PREACHING CHRISTIANITY IN ARMENIA

The Apostles Thaddeus and Bartholomew among Armenians

                                                                                                                    “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.”[1]

The last time Christ saw His disciples He commanded them to preach Christianity throughout the world.  A religion for which He was born, a religion based upon love had to be preached everywhere.

According to Matthew the Evangelist, following the commandment of Jesus Christ, the Apostles went to several regions and countries to spread the teaching of Christ.  The Church tradition claims that two of the Apostles, St. Thaddeus and St. Bartholomew, went to preach in Armenia.

The Armenian Church acknowledges the apostles St. Thaddeus and St. Bartholomew as original founders of the Church in Armenia, whom she designates by the apellation of the First Illuminators of the Armenian Nation. The chronology which is generally adopted ascribes to the mission of St. Thaddeus a period of eight years (35-43 A.D.), and to that of St. Bartholomew a period of sixteen years (44-60 A.D.)

It is generally maintained that Christianity reached Armenia first through Antioch, then from Edessa and Nisibis (Midzbin). Sources testify that the Apostle Thaddeus went to Edessa and then to Armenia to preach Christ’s Gospel. Many Armenians were converted to Christianity. There is a later Armenian manuscript called Testimony to Preaching of the Apostle Thaddeus in Armenia.[2] This writing refers to Thaddeus as the Apostle and Illuminator of the Armenian Church. It states that the Apostle Thaddeus, and other Christians, by the edict of the Armenian king, were martyred in the region of Artaz.[3]

            According to historical sources, the Apostle Bartholomew began his preaching of Christianity in the Persian, Parthian, and then in the Indian regions. Later “He went to the Armenian province of Golthn and hastened to reach the region of Thaddeus’ mission by the command of the Holy Spirit.”[4] Proceeding to the city of Artashat he met Thaddeus: “Coming to the hill of Artash, the Holy Apostle met one of the twelve, Judas-James.  They erected the sign of the Lord’s cross where they met, and they parted with great joy.”[5] Then Thaddeus travelled to Artaz while Bartholomew travelled to Albac spreading the teaching of Christ. The apostle Bartholomew was martyred in Albac.  The remains of St. Bartholomew’s Monastery in Albac are found to this day.

            These two Apostles brought the light and teaching of Jesus Christ to Armenia. Their graves are preserved and venerated in the ancient churches of Artaz and Albac, situated in the south-east of Armenia.

            The Armenian Church commemorates in her martyrology many Armenian martyrs of the apostolic era. We notice therein names of royal, noble blood, of satraps, of a thousand Armenians who were martyred at the same time as the apostles St. Thaddeus and St. Bartholomew. To these facts must be added the passage from Tertullian’s (155-222) writings, the earliest of the ancient ecclesiastical writers and the creator of Christian Latin literature, who, in quoting the text of the Acts of the Apostles (2:8-9), where the countries are enumerated whose languages were heard by the people on the day of Pentecost, makes mention of Armenia, lying between Mesopotamia and Cappadocia, in place of Judea, which is the one named in the text of the ordinary Bible. Judea could not have been included among foreign countries, and we know that it is not situated between Mesopotamia and Cappadocia. The name, erroneously inserted by some copyist, undoubtedly should be Armenia. Judea was not a foreign country; it was the country in which they were situated at the time, and to hear its language spoken would naturally be expected. St. Augistine, one of the greatest of the ancient Church fathers, likewise follows the reading of Tertullian. We thus see that the two fathers of the African Church were impressed with the conviction that Christianity was spread among the Armenians in the apostolic age.

            There is a tradition about founding the See of Golthn by St. Bartholomew and the See of Artaz by St. Thaddeus. To the See of Artaz tradition has ascribed an early line of seven bishops, covering a period of 127 years. The 5th century historians give evidences of the apostolic origins of the Armenian Episcopal see.

All Christian Churches are unanimous in recognizing the tradition concerning St. Bartholomew and St. Thaddeus, their apostolic journeys, their preaching, and their martyrdom in Armenia. Thus, St. Thaddeus and St. Bartholomew are linked to one of the most crucial turning points of the Armenian history - the entry of Christianity into Armenia.

The apostolic character of the Armenian Church, bears testimony on the one hand to an origin both ancient and primitive, and on the other hand to one which is direct and autocephalic, without the intervening agency of another Church.

By Hasmik Muradyan