Armenian Christian Identity

Armenia has a strong religious identity deeply rooted in Christianity. The first Christian nation, Armenia officially adopted Christianity as its state religion in 301 AD. Around 98% of the population belong to the Apostolic Orthodox church ¹. Faith in Christ has been instrumental in forming the Armenian national identity and has contributed to its cultural uniqueness.

The Armenian Apostolic Orthodox Church has played an immense role in the political, social and cultural life of the Armenian people throughout the course of history. Situated on the crossroads between East and West, Armenia has been caught between three large competing empires - Iran, Turkey and Russia – and as such, its history has been largely defined by war and invasion. Under foreign domination, the Armenian Church and Christian faith have been strong anchors for Armenians in Armenia and in the diaspora, shaping their national identity and unique ancient culture.

The History of the Armenian Apostolic Church

Prior to Christianity, there were two main religions in Armenia: Armenian paganism and Zoroastrianism. Although the advent of Christianity saw the gradual decline of both, their influences have survived in folk custom and in Church ritual, for example at the celebration of the Ascension².

The history of the Armenian Christian church is considered to have its beginnings with the apostles Thaddeus and Bartholomew who preached the Gospel of Jesus Christ throughout the region in the second half of the first century. Armenia was the first country to adopt Christianity as national religion in 301 AD when St. Gregory the Illuminator, a descendant of a noble house in Parthia and brought up as a Christian in Cappadocia, baptized the King Tiridates III in the Aratsani river, and formally established the Church. The first Bishop, he established the Armenian nation’s Holy See in Vagharshapat, today known as the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, located 25 km from Armenia’s capital, Yerevan. St. Gregory is called the Illuminator for ‘enlightening the nation with the light of the gospel’ and is considered the first Catholicos (patriarch) of the Armenian Apostolic Orthodox Church³.

After the invention of the Armenian alphabet in 406 AD by St. Mesrob Mashtots, the Holy Translators (St. Mesrob Mashtots, St. Sahag and their disciples) began to translate the Holy Bible into Armenian. Their work was completed in 439 AD making the Bible and the faith accessible to all the Armenians. This era is known as the Golden Age of Armenian history because the Christianization of Armenia and the creation of the national alphabet were two of the most important decisive factors in shaping Armenian national identity and Armenian intellectual, literary and artistic history.

One of the most significant events in Armenian Christianity, the Battle of Avarair, took place in the Armenian Kingdom of Vaspurakan in 451 AD. Faced growing pressure from Persian King Yazdegert II to renounce Christ and embrace Zoroastrianism⁴ the Armenians rebelled in the first example of armed self-defense of Christianity anywhere in the world. Under the command of Vardan Mamikonian, and heavily outnumbered, Armenian soldiers, monks, and civilians, including women, fought the Persian army. Although defeated on the battlefield, it proved to be a strategic victory for the Armenians and led to the Nvarsak treaty of 484 AD which affirmed the right of the Armenian nation to practice Christianity freely.

The following centuries were difficult periods in Armenian history, and Armenia was subject to foreign domination, starting with Persian rule, 430-634 AD, and later Arab conquest, c. 654-851 AD. An independent Kingdom was established under Bagratid rule in 886 AD, however, after repeated attacks it finally fell to the Byzantines in 1045 AD, then Seljuk Turks in 1071 AD.

As the Bagratuni Kingdom fell, and to avoid Seljuk occupation, a number of Armenian princes escaped and sought refuge in Cilicia, a region in the Taurus Mountain range on the Mediterranean Sea. An area with a historically strong Armenian presence, it became a Princedom (later Kingdom) in 1080 AD. Known as Armenia Minor, the new Armenian state established a close relationship with Europe, in particular France, and was heavily influenced by European politics, religion and culture, including the tradition of knighting Armenian nobles. Cilicia played an important role during the crusades, providing assistance and shelter for the crusaders on their way to Jerusalem. Cilican Armenia survived for three centuries, however, it was eventually weakened by attacks from the Turks and Mongols and finally fell to the Egyptian Mameluks in 1375 AD.

After the fall of Cilicia, historical Armenia, or Greater Armenia, was subject to Mongol, Turkmen and Ottoman domination. Persecution and martyrdom become common occurrences and social, political and religious repression led to the development of a national liberation movement. Facing increasing international pressure to protect Armenians in Anatolia, the 19th century saw the development of a new state policy in the Ottoman empire to end the ‘Armenian question.’ The development of Muslim fundamentalism, forced conversions and Islamization of Armenians, anti-Armenian propaganda, and censorship ended in 1895-1896, with the large-scale and systematic massacres of Armenians ordered by Sultan Abdülhamid II.

In what has been described as one of the first genocides of the modern era, one of the greatest tragedies in Armenian history came with the outbreak of World War I. Between 1915 and 1923, Christian minorities throughout Anatolia were persecuted. Over 1.5 million Armenians and a total of more than 3.5 million Armenians, Greeks and Assyrians were killed in the most horrific conditions.⁵

The French ambassador in the Empire at that time described Turkey as “literally in flames,” with “massacres everywhere” and all Christians being murdered “without distinction⁶.” Numerous eyewitness accounts, historical evidence, and research demonstrate that the Ottoman massacres were of religious character. The Armenian people were seen as an obstacle to creation of a Turkish Nation and Pan-Turkic expansionist and unification aims — featuring heavily in the Young Turk and Kemalist ideology, these were policies that lead to the Armenian Genocide⁷.

Armenian Christian Identity

A striking feature of Armenian national identity is, in the face of persecution, their insistence on keeping true to their Christian faith and identity, even when threatened with death.

“In truth, the number of disciples who shed their blood for Christ during the tragic events of the last century is certainly greater than that of the martyrs of the first centuries, and in this martyrology the children of the Armenian nation have a place of honour”⁸, said Pope Francis in his speech during his meeting with His Holiness Karekin II, the Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of all Armenians.

Archbishop Aram Keshishian, Catholicos of Cilicia since 1995, wrote: “Confessing Christ has become the quintessence of our history. The history of the Armenian Church in all its manifestations and achievements, conflicts, and struggles, is in the fullest sense of the term the history of confessing Christ in action. All the spheres of our life were touched by the transforming power of Christ. The Armenian culture with its spiritual depth and transcendent dynamism has provided the Church with creative insights and new perspectives and horizons in terms of integrating Christ into the ethos of the Nation”⁹.

Armenian culture is rife with Christian elements: its architecture, literature, music, art and textiles, reveal how devoted Armenians are to their religious identity, how they cherish it and endeavor to preserve it.

There are hundreds of ancient churches, some dating back to the 5th century, with Khachkars, or cross-stones, similar in nature to the Celtic cross, scattered across Armenia and its historic lands. There is a strong tradition of Christian theological and philosophical literature, and ancient church hymns and works of art are witness to the Armenian Christian Identity. “Narek”, the Book of Lamentations written in 1002-1003AD by Armenian monk and theologian Gregory of Narek is considered to be one of the masterpieces of Christian spiritual literature. Many such ancient manuscripts are displayed at the Matenadaran, a research institute and museum dedicated to St. Mesrop Mashtots which holds largest collection of Armenian manuscripts in the world. The National Art Gallery, also in Yerevan has more than thousands of works that date back to the Middle Ages, representing biblical characters and demonstrating the religious aspects of life.

Christian principles can be seen throughout Armenian society today. Christian doctrine and morality have shaped Armenian culture with values such as hospitality, friendship, strong family ties, respect for the elderly, as well as honour, peace and tolerance a part of every-day life.