The Armenian Apostolic Church is one of the oldest in Christianity. When did Armenia adopt Christianity? There are several opinions of historians on this subject. However, they all consider dates close to the 300th year of our era. It is believed that this religion was brought to Armenia by the apostles - the disciples of Jesus.
According to the census conducted in Armenia in 2011, about 95% of its residents profess Christianity. The Armenian Apostolic Church has its own peculiarities regarding dogma and rituals that distinguish it from Byzantine Orthodoxy and from Roman Catholicism. During the service, the Armenian rite is used.
Read more about this church, as well as when Armenia adopted Christianity, will be described in the article.
The origins
The origin of Christianity in Armenia took a very long time. The appearance of the very first Christians in this country dates back to the first century of a new era. Armenia became the very first state in the whole world that officially became 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 these people Christianity. The Armenian Church honors them as its founders, therefore it is called the “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 years.
Judah Thaddeus
Considering the question of how and when Armenia adopted Christianity, we briefly dwell on information about the life of Thaddeus and Bartholomew. The first of them has several more names: Judas Thaddeus, Yehuda Ben-Jacob, Judah Jacob, Levi. He was the brother of another of the twelve apostles - James Alpheev. The Gospel of John describes a scene in which, during the Last Supper, Judas Thaddeus asks Christ about his future resurrection.
Moreover, in order to distinguish him from Judas, who betrayed the Teacher, he was named as “Judas, not Iscariot.” This apostle preached in Arabia, Palestine, Mesopotamia, Syria. After bringing religious teachings to Armenia, he died there as a martyr in the 2nd half of the 1st century AD. It is believed that his grave is located in the northwestern part of Iran, in a monastery named after him. Part of the relics of Judah Thaddeus is kept in St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican.
Bartholomew Nathanael
That is the name of the Apostle Bartholomew. He was one of the first disciples of Jesus Christ. He is artistically portrayed in clothes of light colors, decorated with a gold pattern. In his hand he holds a knife, which is a symbol of his martyrdom - they removed skin from Bartholomew. Apparently, he was a relative of the Apostle Philip, since it was he who brought him to the Master. When Jesus saw Bartholomew, he said that he was an Israelite in whom there was no deceit.
Tradition tells of such a story of the death of this apostle. According to the slander of the pagan priests, the brother of the king of Armenians Astyages captured him in the city of Alban. Then Bartholomew was crucified upside down. However, even after that he did not stop his sermon. Then he was lifted from the cross, they stripped the skin of him alive and beheaded. Believers picked up parts of the apostle's body, placed them in a tin cancer, and buried them in the same city of Alban.
The history of the two apostles shows that the path of Christians in Armenia to faith was not at all simple.
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 lead the Armenian Church, becoming the Catholicos of all Armenians. The life of St. Gregory (including the story of the conversion to Christianity of Armenia) was described by Agafangel, the author of the 4th century. He also compiled a collection called The Book of Gregoris. It consists of 23 sermons attributed to this saint.
Agafangel says that the father of Gregory Apak was bribed by the king of the Persians. He killed the Armenian king Khosrov, for which both he and his whole family were exterminated. Only the youngest son the nurse managed to take away to her homeland in Turkey, to Caesarea Cappadocia, which was the center of the spread of the Christian religion. There the boy was christened, calling him Gregory.
Having matured, Gregory went to Rome to atone for the guilt of his father. There he began to serve the son of the murdered king - Tiridat. His name is also spelled as Trdat.
Baptism of the king
In the story of when Armenia adopted Christianity, an important role belongs to this character. Having taken Roman legionnaires as military support, Tiridat arrived in Armenia in 287. Here he regained his throne as king of Trdat III. Initially, he was one of the most cruel persecutors of Christian believers.
Trdat for the practice of Christianity ordered the imprisonment of St. Gregory in prison, where he languished for 13 years. It so happened that the king fell into madness, but through the prayers of Gregory he was healed. After that, the king of Great Armenia believed in the One God, received baptism and declared Christianity the state religion. Throughout Armenia, the eradication of the heritage of pre-Christian culture has begun.
Next, we will talk about the opinions of various scholars about a particular year of adoption of Christianity in Armenia.
Disputes of scientists
As mentioned above, among researchers there is no consensus on this issue. We give the views of the most famous of them.
- It is traditionally believed that Armenia adopted Christianity in 301. Based on this, the 1700th anniversary of this date was celebrated by the Armenians in 2001.
- In the encyclopedia "Iranika" it is said that there are problems in the matter of dating. Previously, the date corresponding to the 300th year was called, and researchers related to later ones began to attribute this event to 314-315 years. Although this assumption is likely, it does not have sufficient evidence.
- As for the Encyclopedia of Early Christianity, it refers to the 314th year as the date accepted to date. This version is supported by the authors of The Cambridge History of Christianity.
- Polish armenologist K. Stopka believes that the decision to switch 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 this around the 300th year.
- The historian C. Trever calls the time interval between the 298th and 301th year.
- The American historian N. Garsoyan points out that, starting from the second half of the 20th century, the Christianization date of Armenia was considered the 284th year, then scientists began to lean more toward the 314th. However, more thorough studies conducted recently indicate a later date.
As you can see, the date of the adoption of Christianity by Armenia is not yet fully established, the work of researchers continues. There is an opinion of the Armenian Church itself, which calls 301 the year.
Armenian alphabet and bible
The adoption of the Christian faith was an incentive for the emergence of written language among Armenians. It was necessary in order to translate the Bible and other religious literature. Until that moment, Christian services in Armenia were held in two languages - Syro-Aramaic and Greek. This greatly complicated the understanding and assimilation of the principles of dogma by ordinary people.
In addition, there was another factor. Towards the end of the 4th century, the weakening of the Armenian kingdom was observed. The translation of the Holy Scriptures became necessary so that Christianity could survive as the dominant religion in the country.
During the time of Catholicos Sahak Partev, a church cathedral was convened in Vagharshapat, where it was decided to create the Armenian alphabet. As a result of long work, Archimandrite Mesrop created the Armenian alphabet in the year 405. Together with his students, he made many translations of the Holy Scripture into the Armenian language. Archimandrite and other translators were saints. The church annually celebrates the Day of Holy Translators.
The oldest Christian temple 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 IV century. The main attraction here is the Etchmiadzin Cathedral. Translated from Armenian, "Etchmiadzin" means "Descent of the Only Begotten."
This is the most important and one of the oldest temples of Christianity, where the throne of Horse Catalikos is located. According to legend, the place for its construction was indicated to Gregory the Enlightener by Jesus himself, from where his name was taken.
Construction and restoration
It was erected in the IV – V centuries, survived a lot of reconstructions. Initially, in plan it was a rectangle, and after perestroika it became a cathedral with central domes. Over time, the structure was supplemented with such large structural details as a bell tower, rotundas, a sacristy, and other buildings.
The cathedral was built and rebuilt for centuries. At first it was wooden, and in the 7th century it became stone. In the XX century, a new altar was built of marble, they also laid out the church floor. Also, internal paintings were updated and supplemented here.