Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Why do we observe the Sabboth on Sunday when the Armenian word for Saturday – Shapat – is similar to the Hebrew word for Sabbath – Shabas or Shabat?

This section in the Divine Liturgy is referred to as the Diptychas, which is a Greek derivative from di, meaning two andptychon, meaning folder. The reading was originally presented aloud from a two-leaved folder, on which the names of the saints were written. For a brief history and commentary on the liturgical symbolism and significance of the diptychs Abp. Tiran Nersoyan’s notes on the Divine Liturgy, (Divine Liturgy, 1950, pp. 307-308) are very useful. The following is a section of tat note that explains the Biblical foundation of why we pray for the deceased, be they saints or ordinary folk:

St. Paul says that the Eucharist is an anticipation of God’s judgment. It is an occasion on which God’s judgment is pre-exercised (1 Cor. 11:29-32). The judgment is the act of God by which each soul receives his reward or punishment in accordance with his merits in the sight of God. The judgment moreover is the moment when the souls of the faithful “are gathered together” in the Kingdom of Heaven. That is the reason why the dead are mentioned in the Holy Sacrifice.

The souls of those who have died in Christ and the souls of the saints belong to the corporate body of Christ, i.e., the Church, and therefore they cannot be left out of any vital act of the Church. Prayers “for them that are asleep in Christ” will link their souls with those of the living, so that “the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love (Eph. 4:16).

Thus the Diptychs signify and emphasize the fact that the souls of the dead are part of the living body of Christ and that they also rise with Christ.

When the general intercessions are made during the Diptychs, the faithful should remember and pray for the faithful of the past ages, who lived and died in Christ and who carried forward and handed down the faith to the succeeding generations. The members of the congregation would recall and realize the fact that they belong to the same spiritual family under the fatherhood of God and that the souls of the dead in Christ speak and work in and through them.

During the Special Intercessions each one of the faithful should remember and pray for their own dead, belonging to the immediate circle of their family, relatives, friends, and acquaintances. They should also especially remember and pray for them for which the prayers of the congregation have been requested through announcement in the church.

In the earliest Armenian liturgy from first decades of the fifth century, which is attributed to St. Basil, bishop of Caesarea, the Diptychs consisted of a long prayer, wherein the celebrant mentions only the names of the bishop (hayrabed in Armenian) and the presiding king(s). This does not mean that the diptychs at the time did not include the names of martyrs and saints. On the contrary, there is evidence in the works of our fifth century writers that the names of saints and martyrs were indeed mentioned during the Diving Liturgy, but these names were not included in the written text of the liturgy.

During the second half of the fifth century, the Liturgy of St. Basil was replaced with another Cappadocian Liturgy, which forms the core of our present liturgy. Some of the anmes mentioned during the Diptychs were incorporated in the text of the liturgy. The text that we have from the 10^th century includes the names of the Holy Mother-of-God, John the Baptist, Stephen the Proto-martyr, Peter, Paul and St. Gregory the Illuminator. These were the only names mentioned during the Divine Liturgy under ordinary circumstances. But Bishop Khosrov of Antzev (10^th century), in his Commentary on the Divine Liturgy (St. Vartan Press, 1991), instructs that besides the Mother-of-God,St. John the Baptist andSt. Stephen, the names of other saints should be mentioned only on Easter Sunday and be grouped according to categories, such as patriarchs, prophets, apostles, bishops, martyrs, priests, deacons, chosen women, women martyrs, saintly kings, saintly princes, holy vartabeds, virtuous fathers and martyrs, abbots and all the ascetics.

During the period from the 10^th century to the end of the 12^th century, the names of a select list of saints representing some of the above categories, and for the most part corresponding to the names we mention in our present practice, were incorporated into the text of the Divine Liturgy.

First and foremost among the saints mentioned during the Diptychs is the Holy Mother-of-God because of her special relationship with Christ. The Holy Virgin is greatly venerated by the Christians of the East and particularly Armenians, who have many churches and monasteries dedicated to her. The first and foremost among thee is the Cathedral of Holy Etchmiadzin. During the liturgical year we commemorate Mary’s Mothehood on January 5, her Conception by the Holy Spirit on April 7, the discovery of her chest on the fifth Sunday after Pentecost, her birth on September 8, her Dormition and Ssumption on the Sunday nearest August 15, the discovery of her belt on the third Sunday after the Assumption, her presentation in the temple on November 21, and her conception by St. Ann on December 9. In the fifth/sixth centuries, the feasts of the Virgin were all held during the Octave of Theophany, that is, the period from January 6 to January 13.

