Ermeni Kilisesi Azizleri Bölüm II (İngilizce) Hristiyanlık İncil İsa

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Ermeni Kilisesi Azizleri Bölüm II (İngilizce)

Nerses the Great, Catholicos (373 A, D.)
St. Hoosig had two sons, Bab and Atanakineh, who did not pursue the clergical life. Nerses was the son of Atanakineh and from a very early age, displayed his love and abilities for religious and national life. After a period of administration by two Catholicoi who were not very distinguished in their works, the nation once again sought its spiritual leader from the line of St. Gregory. At that time, Nerses was still a layman and serving in the court. Because of his humble nature, Nerses had to be persuaded to accept the Holy Orders. According to tradition, at his ordination as bishop by Bishop Basil of Caesarea, "the Holy Spirit descended upon the two in the form of a dove" and later during the first Divine Liturgy, "a pillar of fire appeared
And his face was illuminated like Moses." One of the greatest of Nerses' accomplishments was the Council of Ashdishad (364-65 AD), where the canons were drawn up concerning the sanctity of family life, Improvement of social conditions, the establishment of Institutions such as hospitals and inns for pilgrims and the like, and the establishment of monasteries and convents. It is for this reason that he is also known as St. Nerses the Builder. Partly because of the Perso-Byzantine struggles, and partly due to his strength of character in criticizing the audacity of the princes, St. Nerses was not a favorite of the court.
St. Nerses is noted for his many benevolent and spiritual works. He Is remembered as one of the initiators of the national revival and of the new impetus to the religious life, which was to reach fulfillment In the Golden Age of Armenian Literature. A grateful and loving nation surnamed the saint 'Great.'
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Sahag Bartev, Catholicos (437 AD)
St. Sahag was the son of St. Nerses the Great and received his primary and higher education in Caesarea and Byzantium. He married and had one daughter, Sahaganoosh who married into the Mamigonlan family and was the mother of Vartan, Hmayak, and Hamazasbyan. St. Sahag was elevated to the Catholical throne in 387 AD This period was one of the most tragic in Armenian history in that in 390 AD Armenia was divided between Persia and Byzantlum. St. Sahag witnessed the coming and going of many kings and the political situation of Armenia deteriorated into that of being a Persian province.
He was not popular with the Armenian princes because he would not aid them in their acts against the monarchy, and blamed them for its fall. Prior to this period, he had worked with the peace-loving and farsighted King Vramshabooh during whose reign the Armenian alphabet was invented. Because of the political situation, St. Sahag was replaced as Catholicos by two Assyrlan bishops successively. Their terms were very short because of the animosities they caused by being pro-Persian and foreign to the Armenian people. Although the Assyrian bishops had the political power, the populace as a spiritual leader respected St. Sahag,
Aside from his strong leadership in the dark hours of Armenian history, St. Sahag is also remembered for his literary works; he was the guiding force of the Golden Age. It was he who encouraged St. Mesrob in his works. After the discovery of the alphabet, St. Sahag set to work on the first translation of the Holy Bible. He established schools and improved upon those already existing. He formulated the first books of ritual and translated the works of the Holy Fathers into Armenian. He wrote a number of canons, hymns, and prayers and is recognized as one of the founders of Armenian ecclesiastical and national literature. His fruitful life ended in 437 AD at the ripe old age of 89. With the death of St. Sahag, the line of St. Gregory the Illuminator was also ended. St. Sahag is remembered as one of the greatest saints of the Armenian Church. His work, together with St. Mesrob and King Vramshabouh, granted the Armenian nation the key necessary for its survival, the establishment of Armenian literature. He ushered in the Golden Age, and was responsible for Armenia becoming ecclesiastically and nationally autonomous, giving it the strength to withstand centuries of political division and subservience.
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Mesrob the Vartabed (known as Mashdotz) (438 AD)
St. Mesrob was born in the village of Hatzegatz in the province of Daron. In his early years, he learned both Greek and Persian and served in the Armenian Royal Court. Later, he decided to enter the ranks of the clergy and with some other young men, he went to preach in the province of Koghtn around 395 AD During this period he felt the great need of the Armenian people for an alphabet of their own so he petitioned the Catholicos Sahag and together they requested the aid of King Vramshabouh.

