The Feast of the Transfiguration of Our Lord Jesus Christ is one of the five main “Tabernacle” feasts of the Armenian Apostolic Church. It commemorates the transformation or the “transfiguration” that came over Jesus while He was praying. Christ’s face shone like the sun and his clothes became a radiant and gleaming white. The... Read More »
The Prophet Isaiah is the first of the four major prophets of the Old Testament. He was born and spent almost his entire life in the city of Jerusalem, in the eight century B.C. The Armenian Church commemorates the prophet Isaiah, who is best known for the longest prophetic book in the Old Testament... Read More »
St Thaddeus the Apostle and St Sandoukht the Virgin are two of the most venerated saints in the Armenian Church. The “Great Conversion” of the Armenian nation to Christianity is significantly connected with their names. Following the Ascension of Christ, according to the Lord’s message: “Go then to all peoples everywhere and make them... Read More »
The Septuagint (first translation of the Hebrew Old Testament), uses the name “Patriarch” when referring to the forefathers or ancestors of spiritual and lay leaders of the Old Testament. They are: Adam, Abel, Seth, Enosh, Enoch, Noah, Melchizedek, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Aaron, Eliezer, Joshua, Samuel, Samson, Jephthah, Barak, Gideon and other Holy... Read More »
The Ecumenical Council of Ephesus was convened in 431 A.D, during the reign of King Theodosius II (Theodosius the Younger). 200 Pontiffs participated in the Council, with the aim of rejecting the false teachings of Nestorius, Patriarch of Constantinople. According to his teachings there were two independent, divine and human, natures in Christ, contrasting... Read More »
This is the Sunday preceding the week prior to the Feast of the Assumption of St Mary, Holy Godmother, one of the major feasts of Armenian Apostolic Church and one of the seven feasts dedicated to St Mary. The fasting period lasts from Monday to Friday.
The Feast of Shoghakat of Holy Etchmiadzin that is always observed on the Saturday prior to the Feast of the Assumption. Shoghakat refers to the vision of the rays of light seen by St Gregory when God chose the site for the Mother Cathedral. The feast is celebrated at the time of Assumption because... Read More »
Each year on the Sunday closest to the date of August 15, the Armenian Church celebrates the Feast of the Assumption of St. Mary, the Holy Mother of God. In the calendar of the Armenian Church, this feast is the fourth of five major feasts that are commemorated, and is the oldest one dedicated... Read More »
St Anna and St Joachim, the parents of St Mary, are not mentioned by name in Holy Scripture. There is, however, a wealth of oral tradition concerning them. St Anna was a descendant of the royal line of King David. As she grew up, she was espoused to a God fearing, God loving man... Read More »
St Jeremiah is one of the major prophets of the Bible. He was the son of Hilkiah, one of the priests of the town Anathoth, not far from Jerusalem. He lived and preached in Jerusalem. Feeling the calling to serve God he devoutly served, refusing to marry and have his own family. His life... Read More »
St Thomas was born a Jew and was called to be one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ. His name in Aramaic (Te'oma) and Greek (Didymos) means "twin". John 11:16 identifies him as "Thomas, called the Twin". However, we do not know of his twin or how he came to have this name.... Read More »
St James is one of three people named James mentioned in the New Testament. He was one of the twelve apostles of Jesus and is referred to as James son of Alphaeus to distinguish him from James son of Zebedee, one of Jesus' closest disciples, who was martyred in Acts 12:2. The New Testament... Read More »
The Belt (Girdle) of the Blessed Virgin Mary, today divided into three pieces, is the only remaining relic of her earthly life. According to tradition, the belt was made out of camel hair by the Virgin Mary herself, and at her Assumption, she gave it to the Apostle Thomas. According to Tradition, the Apostle... Read More »
Prophecy is one of the most important phenomena of the Old Testament. A Prophet is the person who has had a close relationship with God, that is, he “has spoken” with God, or has received a message from God, or has been sent by God to a person or a nation to transfer His... Read More »
John the Baptist is one of the most significant and well known figures in the Bible.While John was known as "the Baptist," he was in fact the first prophet called by God since Malachi some 400 years earlier. John’s coming was foretold over 700 years previously by another prophet: "A voice of one calling:... Read More »
This council is the First Ecumenical Council in the history of the Church. It was the great religious discussion of the 4th century: a gathering of Christian bishops from throughout the world, convened by no less than on authority than the Roman Emperor Constantine I. The reason for convening the council was because of the... Read More »