The Holy Virgin’s name is followed by those of two other biblical figures, St.Johnthe Baptist and St. Stephen the proto-martyr. In the Armenian Chruch St.John is honored not only as the person who baptized Christ, but also as Christ’s fore3runner [Garabed].St. John is also very popular among the Armenians, since his relives were brought by St. Gregory the Illuminator and distributed to various sites inArmenia where churches and monasteries were built bearing his name. The side altar in the southern apse of the Cathedral of Holy Etchmiadzin is dedicated to him. He is commemorated on at least three different occasions during the course of the liturgical year; his birth is noted right after the Octave of Theophany, his execution is marked six days after Easter, and the laying of his relives eleven days after Pentecost.

St.Stephen, as his epithet indicates, is the first martyr of the newly established Christian Church. St. Stephen was also a popular saint inArmenia, which many churches and monasteries dedicated to him. The side altar in the northern apse of the Cathedral of Holy Etchmiadzin and the ancient vestry/chapel attached to the north wall of St. James Cathedral inJerusalemare dedicated to him. He is commemorated in late December.

The present litany of the deacon does not include any names for the listed categories of apostles, prophets, [deceased] vartabeds, martyrs, patriarch, bishops, presbyters and deacons. Names of such people were probably excluded because of the growing number of saints in these categories. Instead we now mention the name(s) of the saint(s) on whose day of commemoration the Divine Liturgy is being celebrated. In the Eastern World the Divine Liturgy is rarely celebrated during the week when the saints’ commemorations are observed. But in the monasteries the Divine Liturgy was frequently celebrated on weekdays for the souls of benefactors, and in Holy Jerusalem it is still celebrated on a daily basis over the tome of Christ and elsewhere. During such liturgies the saint(s) whose name(s) is/are registered in the official calendar of the church [Donatsooyts] is/are mentioned during the Diptychs.

The leaders of our church deserved special attention, since among them were the great fathers and saints of our church. Among these are the two Apostles of Armenia, Sts. Thaddeus and Bartholomew, who were the first to have preached the faith in our country. It’s curious that the lat 12^th century text of the liturgy used by Archbishop Nerses of Lampron does not include the name of St. Bartholomew. Both Apostles are commemorated together in late November or early December. St. Thaddeus is also commemorated with St. Santookhd on the Saturday following the feast of the Transfiguration.

The name of St. Gregory the Illuminator follows those of the two apostles for obvious reasons, since he is considered to be the enlightener of the entire Armenian nation. We commemorate him on three different occasions, the first marks his entering the deep pit on the Saturday following the fifth Sunday of Lent, the second marks his delivery from the deep pit on the Saturday following the fifth Sunday of Lent, the second marks his delivery from the deep pit on the Saturday following the first Sunday after Pentecost, and the third marks the discovery of his relics on the Saturday following the Third Sunday after Pentecost.

His two sons, Areestages and Vrtanes, who ascended to their father’s position as chief bishops ofArmenia, are also important figures on the history of our Church.St.Areesdages did not only participate in the Holy Council of Nicaea in A.D. 325, but also died as a martyr. His participation in the Council of Nicaea would have qualified him as a saint, since the Church venerates the 318 patriarchs of that convocation. His elder brother, St. Vrtanes, to our knowledge died in peaceful circumstances, but was miraculously saved from being killed by a pagan mob.

St.Vrtanes’ two sons, Hooseeg and Greegorees, were both martyrs. St. Hooseeg succeeded his father as chief bishop of Armenia. He was persecuted by the Armenian King Deeran for his adherence to the orthodox faith and was clubbed for speaking out against the iniquities of the king. The severe injuries that he suffered were the cause of his untimely death. St. Greegorees had been assigned as the pastor of the Caucasian Albanians and the Georgians. While preaching the moral principles of the Gospels he aroused the wrath of a semi-barbaric Albanian tribal leader and his subjects, who had him executed in a most barbaric manner.

Nerses, whose name is mentioned after Greegorees, is the renowned fourth century church father St. Nerses the Great, the most important bishop ofArmeniaafter ST. Gregory the Illuminator. He was St. Hooseeg’s grandson who ascended the throne of his ancestors and reformed the Armenian Church by establishing the earliest charitable institutions in the land. Inseparable from his name are those of Bishop Khat and Bishop Daniel. The former was Nerses’ vicar and assistant. Daniel, on the other hand, had been St. Gregory’s pupil and the person who administered the possessions and jurisdictions of the Gregorid chief bishops. He was renowned for his saintly life and his devotion to the Church.

St.Gregory’s children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and their associates are commemorated together on the Saturday following the Second Sunday of Transfiguration. St.Areesdages is also commemorated with the 318 patriarchs of the Council of Nicaea on the Saturday following the Third Sunday of assumption. The discovery of St.Greegorees’ relics has a special day of commemoration, which falls on the Monday following the fifth Sunday of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. St. Nerses the Great and his associate Bishop Khat are commemorated together on the Saturday following the Second Sunday after Pentecost. The hymn of that day suggests that the feast marks the discovery of his relives in the 13^th century.

