This time of year—the end of spring and start of
summer—is a special time in the Armenian Church calendar. In quick succession, we observe our Lord’s
Ascension, Pentecost, St. Gregory’s release from the pit, and the birth of Holy
Etchmiadzin. What these all have in common is that they mark
beginnings: the beginning of the Apostolic mission, the start of the Christian
church, the re-birth of Armenia as a Christian nation, and the founding of its
greatest institution.
During the season when the natural world seems to start
anew, we are reminded that the church, too, had its beginnings.
It’s hard for us to imagine today, but there was indeed a
time when Christianity itself was new and untried: in its infancy, so to
speak. The Apostolic epistles, in the
latter part of the Bible, open a window onto the church’s infancy period.
St. Paul’s First Letter to Timothy gives just such an
insight into the early days of the Christian movement. Paul writes to Timothy much as a teacher
might write to a beloved former student: offering advice and the wisdom of
experience. Here’s what he has to say:
“I urge you to tell certain people not to teach any
different doctrine, nor to occupy themselves with myths and endless
genealogies, which only promote speculation instead of the divine training in
faith. Because the aim of our teaching
is love, which issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and sincere
faith.” (1 Tm 1:3-5)
From this letter, we infer that among the Christians of
Paul’s time—the generation following Christ’s resurrection—there was some
confusion about what the Christian message meant. Some people had become absorbed in technical
doctrines, or devoted themselves to myths, or tried to find some secret meaning
in the sequence of generations. St. Paul
tells Timothy that this kind of thing is little more than guess-work; and at
worst it’s a distraction from the central teaching of Christ, and the central
obligation of every Christian.
How fresh and timely Paul’s words are, despite the
passage of two thousand years. His
message is clear: “Forget about arguing over minor points of doctrine. Our goal as Christians is simpler and deeper
than this: it is to love each other. And
the source of that love is a pure heart, a good conscience, and sincere faith.”
Elsewhere St. Paul makes the same point a bit
differently. “So what if one has
prophetic powers?” he asks; “or if I understand all mysteries; or even have
enough faith to move mountains? If I
don’t have love—then I am nothing” (1 Cor 13:2).
This message of love is the beginning and ending of the
Christian story. Because of His love for
mankind, God became incarnate as Jesus Christ.
Because of His love, God lived among His creations, cared for their
needs, healed their afflictions, taught them the word of Truth. Because of His love, God sacrificed Himself
on the cross, as a ransom for our salvation.
Because of His love, He rose from the dead, and promises to share that
victory with all who honor Him, on the day of His judgment.
As Armenians, we should feel humble gratitude that our
tradition has upheld this teaching. We
must uphold it as a lamp to guide our fellow Christians, and to illuminate the
world.
The uniquely Armenian “Feast of Holy Etchmiadzin” is a
reminder of this sacred role. As the
story goes, St. Gregory the Illuminator was granted a vision of Christ, who
descended from the heavens, and struck the ground with a great hammer. The earth quaked, and a great church arose
out of the rocky soil: Holy Etchmiadzin, which means “the place where the Only
Begotten Son came down.”
We are reminded that Etchmiadzin was first established in
the landscape of St. Gregory’s heart, before it was carved out of the rock and
stone of Armenia. And we might humbly
say that the name “Etchmiadzin”—“Christ came down”—is also written on each of
our hearts, as the children of the first Christian nation.
And as we saw in St. Paul’s letters, the simple meaning
of that name is Love. Love is the way of
life embodied in the name “Holy Etchmiadzin.”
It calls to us today. And in that
call, we can hear an echo of the voice of God.
Holy Etchmiadzin by an unknown artist (1870s).
Holy Etchmiadzin by an unknown artist (1870s).
Tags: Holy Etchmiadzin
This entry was posted on Thursday, June 4th, 2015 at 4:50
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