enlightener of Armenians

After the apostles, the main role in the spread of Christianity among Armenians belongs to Gregory the Illuminator, the saint who was the first to head the Armenian Church, becoming the Catholicos of all Armenians. The life of St. Gregory (including the story of the conversion to Christianity in Armenia) was described by the 4th-century author Agafangel. He also compiled a collectioncalled "The Book of Grigoris". It consists of 23 sermons attributed to this saint.

Agafangel says that Gregory Apak's father was bribed by the king of the Persians. He killed the Armenian king Khosrov, for which he himself and his entire family were exterminated. Only the youngest son was taken by the nurse to her homeland in Turkey, in Caesarea Cappadocia, which was the center of the spread of the Christian religion. There the boy was baptized, calling him Gregory.

Growing up, Gregory went to Rome to atone for the guilt of his father. There he began to serve the son of the murdered king, Tiridates. His name is also written as Trdat.

Baptism of the king

In the story about when Armenia adopted Christianity, an important role belongs to this character. Taking Roman legionnaires as military support, Tiridates arrived in Armenia in 287. Here he regained the throne as Tsar Trdat III. Initially, he was one of the most cruel persecutors of Christian believers.

Trdat for professing Christianity ordered to imprison St. Gregory in prison, where he languished for 13 years. It so happened that the king fell into madness, but with the help of Gregory's prayers, he was healed. After that, the king of Great Armenia believed in the One God, was baptized and declared Christianity the state religion. The eradication of the heritage of pre-Christian culture has begun throughout Armenia.

Next, let's talk about the opinions of various scholars about the specific year of the adoption of Christianity in Armenia.

Disputes of scientists

As mentioned above, there is no consensus among researchers on this issue. Here are the views of the most famous of them.

• Traditionally it is believed that Armenia adopted Christianity in 301. Based on this, the 1700th anniversary of this date was celebrated by Armenians in 2001.
• The encyclopedia "Iranica" says that there are problems in the issue of dating. Previously, the date corresponding to the year 300 was called, and later researchers began to attribute this event to 314–315. Although this assumption is quite probable, it does not have sufficient evidence.
• As for the "Encyclopedia of early Christianity", then in it as the date adopted today, the 314th year is called. This version is maintained by the authors of The Cambridge History of Christianity.
• Polish Armenologist K. Stopka believes that the decision to convert to a new religion was made at a meeting in Vagharshapat, held in 313.
• According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, Armenia, the first to adopt Christianity at the state level, did so around the year 300.
• Historian K. Trever names the time span between 298 and 301.
• American historian N. Garsoyan points out that, starting from the second half of the 20th century, the date of the Christianization of Armenia was considered the year 284, then scientists began to lean more towards the year 314. However, more recent research suggests a later date.

As you can see, the date of the adoption of ChristianityArmenia has not yet been finally established, the work of researchers continues. There is an opinion of the Armenian Church itself, which calls the year 301.

Armenian alphabet and Bible

The adoption of the Christian faith was a stimulus for the appearance of writing among the Armenians. It was necessary in order to translate the Bible and other religious literature. Until that moment, Christian services in Armenia were performed in two languages - Syro-Aramaic and Greek. This made it very difficult for ordinary people to understand and assimilate the basics of the dogma.

Besides this, there was another factor. By the end of the 4th century, the weakening of the Armenian kingdom was observed. The translation of the Holy Scriptures has become essential if Christianity can survive as the dominant religion in the country.

During the time of Catholicos Sahak Partev, a church council was convened in Vagharshapat, where it was decided to create the Armenian alphabet. As a result of long labors, Archimandrite Mesrop created the Armenian alphabet in 405. Together with his students, he made many translations of the Holy Scriptures into Armenian. The archimandrite and other translators were canonized as saints. Every year the church celebrates the day of the Holy Translators.

The oldest Christian church in Armenia

One of the most significant religious and cultural centers of Armenia is Vagharshapat. This is a city located in the Armavir region. Its founder is King Vagharsh. The city has become the spiritual center of the Armenian people since the beginning of the 4th century. homethe attraction here is the Etchmiadzin Cathedral. Translated from Armenian, “Echmiadzin” means “Descent of the Only Begotten.”

This is the most important and one of the oldest temples of Christianity, where the throne of the Supreme Catholicos is located. According to legend, the place for its construction was indicated to Gregory the Illuminator by Jesus himself, from where its name was taken.

Construction and restoration

It was erected in the 4th-5th centuries and has gone through a lot of reconstructions. Initially, it was a rectangle in plan, and after reconstruction it became a cathedral with central domes. Over time, the building was supplemented with such large structural details as a bell tower, rotundas, sacristy, and other buildings.

The cathedral was built and rebuilt for more than one century. At first it was wooden, and in the 7th century it became stone. In the 20th century, a new marble altar was built, and the church floor was laid out with it. Also, the interior paintings were updated and supplemented here.