The last in the line of the bishops from the family of St. Gregory was St. Sahag the Parthian. His name is associated with the beginning of Armenian literature and the translation of the Holy Scriptures into Armenian. Closely associated with his name is that of St. Mesrob Mashdots, the inventor of the Armenian alphabet. It’s important to note that in the liturgy that Abp. Nerses of Lampron had before his eyes, the section on the fathers of the Armenian Church ended with St. Sahag the Parthian. St Sahag is commemorated twice a year, the first on the Saturday right before the Sunday preceding the Poon paregentan Sunday (beginning of Lent), and on the Thursday following the fourth Sunday after Pentecost. On this occasion he is commemorated as a Translator (Tarkmaneech) with his associate St. Mesrob Mashdots.

In our present practice, during the diptychs we also mention the names of the following saints: St. Mesrob Mashdots, St. Gregory of Nareg, St. Nerses  the Graceful, St. John of Vorotun, St. Gregory of Datev, St. Movses of Datev, the Kreekoreesians and the Nerseesians. We have already mentioned St. Mesrob. St. Gregory of Nareg, who lived in the 10^th century, was a saintly vartabed who lived and flourished in the monastery of Nareg to the south of Lake Van. St. Gregory spent all of his life as a solitary studying and teaching the Holy Scriptures. He is best known for his Biblical commentaries and a collection of prayers which are compiled in his Book of Lamentations, popularly referred to as Nareg. St. Nerses the Graceful presided as catholicos of All Armenians from 1166-1173. Renowed for his saintly life, ecumenical spirit and poetical talent, he enriched the Armenian Hymnal, the Book of Hours and the Lectionary with numerous songs, hymns, prayers and rubrics. Internationally recognized as one of the greatest ecumenists of his time, St. Nerses was a great Armenian theologian who defended the orthodoxy of our faith. St. Gregory of Nareg and St. Nerses the Graceful are commemorated with the rest of the Holy Translators (Tarkmaneechk) on the Saturday following the fourth Sunday if the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. The feast of the Holy Translators is usually in mid-October.

St.John of Vorotun and his pupil St. Gregory of Datev are foremost representatives of learned doctors of the alter Middle Ages. They lived in the course of the 14^th century. Both men were well versed in ancient Greek philosophy to Christian theology. St. Gregory familiarized himself with the European scholastic tradition and wrote an extensive work called Book of Questions, which is still a very useful source for students of Armenian theology. These saints are commemorated on the Saturday following the Third Sunday of Lent.

St.Movses of Datev, Catholicos from 1629-1633, was the leader of the 17^th century movement that revived the Armenian Church and motivated the young generation to turn to spiritual and intellectual pursuits. He restored the dignity and the authority of the Catholicate of All Armenians.

In churches under the jurisdiction of the Armenian patriarchate of Jerusalem, mention is made during the Divine Liturgy of two other local saints, Patriarchs Gregory Baronder and Gregory the Chain bearer. The frist lived in the first half of the 17^thcentury and the second in the 18^th century. Both men were instrumental in saving the Armenian belonging inJerusalem and paying off the heavy debts of the patriarchate.

The Kreekorians and the Nerseesians are the catholicos of the Bahlavoonee clan, who presided from 1066-1203, and certain bishops of the same family. Originally one of the noble houses formed under the early Bagratid kings in the second half of the ninth century, the Bahlavoonee emerged as a very important family, in whose ranks were generals, statesman and the most learned Armenian layman in the Middle Ages, namely Prince Gregory Magistros, who later became the Byzantine Duke of Mesopotamia. Gregory was the ancestor of the Bahlavoonee line of catholicos. The first in the line was his son Prince Vahram, who was renamed Gregory at the time of his ordination as a priest. Kreekorian and Nerseesian catholicos include the following:

• Catholicos Gregory II surnamed the Martyrophile (1066-1105);
• his nephew Parsegh (Basil, 1106-1113);
• Martyrophile’s grand nephew Gregory III (1113-1166);
• Gregory III’s brother Nerses the Graceful (1166-1173);
• Nerses the Graceful’s nephew Gregory IV Dgha (1173-1193);
• Nerses the Graceful’s grand nephew Gregory V Karavezh (1193-1194);
• Nerses the Graceful’s other newphew Gregory Abeerad (1194-1203);

Bishops of the same Bahlavoonee family included the prelates of the city o fAni as well as the renowned theologian and liturgist Nerses of Lampron, the archbishop of Tarsus. Some scholars based on medieval texts,  think that he name of Catholicos Bedros Kedatarts (1019-1058) and that of his nephew Khacheek II (1058-1065) should be added to the above list.

