The sun., 1901-08-11
country q constituting one Of tbs only
stable native elements Of prosress In tho
nearer East.

stable native elements of progress In the
nearer East.
VI.
A chapter Of Mr.. Lynch's book Il de-
voted to Edgmiatsln. tho religious capital
Of Armenia. and to the Armenian Church.
Eore will be found an interesting outline
Of tho history OF Armenian Christianity.
IL was some time before the persecution
Of the Christians under Dioclctian "a. ID.
2S4-306) that Tiridates, the King OF Ar
msnia. was converted by a propagandist,
subsequently known as st. Gregory, who
became the mentor Of the monarch. both
In religious and secular affairs. Thus
II came to pass that Christianity was adopted
as tho religion OF the State In Armenia
some thirty yeap before II triumphed
In tho West through the decisive action
at the Mlvian Bridge "a. d. 3i2) and over
100 years before Theodosius the First issued
his edcts against the practice OF paganism
In spite Of frequent ebullitions Of paganism
the institutions established by St Gregory,
known to his fellow countrymen as The
Illuminator. were never jeoparded by
decisive relapse. The religion which he
invested with all the authority OF the state
became inextricably interviewer with the
self-consciousness Of the Armenian nation
and derived from their inveterate obstinacy
or admirable heroism stability which
stifrened the more II was threatened from
! without. From the outset the keystone
OF the ecclesiastical edifice was, a. 1t now
is, the person Of the Katholikos. Our
author Is unable to find among Christian
organizations anv counterpart OF this high
Office Beside It that OF the King seems
mere tinsel The title itself. indeed. was
unpretentious. designating - 1t did among
the Christians Of the East an Archbishop
with plenary powers. such as were needed
in countries remote from the hierarchical
centre. 1t Is applied by the earliest extant
authorities to st. Gregory; and 30 moderate
were the claims Of his successor. Faustus,
that he coined the superlative katholikos
OF Katholikoi to express the conceded
superior dignity OF the metropolitan Of
Cesarea. Whatever grade, however. In
have been assigned TO him by his clerical
| colleagues in other lands. the position
| occupied In his native country by the Katho-
| likos Of Armenia was one OF extraordinary
| glamour. The Office was hereditary in
the family OF the llluminator; and that
| Iarflly nhl Dtfl tuuOWou Win
| extending over fifteen provinces, and COM
| prising several princely residences. The
| pontifcal palace was at Astishat In the
| neighborhood Of the mother church OF
Armenia and Of the Chapel Of st. John the
Baptist and Of st. Athenogenes.
When the descendants OF st. Gregory
| were unwilling To sustain the burden OF the
| Office Of Katholikos. it was entrusted TO
some prominent cleric Of the church at
| Astshat, while the unworthy heirs pursued
| the vocation OF arms or the attractions Of
| pleasure. 1t was customary for the scions
| Of the Illuminator to marry into the Kings
| family, and to them were accorded many
| OF the honors due to royalty alone As
often as the King provoked tho censure
| Of the Katholikos, spiritual casugation
| was unfinchingy enforced In the case
| Of vacancy Of the pontifcal chair, owing
| TO failure in the line OF renunciation on the
part Of the heir. 1t was not the priesthood
| who chose tho sucoessor but the King, the
| mobiles and the army. In this respect the
Office was identified with the existing In
| stitutions Of the country. and our author
| suggests that II may have been modelled
upon that OF the high priests among the
| polytheists and the Jews. Two DESCENDANTS
| OF the llluminator, one in the fourth, the
other in the fifth century added new
lustre TO the institution. Nerses the First
introduced tho refinements OF hierarchical
government Sahak the Great gave to the
people an alphabet Of their own. The
throne Of the SUCCESSORS Of Tiridates crum-
bled away in the course OF about a century
from the death Of the first Christian mon
| 81. Gre CORY has weathered the storms of six
teen centuries and remains solid and
impressive monument at the present day
The national character Of the Armenian
Church is mainly derived from the insti-
tutions OF St Gregory; but 1t was Nerses.
4 a. a,k -h.N tnhf ~ int
line with the Church OF the Roman Empire
in the sphere OF internal development and
discipline The family likeness which II
presents to the neighboring Greek Church
II largely due to this prelate. The mon.
astery is still the pivot Of the ecclesiastical
organization; 1t was Nerses, the contem-
porary, and perhaps the disciple OF st:
Basil OF Csesarea who spread cloisters and
converts broadcast over the land. A
single rule was established for the several
orders Of monks and the laity were bidden
TO observe certain sanitary regulations,
among which was included abstention from
animal food The poor and the sick were
lodged In hospices, and were not allowed
to beg; humane enactment provided that
their neighbors should bring them food
TO their public or private dwellings. In |
each district was founded a school for the |
instruction Of the people In the Greek and
Syriac languages.
not later than A. ID. 374-he was poisoned |
by the Armenian King an epoch |
in the history of the Armenian Church. |
On the one hand It's emoluments were con- |
sidcrably curtailed-on the other-a fact |
which had far-reaohlng consequences-
il was severed definitely from the Church |
of the Roman Empire. Ii Is evident that |
Nerses failed to gauge correctly the tom
per Of his cuuntrymcn; II was the defect !
Of his undOubtel virtues that he endcav-
orei TO 70 too far and 10 accomplish too |
much. The reaction from his severe ordi- |
uances enabled the King TO proceed un-
hindered in tho work Of overthrowing |
the structure which his victim had reared |
The hospices were abolished, the converts
were destroyed and their inmates given |
over TO persecution. Moreover, the greater |
portion Of the lands bestowed upon the |
Church by Tiridatcs were Appropriated |
by the State. Out Of each group OF seven
domains belonging to the former insti-
tuition. the revenues OF Ave we're allotted |
10 tho Treasury II cannot be doubted |
that popular support was forthcoming
for the revolution which the monarch initi-
atcd in the relations with the Church Of
the Roman Empire At all periods the
Armenlans have approved national policy
and preferred 10 perish rather than unite
with their ncishbors. Bishop OF the
House of Alhianus, a rival Of st. GrcgOrys
fam ily and alw avs obscquious 10 the' 'hron@
was invested with the vacant primacy
r - IL - -