The sun., 1901-08-11

the pontificate Of the son Of NerSes. Isaac
the Great "a. d. sao-+so), constituted ele-
ments which, while they worked for tbe
attachment OF the Armenians TO Greek
culture. and for the wider propagation OF
Christianity, were yet calculated TO foster
the strong proclivities OF the people TO.
ward complete religious independence,
Finally. the peculiar genius OF the Arme.
nian nation imprinted a stamp upon ths
dogma Of their Church which was not ,hs
stamp sanctioned by the Church OF tho
Empire. The Council Of Chalcedon "A. ID.
<oD at which the Arrnenians were not rep-
resented. proclaimed the so-called doctrine
OF two natures in the following words,
/ Christ according TO His Godhead is Of ons
nature with the Father, while. accordins
to His humanity. He is, apart from fin, x
one nature with us. This one and the
same Christ Is recognized in two natures
indissolubly united. but vet distinc,
In synod held at Edgmia'sin fourteen
centuries ago, the Armenian Church en
phatcally rejected the dogma formulated
at Chalcedon. The Armenians, there-
fore, diner, both with the Greek and with
the Roman Church, In their Interpretation
OF the mystery Of Christology they will
not hear Of two natures. They hold that
In Christ there is ono person and one nat.
ure, one will and one energy; their liturgy
! presents their dogma In the following
words: 20 God, holy God, mighty God,
everlasting God. who rust crucifed for VA
Al the same time they deny and dc.
nounce the teaching OF Eutyches, pro-
tagonist against the HISTORIANS Eutv.
| ches held that the body Of Christ Il not IA
be regarded as Of one nature with ours:
| the Armenians maintain that God became
| man In the fullest sense.
n,,v k~- l.. u
| Christology. embodied the sentiments oi
! the people; but he points out that II had the
| effect OF estranging them. not only from
| the Church Of the Empire, but also from
the great body Of their fellow Christians
within the Persian dominions. for at the
synod OF Beth Iapat "a: D ass or 4sD the
old Christian Church Of Persia welcomed
into it's bosom the fyng forces Of Nes-
| torianism, and adopted the HISTORIAN cons
| fession. The Georgians, IL is true, fol.
lowed for time the lead Of the Armen-
ians, with whom their Church was directly
connected, These, allies broke away,
however, before the close Of tho sixth
century, and went over to the teaching of
| Chalcedon. As the centuries rolled by,
| these various breaches became wider,
and they are still marked features in the
| Christianity Of the East Martyrdorn
and political enslavenent were Aterna.
| tives which were accepted gladly In lieu
Of a compromise Of dognatio differences.
When the Emperor Heraclius visited Arr
menia after. replacing the Cross in the
churches Of Jerusalem. the Armenian
| soldiers refused to camp with his troops.
In the middle ages, when the Sassanid
Kings Of Persia had been forgotten, and
when the caliphs. their successors, were
in turn approaching their doom, the Stub
born Armenian hierarchy insisted upon
baptizing babes second time II the ceres
mony had been performed by Greek
priest All attempts to effect union be.
tween the Armenian Church on the one
hand and the Greek OF Latin Church on
the other have failed The more attrac.
tive were the offers Of the Greeks. the moro
bitter became the animosity exhibited
by the Armenians. The Popes have had
no better success. They have added
costly objects Of art to the treasury at
Edgmiatsin; the result OF their overtures
Is a blank Although such conduct sacri.
feed the cause Of civilization in Armenia,
our author thinks that II should be re-
garded with pity rather than with anger.
The Armenians have fought at all hazards
20 preserve their individuality. and the
bulk Of the nation have perished In the
attempt. The lesson taught by history
is that no people and no form OF Christian.
ity will succeed In assimilating the Armen.
ians, II 1t endeavors 10 defect them from
their own opinions. and TO preclude them
from working out their own salvation iu
their own way.
Should the reader think that In the chap.
tor Just reviewed Mr.. Lynch deals too
largely In ancient history. the excuse offered
by him Is that the situation remains mu'h
the same at the present day. The exist
ing attitude OF the Armenian and Greek
churches toward one another may be still
defined in the words used in the twelfth
century, when It was said that the Greeks
thanked God that they were not like the
Armenians. and the Armenians thanked
God that they were not like the Greeks.
Our author tells us that, apart from the
dogma and ritual, the contemporary trav-
eller will notice a conspicuous difference
between the Greek and the Armenian
churches You will not find oikons in
Armenian houses, while no Russian house
Is without them. As regards the Church
Of Rome. the dogmatic breach is even
OF the Greek Church. In common with the
latter. the Armenian Church rejects the
Filioque. OF course. the Armenian com.
munity denies the infallibility OF the Pope
VIII.
In his eighteenth chapter tho author
undertakes an excursion into the medieval
history Of Armenia. His twofold aim
is to narrate the principal events in the
annals Of Ami, the medieval Armenian
capital. and, at the same time TO outline
the wider records Of the Armenian king.
dom Of the Middle Ages. He has found
that a study Of that neglected subject
explains the present condition Of the Ar
menians, and conducts us TO the threshold
OF our own era. The natural developments
OF the Armenian people was suddenly
arrested by the Seljuk conquests, and its
ablest representatives sought new homes,
Some stout spirits established themselves
in the mountains of Cilicia, where they
founded a petty kingdom (the so-called
Lesser Armenia) which endured for nearly
800 years "a. d. ioso-is75. The obstinac1
OF their race was again exemplifed in the
long resistance of this colony to the spiritual
guidance of the Popes Of Rome, Tho
friends Of the Crusaders. they were az
length overwhelmed by the Turks, who
suppressed the dynasty, Their descend.
ants, however, still maintained themselves
about their adopted seats, secure in their
mountain fastnesses. Another remarkable
outcome Of the dispersal OF the Armenian
people after the Seljuk conquest OF their
native land was the immigration Of the
inhabitants Of Ami 10 Poland. Modavia
and Galicia, TO Astrakhan on the northern
shore Of the Caspian. and thence 10 tho
Crimea Many Of these far-distant colonies
have endured to the present day. Some
among them were permitted to retain
their own laws, and the Jurisprudence OF
a