The list of the anachorites or hermits consist mainly of the names of the renowned “Egyptian fathers,” namely Sts. Paul, Anthony, Paulus, Macarrius, Onophrius, the abbot Mark, Serapion, Nilus, Arsenius, Evagrius, Barsumas, and the Armenian hermits, namely the Hovannesians and the Simeonians, as well as the non-Armenian Vosgians and the Sookiasians. The Egyptian fathers, who are commemorated as a group on Thursday following the Second Sunday of Advent, are all contemporaries who lived in the fourth century. The first and earliest anchorite among them wasSt. Paul, who had fled to the deserts of the Thebaid during the persecutions against the Christians under the Emperor Decius in A.D. 249-251. He lived in the desert for ninety-seven years and died at the age of 114. St. Anthony, who was a late contemporary ofSt. Paul, was the founder of the ascetic movement inEgyptand a true champion of the faith. Paulus was an elderly farmer who joinedSt.Anthony in his old age and became an anchorite. Macarius was one ofSt.Anthony’s disciples who lived in the Thebaid desert. Onophrius was still another anchorite fromEgypt. St. Evagrius, a learned man not of Egyptian origin but fromPontuson theBlack Sea, spent his last years in the Egyptian desert, where he was instructed by Macarius and because of his austere way of life became renowned among the anchorites. Evagrius is an important Christian writer. Some of his works, translated into Armenian in the fifth century, have survived. Another disciple of Macarius was Serapion who converted people to the Christian faith during his sojourn inAthensandRome, and ultimately settled down in the Egyptian desert as an anchorite. Nilus and Arsenius were also not natives ofEgypt. Nilus had been a disciple of the renowned St. John Chrysostom, Patriarch of Constantinople. He ultimately chose the ascetic way of life and spent his remaining years in the Monastery of Sinai. Nilus is also a Christian author some of whose works were translated into Armenian. Arsenius was of Roman origin; he went to live in the Egyptian desert, where he spent the rest of his life as an ascetic. St. Marcus the Abbot, an Athenian by birth spent most of his life as a hermit inAfrica. Barsumas, a fourth century bishop ofEdessawas persecuted by the Arian heretics. He was exiled toEgypt, where he spent the rest of his life as an anchorite. The Egyptian fathers were commemorated as a group on the Thursday following the second Sunday of the advent.St.Anthony, however, is commemorated as a major saint during the period right after the Octave of Theophany.

The Hovannesians and Simeonians, who are early fourth century anchorites, are associated with St, Gregory the Illuminator. According to tradition, these saints and their followers, all of them anchorites, lived on a hill in Western Armenia, which was at that time Roman territory. On an occasion when St. Gregory visited them and was about to leave, they asked him if he would visit them again. His answer was that if he could not visit them in life, he would come to them in death. At the end of the fifth century, as some of the relives of St. Gregory were being transported to Constantinopleupon the request of the Roman emperor Zeno (A.D. 474-491), some of St. Gregory’s bones were buried on the above hill, which was named Chorehankeesd [“Mule-rest”]. At that site the Byzantines built a magnificent church in honor of St. Gregory. In the 17^th century the site was in Armenian hands and functioned as a monastic institution.

The Vosgians and the Sookiasians are saints of only the Armenian Church. The Vosgians were Roman emissaries sent to the court of the Armenian king Sanadroog for diplomatic reasons. While on their way to the Armenian court, they met the Holy Apostle Thaddeus who converted them and ordained their leader, Vosgee [the Armenian translation of the Greek Chrysos, ‘gold’] by name, as a priest. After the martyrdom of the Holy Apostle, the five comrades withdrew to the remote regions of the country situated at the sources of theEuphratesRiverinWestern Armeniaand lived as anchorites for forty years. Their missionary work led them to death. The Vosgians’ martyrdom took place at the beginning of the Second century. Sookias and his comrades buried their bodies and withdrew to the remote area where the Vosgians had lived.

The Sookiasians were, like their relative queen Satenig, of Alan [modern Ossetian] origin and of noble birth. These eighteen men lived in the wilderness until an emissary from the king of the Alans came to take them back to their land. The Sookiasians refused, knowing well that they would be forced to become apostates. The emissary put sixteen of them to death, sparing only the two youngest among them. These men escaped and continued to live in the mountains as anchorites until the end of their lives. The Vosgians and the Sookiasians are commemorated on the Thursday before the Sunday preceding the Poon Paregentan Sunday (beginning of Lent).

The Armenian Church recognizes as saints a number of kings and princes. Of these only four are mentione3d by name during the Divine Liturgy. Chronologically the first among these is the legendary King Abgar, who according to ancient tradition going back to the third century was a contemporary of Christ and the ruler of thekingdomofOsroene, withEdessaas its capital. The same tradition, based on a document known as the Doctrine of Addai, maintains that Abgar wrote to Christ, inviting him to come toEdessaand heal him from an ailment that could not be prevented by ordinary medication. Christ is said to have sent his disciple Addai (Thadeus) to heal the king. Historical studies over the past 150 years have shown that Abgar was the name of nine successive kings of Edessa, and that the first Abgar to be converted to the Christian faith lived at the beginning of the third century. Although Abgar’s name does not appear in most of the manuscripts of the Divine Liturgy known as Abp. Nerses of Lampron, it does exist in the present text of the liturgy. Today we still venerate Abgar as the first Christian king. He is commemorated on the Saturday following the fourth Sunday of Advent.