After much research and many travels, Mesrob was able to come up with the skeleton of an alphabet. However, it did not meet the needs of the Armenian language. According to tradition, while meditating in a cave near the village of Palu, the saint had a vision in which, "the hand of God wrote the alphabet in letters of fire." Upon his return to the Catholicos and king, the saint was received with great honors and much joy.
Immediately after the discovery of the alphabet, the Holy Translators worked to translate the Bible and the first words in the Armenian language were from the Book of Proverbs, "To know wisdom and Instruction; to perceive the words of understanding." They also opened schools to teach the newly discovered alphabet, among whose students were the famous translators Yeghisheh, Movses, Tavit and Saint Vartan.
After the discovery of the alphabet, St. Mesrob spent many years translating and writing literary and ecclesiastical works. He went to many provinces where paganism still existed and preached the word of God in the people's own language, with the light of the Holy Gospels. During this period, he was invited to Georgia and Caucasian Albania where he likewise invented alphabets to suit their languages. His life's works have been recorded by one of his famous students, Goriun, in his book, The Life of Mashdotz. St. Mesrob was buried in Oshagan in the province of Vaspouragan where a beautiful cathedral has been built in his honor and where one may go and pay homage at the saints tomb to the present.
The book of ritual used in the Armenian Church bears the name 'Mashdotz' and is dedicated to this great saint. Although it had been compiled at a later date, it was based on a sacramental anthology attributed to Mashdotz.
St. Mesrob gave the Armenian people the most precious of gifts and continues to serve as an inspiration to all generations. Beloved by all, St. Mesrob is a special inspiration to Armenian writers and poets.
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Stepanos Oolnetzi (Steven of Oolnia) and His Companions (c. 450 AD)
During a period of severe persecution in Armenia Minor, Stepanos, his parents, a group of nuns, and other companions escaped to the mountains; Stepanos' father died on the way. Here they remained successfully hidden for three months until one of the local shepherds betrayed them. They were called before the judge and professed their faith and willingness to die rather than give up their Christian faith. Stepanos and his companions were subjected to horrible tortures, while his mother was stabbed through the heart, and the nuns were beheaded. After the saints were tortured beyond endurance, they were beheaded. Hundreds of pagans who witnessed their martyrdom were Inspired to convert to Christianity; their executioners converted as well. The converts gathered up the relics of the saints and took them to the city of Oolnia.
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Vartanank: St. Vartan and 1036 Martyrs (451 AD)
In 451 AD the Persians waged war against the Armenian princes after a series of attempts to force the Armenians to follow Mazdaism. For a number of decades, this confrontation had been looming and with the refusal of the Armenian princes to conceal, it was brought to a peak. Under the leadership of St. Vartan Mamigonian, the princes fought with their armies against the might of the Persian Empire. Armenia's terrain was to the advantage of her brave sons but the vast numbers of the Persians brought victory to their side (60,000 Armenians against 200,000 Persians excluding the armored elephant brigade).
This battle, known as the Battle of Avarayr (the field where it was fought) is the first recorded battle in defense of Christianity. As the historian Yeghisheh states, the Armenians fought "for the freedom of religion and for the Fatherland." The battle became a spiritual victory for the Armenian nation in that the Persian kings henceforth recognized the Armenian claims for freedom of worship. St. Vartan and the 1036 martyrs are held in special respect by the Armenian people who have continued for centuries to hold fast to their Christian faith and to their national identity.
The following is pad of the response of the Armenian princes to the Persian King, which has served as an Inspiration to Armenians for centuries.
"From this faith, no one can shake us, neither angels nor men; neither sword, nor fire, nor water, nor any, nor all other horrid tortures. All our goods and possessions are in your hands, our bodies are before you; dispose of them, as you will. If you leave us to our belief, we will, here on earth, choose no other master in your place, and in heaven choose no other God in place of Jesus Christ, for there is no other God. But should you require anything beyond this great testimony, here we are; our bodies are in your hands; do with them as you please. Tortures from you, submission from us; the sword is yours, the neck ours. We are no better than our forefathers who, for the sake of this faith, surrendered their goods, their possessions, and their bodies. Were we even immortal, it would become us to die for the love of Christ; for He Himself was immortal and so loved us that He took death on Himself that we, by His death, might be freed from eternal death. And since He did not spare His immortality, we, who became mortal of our own will, will die for His love willingly, so that He may make us participants in His immortality. We shall die as mortals that He accepts our death as that of immortals. Do not therefore interrogate us further concerning all this because our bond of faith is not with men to be deceived like children but with God to whom we are indissolubly bound and from whom nothing can detach and separate us, neither now, nor later, nor forever, nor forever and ever."
