The principle that brings unity was widespread among the cleargymen․ Unity in important issues, freedom in secondary ones, love in everything. And this formula led the unity in the church. Talking about Christianity and its origin within the framework of “The Church and the Law” series of interviews, Iravaban.net, Rev. Father Adam Makaryan, the Clerk-Secretary of the Catholicos’ Office, mentioned this.
– Father Adam, please tell us a little about your spiritual education, how did you decide to choose the life of a clergyman, how did you go through this path and what activities do you carry out now?
– I received my spiritual education at the Gevorkyan Theological Seminary, the education here is completely different from the education in other higher educational institutions, because first of all students stay in a monastic environment and communicate more with the church clergy, as well as with our dear professors from abroad, who come willingly and share their knowledge with us.
-This path is chosen at a young age. Isn’t it difficult at that age to leave the worldly life, the friendly environment and enter a completely different world?
– When ordination to deacons or priests, those who are ordained raise their hands, before the people, which means renunciation of this world. But renunciation from this world does not mean to renounce all the good things that God has created for mankind. That renunciation means renouncing all bad realities, which is a sign not only for the clergy, but also for all believers, all moral, virtuous people, and therefore, becoming a clergyman, a man does not renounce neither parents, nor friends, nor the kinship and relatives, nor all good realities which God gives. I often find myself confused by believers who want to constantly turn their lives into suffering, thinking, that by suffering here they will enjoy the bliss of paradise. It means rejecting all the pleasures God has given us, the gifts God has given us, the grace of this life. One should give up only bad realities, sins and should accept with gratitude all the good, all the pleasures of life, the greatest gift of life that God has given, and enjoy that life in a virtuous, faithful, and pious way.
– Please tell us, how Christianity was created.
– The founder of Christianity is our Lord Jesus Christ. But in this respect we must note that Christianity is different from all other bearers, because the founders of other religions are people and they themselves have declared themselves as people who have developed this or that system of worship, who have allegedly received some revelation and they based that religion on that revelation. Christianity is distinguished by the fact that its founder is not man, but God, and in this sense Christianity is not a religion in the classical sense, but the revelation of God to people. Christianity differs in that its founder is not man, but God, and in this sense Christianity is not a religion, in the classical sense, but the revelation of God to men. Just as Christ became man for us, came into the world, so Christianity through him became not a religion, a religious system, but the revelation of God to men.
By revelation we distinguish between natural and supernatural revelations. Natural revelation is all around us: nature, the world, people, the environment, the universe, the order of everything that is called natural revelation, when you look at this, you already ascend in your mind to God, because all of this, all in order, these wonderful realities could not arise spontaneously. And the supernatural revelation is already a special revelation brought by God.
– What are the currents of Christianity and what are their peculiarities?
– Basically we can distinguish between the Orthodox faith, Catholicism and Protestantism. The Armenian Church is one of the ancient Eastern Orthodox churches, but we have taken the apostolic name to emphasize that the apostles of Christ immediately founded the Armenian Apostolic Church.
Catholicism is the main name of the Catholic Church, which emphasizes universality, that is, the general character of the church, that the church is common to all believers, and the churches are one, and the head of the church is Jesus Christ.
Protestantism, which originated in the 16th century, protested against the condemnatory manners and practices that entered the Catholic Church, which is why it took that name Protestant. It must be said that in the church, especially in the Middle Ages, there were contradictions between different currents, and already in the 12th century, one of our patriarchs, St. Nerses Shnorhali, emphasized the principle common among the church fathers, which leads to unity, that is, the unity in important issues, freedom in secondary ones, love in everything. And this formula led the union in the church. And it is this formula that can lead to well-being in the personal, social and family life of a person, and if we continue to follow this formula established by the church fathers and great church leaders today: unity in important matters, freedom in minor ones and love in everything, then it will be a welfare in a person’s personal, family, public and state life..
– Please, mention what are the main theses of Christianity and faith.
– The main theses of the faith are referred to in the Belief, which is said every Sunday in the church. It is the belief in the Holy Trinity in the creation of the world by God, in the prophets blessing of the Holy Spirit, and in men, in salvation through Christ, and the second coming of Christ. Humility, forgiveness, and love are among the greatest counsels of the Christian life.
– Father Adam, we are conducting the interview in the Treasury House Museum, where we see relics from different centuries, please tell us about them as well, how they got to the museum. What is the state of the museum now, what does it need?
-Of course, there are special storage rules for museum specimens, which are strictly followed in the Mother See: they are both temperature stable and specially made cabinets. These relics have come to us from the depths of the centuries and there are relics that we receive from different churches or from different people, such as in 2001 a part of the relic of St. Gregory the Illuminator was given to us by the Catholic Church.
Relics are the relics of saints, which are mainly kept in hand shaped cases and have their power. The myrrh blessing is performed with the relic of the Holy Cross, a relic of the cross of Christ is kept in our church, as well as with Holy Lance “Geghard”, so that the blessing contained in Holy Lance “Geghard” will also pass into the St. Myrrh, by which the baptismal ceremony is performed for the believers.
The museum is open to all citizens and the staff also organizes tours so that people can get acquainted in more detail with the museum sanctuaries and museum values of the Church.
– Thank you for the interview, Bless Holly Father.
-God bless you.
Details in the video