The Roman emperor Constantine(306-337) is historically the most important political figure in the history of the entire Christian Church. Although he is said to have converted in his deathbed, he is responsible for the policy of toleration towards Christians and Christian worship within the confines of theRoman Empire. His policy of toleration, initiated in 313 A.D., turned Christianity from an underground religion to an openly practiced faith and ultimately paved the way for the acceptance of Christianity as the state religion of theRoman Empirein the early 390s. We venerateConstantineparticularly for convening the Holy Council of Nicaea, universally recognized for the first of the three Ecumenical Councils.Constantineis commemorated with his mother, the Empress Helena, on the Tuesday following the Third Sunday after Pentecost.

Drtad was the first Christian king of Armenia. His association with St. Gregory the Illuminator is well known. Drtad is the first Christian king to have declared Christianity as the state religion of a country. We venerate him for this and for his pious works. He is commemorated with his wife Queen Ashken and his sister Princess Khosroveetookhd on the Saturday following the fourth Sunday after Pentecost.

In some of the manuscripts of the Divine Liturgy known as Abp. Nerses of Lampron and in some of the manuscripts and editions of the present liturgy the name Theodosius is in the plural, indicating two emperors of the same name. Yet in church we mention only one Theodosius and that is Theodosius I (379-395). Theodosius II (408-450) was the grandson of Theodosius I. Theodosius I was responsible for banishing the remnants of paganism in the Roman Empire and in establishing Christianity as the state religion. He also summoned the Holy Council of Constantinople in 381 A.D., which is universally known as the Second Ecumenical Council. Although his grandson Theodosius II was the emperor who summoned the Third Ecumenical Council atEphesusin 431, and was presumable venerated for that reason, he is not a commemorated saint of our church and his name does not appear in the church calendar. A major reason for dismissing his name from the text of the Divine Liturgy is due to the fact that Theodosius II left unanswered the plea of the Armenians for help in their religious struggle against ZoroastrianPersiain 449-451 and because of that the armies led by St. Vartan Mamigonian suffered defeat at the battle of Avarayr. Theodosius I is commemorated with the Children of Ephesus during the period following the Octave of Theophany.

The Diptychs also include various groups of unnamed deceased Christians: besides saints in general, there are the twelve Apostles, the prophets of old, holy vartabeds, martyrs, all of the holy patriarchs, bishops, presbyters and orthodox deacons, as well as the holy pastors and chief-pastors of Armenia, all the holy fathers and their disciples, pious kings and God-fearing princes, all the faithful – men and women, old and young of every age who have died in faith.

Q: What is the Feast of the Ascension?

A:         The feast of Ascension marks the ascent of our Lord Jesus Christ into heaven on the fortieth day after His glorious Resurrection. The timing is clearly specified in the Acts of the Apostles, where it is stated that Christ presented himself alive to the Apostles, “appearing to them during forty days and speaking of thekingdomofGod.” [Acts 1:3] On the fortieth day, after he finished his words to the Apostles, “as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of sight.” [Acts 1:9] The Gospel according to Mark sums up the same story as follows: “So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God.” [Mark 16:19] The same account is also in the Gospel according to Luke: “While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven.” [Luke 24:51] There are also several references to this event in some of the other books of the New Testament. From ancient tradition we know that the Ascension of the Lord took place on theMount of Olives. To this day the Brotherhood of Saint James inJerusalemholds vesper service and vigil on the eve of Ascension Day at the sanctuary on theMount of Olives.

The Ascension is an important dominical feast that has been celebrated in the universal church since ancient times. Modern Scholarship traces its observance at the earliest in the fourth century. It is always celebrated on a Thursday, the fortieth day after Easter. In the Armenian Church the observance of the feast begins on Wednesday evening during vespers. According to the rubrics in the calendar of Holy Etchmiadzin, instead of the vespers hymn that is proper for the day, the hymn dedicated to the feast on Ascension is chanted from the center of the nave on the church by tall the clergy, clad in copes (a liturgical vestment), the deacons and the clerks.

On Thursday morning the Night Hour and the Matins are said with all the variables that are proper for Ascension Day. At the end of the Matins the clergy, the deacons and the clerks go on a procession, singing the Ascension hymn, and after Scriptural readings they hold the Antasdan [Blessing of the Fields service].

The Divine Liturgy is also solemnly celebrated on Ascension Day as it is on other feast days that fall on a weekday. A few hours after the end of the Divine Liturgy, in mid-afternoon, the clergy, deacons and clerks congregate and go on procession singing one of the Ascension hymns. After Scriptural readings, the Antasdan is held for the second time on that day, at the end of which the Matins are said.