The historian Yeghisheh then adds:
"The entire multitude, from the highest to the lowest, assented to this declaration of faith. They bound themselves by an inviolable vow to remain true to their confession in life and in death."
This confession has served as a supreme example of the faith, which has sustained the Armenian nation for more than fifteen hundred years through persecution, massacre, and finally attempted genocide. Until today, you may hear Armenian children In every part of the world reciting a treasured poem: "I am Armenian, Armenian; I am the grandchild of Brave Vartan."
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The Levontian Fathers:
Catholicos Hovsep; Bishops Sahag and Tatig; Priests Levontlus (Ghevont), Mousheh, Arshen, Manuel, Abraham, Khoren; Deacons Kachach and Abraham (454 AD)
After the Vartanantz Battle, the above saints were abducted by the Persian King and placed in custody. During a later battle, the Persians suffered a great loss and under the evil influence of the pagan priests, their losses were attributed to the fact that the Armenian priests had not been punished. Some were taken separately and the remainder in-groups, tortured mercilessly and then martyred. Historians have recorded the martyrdom of each of the saints. St. Ghevont (Levontius) the Elder serves as a particular inspiration as he was influential in the battle of Vartanantz. These saints are especially loved and honored by the Armenian people in that they were martyred for their strength of faith and love for their nation.
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Adovmyan Generals and Their Armies (c. 451 and 853)
The Armenian Church remembers two groups of martyrs bearing the name of Adovmyan. One group belongs to the period Just prior to the Battle of Avarayr; the second group was martyred in 853 during the reign of Pougha Vostigan.
The Adovmyans of the fifth century were two armies of Armenian soldiers led by Adovm Knooni and Manajihr Rshdooni. The leaders had been commissioned by their Persian commanders to leave Armenia and proceed to one of the most distant outposts of the empire. The reason was to keep the Armenian soldiers far away from Armenia and thus prevent them from helping the Armenians in case of a revolt. The commanders recognized the Persian plot, turned their backs on their assignment, and returned to Armenia with their armies. Having been divided into two sections, the Armenian soldiers were pursued, captured and martyred by the Persian forces.
The second group, also known as the new Adovmyans, was a special group of young men who were selected for their physical beauty, stature, and ability by Poogha Vostigan and presented as a gift for the Khalif of Baghdad during the 9th century. Poogha thought that they would readily change their faith for such a special 'privilege.' The young men, however, encouraged by one of their number, Adovmn, remained steadfast in their faith. They were martyred one by one In the hope that a few of these men might change their faith since the tortures grew progressively more horrible. In the end, all of the young men, more than 150 souls, were martyred.
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Shooshan (470 AD)
St. Shooshan, whose baptismal name was Varteni, was the daughter of St. Vartan. She received her early education from St. Sahag and her saintly mother, Sahaganoosh. Her father's martyrdom was a powerful impetus to her own piety and grace. When of age, she was married to Vazken, the son of the Georglan King, to whom she bore three sons and one daughter. Before the death of her father-in-law, Shooshan lived a very happy and peaceful life; but upon his death, events took a drastic change. Vazken became power-hungry and, after being called to Persia, returned to Georgia, having renounced his faith and brought with him another wife. Shooshan was appalled by what he had done and sought sanctuary in the church. Vazken was determined that she also changes her faith and proceeded to persecute her mercilessly. He insulted her father's memory and had her chained in prison where she was subjected for more than seven years to all kinds of torture, especially at the hands of wizards who tried devious methods to have her renounce her faith; he forced her children to apostatize, which was perhaps the most heinous blow. Even after her death, It took the pleas of the high-ranking clergy as well as the king's brother and other relatives to have her buried properly. The king's wish was to have her dismembered and her memory erased for all time.
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Ermeni Kilisesi Azizleri Bölüm II (İngilizce)