Besides being a dominical feast, Ascension marks the anniversary of the reestablishment of the Holy See at the Monastery of Holy Etchmiadzin in 1411, after operating in exile for almost one thousand years.

As with other feasts, Ascension and the Resurrection of the Lord are celebrated over the following nine days until Pentecost.

Ascension was a festive day in the Armenian folk tradition and a time that was particularly cherished by young girls. Little amounts of water were fetched from seven springs and pebbles from seven hills and these were placed in a large container. Each girl in the village would be covered with a large cloth. As an elderly woman sitting by the container pulled an item at random, she would make a wish for the owner of the item. Yung girls believed that wish would come true during the course of the year. The process was called veejag. In various parts ofArmenia the wish came ready-made in the form of folk-songs and folk poems, of which hundreds have survived and been printed. This was the Armenian version of Chinese fortune cookies.

Q: How should we explain the celebration of Christmas on January 6 in the Armenian Church to our families and children?

A:         Parents could explain to their children that even at the time of the Holy Apostles the traditions in the Christian churches in the different parts of the world were not uniform and that Christmas was probably not observed at all in the very early Church. Parents could add that by the end of the third century Christmas in Rome was held on December 25, which coincided with a major pagan feast, while in the Eastern churches it was observed on January 6. The Armenian Church has maintained that ancient tradition t this day whereas the Greek-speaking Christian world switched to the Latin tradition at the end of the fourth century. Children should know that both traditions are old and must be respected, and that as good Christians they must focus on the spirit of the Nativity of the Savior and not the differences in traditions.

According to the Armenian Catholic tradition we celebrate Christmas on December 25 and on January 6 we celebrate the baptism and theophany (Asdvadzahaydnutiun) of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Q: Why does our lent begin on a Monday instead of on Ash Wednesday?

A:         All the ancient churches observe Lent [Medz Bahk, meaning “Big Fast”] over a period of forty days. The Latin nameQuadragesima corresponds to the Armenian Karasnortats Bahk [‘Fast of Forty Days’]. The traditions differ in how to calculate the forty-day period.

In the Western Church Lent originally began six weeks before Easter. Since Sundays during that period were not fasting days, the Quadragesima was four days short. As a result, four days were later added and the beginning of Lend was set on Ash Wednesday, which is six-and-a-half weeks before Easter.

In the Eastern churches the forty-day period is calculated differently. Holy Week, which immediately precedes Easter and is a period of fasting, is not included as a part of Lent but as a separate unit of time. Lent is our tradition begins six weeks prior to Palm Sunday , and is actually of forty-two  days duration. The first Sunday of Lent is the Poon Paregentan [‘Good-living Day’]. All the curtains in the church must be closed on the Saturday evening preceding Poon Paregentan.

Liturgically Poon paregentan is the first day of Lent, but the fasting begins on the Monday following Poon ParegentanSunday (the Monday preceding Ash Wedensday). Throughout the Lenten Period we must abstain from all metas, milk products and fish. We continue to fast during Holy Week until after the celebration of the Divine Liturgy on Holy Saturday evening. Unlike other Eastern Christians, we refrain from breaking our fast on Saturdays and Sundays. The Meal on Holy Saturday evening may include all kinds of oil and honey, but the Church is now more lenient in regard to the use of these products.

Q: Does the Armenian Church have a feast dedicated to the Archangels?

A:         The Feast of the Archangels does not have a set date in the Armenian Churh calendar, since the Armenian liturgical year is based on the date of Easter, which is a movable feast.

The name of the feast is: Don Srports’ Hreshdagabedatsun Kaprielee Yev Meekayeli [Feast of the Holy Archangels Gabriel and Michael]. It is always observed on the Saturday proceeding the ninth Sunday on the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. The Exaltation of the Holy Cross falls on a Sunday between September 11 and 17. The feast of the Archangels falls in early to late November on the 54^th day after the Exaltation.

In Hebraic tradition there were seven archangels, as stated in Tobit 12:15. In the Old and the new Testaments the most frequently named are Gabriel:

• Daniel 8:16; 9:21;
• Luke 1:19; 1:26;

Passages naming Michael:

• Daniel: 10:13; 10:21; 12:1;
• Jude: 1:9
• Revelations: 12:7

Passages naming Raphael:

• Tobit: 12:15
• Enoch: 10:7.

In his Book of Questions, St Gregory of Datev, p. 144, mentions six others: Anayel, Uriel, Dakuel, Barkiel, Adoniel and Panuel.

In our Church we commemorate Gabriel and Michael. Raphael and the others’ names are not mentioned in our liturgical calendar for unknown unknown.

Among the Armenians, the names Gabriel and Michael appear frequently as personal names. The name Raphael, especially in its modern form Rafael, was used less frequently, and it appears from as early as the seventh century.

On the Feast of the Holy Archangels we celebrate the name day of all those who bear the Christian names Gabriel, Michael and Raphael, as well as their diminutives- for example, Kapo, Misha, Rafik and so on.

Q: Who was St. James of Nisbis and what has endeared him to Armenian Christians?

A:         St. James of Nisbis, who is greatly honored by the Armenians, is one of the saints of the Christian Church ofMesopotamia. He was born in Nisibis, a town in northwesternMesopotamia. Non-Armenian Christian sources refer to him as the Moses of Mesopotamia because of his missionary zeal, tireless preaching, eremitic lifestyle, miracles and works. His date of birth is assumed to be sometime in late third century.

According to the Armenian tradition, St. James was of Parthian origin and the son of King Deeran of the Hephthalites and of Khosrovoohee, St. Gregory the Illuminator’s paternal aunt. The same source maintains that he was nurtured and educated with St. Gregory in the town ofCaesarea. This is one of the reasons why he was greatly venerated by the Armenians throughout the Middle Ages and in modern times.

At a young age James became a solitary and was renowned for his disciplined life. He lived in total silence on the summits of mountains, exposed to the elements and sheltered by wooded areas and caves in the winter. He avoided the use of fire and lived on wild fruits and plants. He covered himself with clothing made of coarse goatskin. In this way he concentrated on life of prayer and meditation. After a while, he came down from the solitude of the mountains and joined a monastic institution headed by the solitary Maruke. James’ fame as a holy man spread throughoutMesopotamia.

During his early years, St. James went toPersia, where King of Kings Sapor II (309-279), a might foe of the Armenians, was severely persecuting the Christians.St.James chose that particular time in order to encourage the Persian Christians to stand firm in their faith. He was fortunate to avoid arrest and torture inPersia. Under Roman rule he became a confessor (one who confesses his faith in Christ and suffers torture) during the persecutions of the Emperor Maximinus Daia inSyriaand westernMesopotamiain the early fourth century.

Upon the demise of the bishop of Nisibis, the Christians of that city elected St. James as their new bishop and compelled him, much against his will, to assume the responsibilities of the Episcopal office. Meles, the bishop ofAntioch, ordained him a bishop. In 325 he was one of the 318 bishops summoned to participate in the Holy council ofNicaea(the first of the three ecumenical councils). His name appears among the signatories of the canons of the Holy Council and is classified in the Armenian translation of these next to the names of two other bishops fromMesopotamia. During the sessions of the Council St. James played a leading role, meriting the attention and command of St. Athansius and other bishops of the Eastern as well as theWesternChurch.

Among his followers and immediate attendants there was a young Syrian, whom he had baptized and tutored in the fundamentals of the faith. That person, named Ephrem, ultimately became one of the most important Christian writers of all time and a saint of the Eastern Church. Ephrem’s writings were translated into Armenian in the fifth century and the Confession that we read every Sunday before Holy Communion consist of excerpts from one of his penitential writings.

St. James is best known for his attempt to climbMt.Araratto acquire a piece of Noah’s Ark. While resting on the slope of the mountain from his tedious journey, the saint fell asleep. In his sleep the angel of the Lord appeared and told him that God had spared him from the rigorous climb and that upon wakening he would fine a piece of the ark by his head. The saint did indeed find a petrified wooden plank, which he took with him to his see. The plank is now preserved in the treasury of Holy Etchmiadzin and is on display. At the site where he rested, a monastery was later built and named after him. In 1840 the monastery and the nearbyvillageofAgori, which was an altitude of 8,000 feet on the slope ofMt.Araratwere totally destroyed by a massive earthquake.

In the different versions of St. James’ Life in Armenian there are many stories about his miracles in and outside ofArmenia. Folklore holds that in a village named Ardamed, the thirsty saint asked the girls and women assembled at a spring to fetch water for their household needs for water and they refused, making fun of his unkempt appearance. Also they disrespected him by not covering their exposed ankles, a behavior that was considered to be shameful in Medieval times. Upset by their disrespect, St. James cursed them. The spring suddenly dried up and the women’s hair turned white. Realizing their wrongdoing, the inhabitants of the entire village begged for mercy. He blessed them and the water began to flow again, but the women’s hair remained white to remind them of what they had done. Tradition maintained that all the girls of that village had a steak of white hair from birth and eyewitness maintained this to be so even centuries after the event.

Another folktale, recorded in the second half of the fifth century, is about a tyrannical and sadistic Armenian prince called Manajeehur who ruled in the district of Rushdoonik to the south ofLake Van. Manjihur, one of the high officials of the king ofArmenia, not heeding the saint’s entreaty and admonition, had many commoners dumped into the lake so that they would drown. He then had his men chase the saint out of the land, andSt.James cursed him. He first lost his entire family, a wife and seven children, and then he himself was stricken with an unbearable ailment and perished. These ancient folktales demonstrate the great respect that our ancestors had for the men of God.

St.James was instrumental in encouraging the people of Nisibis to defent their city against the attempts of Persian King of Kings Sapor II to seize it on different occasions. The city at the time was within the perimeters of the Roman Empire. The final attempt in 350 attracted the attention of the Western historian Edward Gibbon in his multi-volume history The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.

During times of peace St. James was engaged in building a cathedral in Nisibis and tending to the spiritual needs of his flock. As for his literary output, the homilies in his names, which exist in Armenian translation, are now ascribed to a Persian Christian named Afrahat.

St.James died soon after the Persian siege of 350 and was buried in Nisibis. When the Persians took the city in 363, the pious Christians exhumed the body of their beloved bishop and took it elsewhere. Ultimately his relives were distributed to various churches, as was the common practice with the relics of confessors and martyrs. Some ofSt.James relics were kept in Armenian monasteries and churches.

Besides being commemorated with the 318 holy patriarchs on the Council of Nicaea, St. James is honored in mid-December, on the Saturday preceding the fourth Sunday of Advent. He also has a set day of remembrance on December 15, when his life is read from the menology [Haysmavork]. The 10^th century poet St. Gregory of Nareg has an encomium dedicated to St. James and the 12^th century catholicos and poet St. Nerses the Graceful is the author of the hymn (“Victorious and holy patriarch”) that is, to this day, chanted in our churches on St. James’ day of commemoration.

Q: How are martyrs remembered on the exact day of their demise?

A:         Originally martyrs were commemorated on the day they were executed and buried. The execution and burial usually took place on the same day. Since the majority of the cross-examinations, judicial procedures ad executions were recovered at a later time. This gave an opportunity to the local bishop until the time of burial to investigate the circumstances of the execution by inquiring among eyewitnesses to verify and authenticate the event as martyrdom. In other situations when the martyrdom took place at distant place and relics of the martyrs were taken to various regions, the local bishop would ask for verification and authentication from the local bishop in whose jurisdiction the event took place. Upon receiving the authentication, the local bishop would honor the imported relics and lay them in a martyrium with psalmody and great ceremony.

In the early period of Christianity, the tradition was to honor the martyrs annually at their burial site or at site where parts of their relics were placed. The annual remembrance usually took place on the day of burial. We read about his tradition in Koryoon’s description of St. Sahag the Parhian’s [catholicos from 387-438] burial: a large group of men raised him with psalms…and going day and night for several days, arrived in Taron, the very village of Shtishat. And there they placed him…and after performing the customary rites, everyone returned to his place. Every year coming together at that month, they observed his memory. This clearly indicates that as late as the mid-fifth century there was no universal observance or commemoration of saints in parish churches. That custom was introduced at a later time.

To this day we observe part of the ancient tradition of remembering the martyrs on the day of their execution or burial. The observance involves reading the life of a saint or several saints in church, a tradition that is still maintained inJerusalem, where the life is read in the mid-afternoon, not as a part of the daily liturgical cycle.

Q: Does the Armenian Church observe unique fasts or commemorations during the penitential period of the Advent?

A:         The Advent in the Armenian Church is approximately two weeks longer than it is in the Western churches, and that is why it is called Heesnag, ‘a fifth-day period.’ Heesnag is introduced by a week of fasting. In 2004, that fast begins on Monday, November 16 and continues throughout the week. The fast is officially known as “the Fast of the Beginning of Heesnag.” During the week there are no commemorations of saints.

A second week-long fast precedes the “Feast of the Nativity and Theophany of Christ our God.” During this and the previous fast there are no commemorations of saints.

There is no other unusual fasting during the remaining weeks of Heesnag; the Wednesdays and Fridays are regularly observing as fasting days.

The Armenian Church celebrates a number of feasts and observes some important commemorations during the fifty days ofHeesnag. The Feast of the Presentation of the Holy Virgin in theTemple is always celebrated on November 21, even if it falls within the first week of the fasting. On such occasions, the feast is celebrated liturgically, but the fasting prevails in dietary matters. The same practice is also observed during the Feast of the Conception of the Holy Virgin bySt. Anna, which is always celebrated on December 9.

During the Heesnag we commemorate some of the important and major saints of the Christian Church. Among them are: fourth century founders of Christian theology St Gregory the Wonderworker andSt. Basil of Caesarea; the Holy Apostles Thaddeus and Barthmolomew, the enlighteners of Armenia; the Egyptian fathers; the early bishops of the church such as ST. Clemens, St. Ignatius, St. Polycarpus, St. Nicholas; St. James of Nisibis; and at the very end of the year, King David is commemorated as a prophet, and we honor the Holy Apostle James Brother of the Lord, St. Stephen the Protomartyr, the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, the Holy Apostles James and John, both of them surnamed as Sons of Thunder.