{"id":440,"date":"2018-06-29T18:35:58","date_gmt":"2018-06-29T18:35:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.berry.edu\/mpapazian\/?page_id=440"},"modified":"2018-07-04T14:17:38","modified_gmt":"2018-07-04T14:17:38","slug":"prayer75","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sites.berry.edu\/mpapazian\/adfontes\/prayer75\/","title":{"rendered":"Prayer 75 of the Book of Lamentation"},"content":{"rendered":"

Profession of Trinitarian Faith and Praise of the Church <\/strong><\/h2>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n

In the ninth century a new dissident movement emerged in Armenia. Founded by Smbat Zahrevants\u2018i, the movement was driven by widespread dissatisfaction among the economically and socially disadvantaged against the powerful feudal lords and their oppressive conduct toward the peasantry. Because the Church hierarchy was closely aligned with the nobility, the T\u2018ondrakeans also adopted a strongly anti-ecclesiastical stance that denied the authority of the Church and the efficacy of the sacraments, especially baptism, the Eucharist, and ordination. They offered an alternative cult that disdained the use and veneration of material objects, especially the cross, and also denied that worship must be restricted to consecrated churches. Instead they held their services in private homes or in the open air.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Alarmed by the resurgence of the T\u2018ondrakeans at the end of the tenth century and in particular its infiltration among the lower ranks of the clergy and some of the monasteries, Gregory composed an impassioned letter to the abbot of the monastery of Kchaw, warning him of the presence of heretical teachings among his monks. Probably at about the same time Gregory may have written this prayer that became incorporated in the Book of Lamentation. A creed in which the monk proclaims his faith in the Trinity as well as his love for the Church, this poem is a defense of the Church and its sacramental theology, an elegant and graceful counterpoint to the more polemical letter to the abbot of Kchaw.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 [1]<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Now am I plunged in wonder,
\nCompletely submerged in the
\nInexpressible and diverse
\nAbundance of your favors,
\nAn inexhaustible fullness
\nThat never ceases to accumulate
\nTo my right and my left,
\nIn front of me and behind,
\nIncreasing without end.
\n 
\nAnd so, I offer and present to you
\nThis hymn of praise,
\nMy confession of faith.
\n 
\nAlthough at one time I was taken,
\nExiled, and expelled from paradise
\nBy the fishhook of the swindler,
\nBy the tricks of the deceiver,1<\/a><\/sup>
\nBy the heresies of the schismatics,
\nNow I am once again lifted up
\nOn the wings of light
\nAnd will arrive in heaven
\nThrough this union
\nIn correct purity with
\nThe genuine deposit of grace.2<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Since it was from her womb
\nThat I was conceived,
\nAnd I was born from the spiritual labor of
\nThe great blessed immaculate queen of virgins
\nI must record in this book
\nTo the extent that my words will allow
\nMy glorious and praiseworthy mother,
\nThat she may be known and proclaimed
\nAnd the extent of her incense-worthy glory
\nBe told to all generations to come
\nAnd be revered with worthy devotion
\nAs the pure body whose head is
\nThe Incarnate Word of God,3<\/a><\/sup>
\nAnd to be mindful of her in this
\nConfession of faith in the Trinity.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

[2]<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

And now, with this spirit-formed figure of words,
\nConforming to the altar of light,
\nAccept me, compassionate, blessed One,
\nAs one forgiven and purified by it.
\nThrough this, remove from my soul
\nThe wounds of my sin;
\nSet me down under her shade,
\nBlameless and above reproach;4<\/a><\/sup>
\nJoin my weak self to the house of David
\nAnd from there bring me to the house of God
\nAs in the words of the prophet5<\/a><\/sup>
\nWho was foreshadowing you, Jesus.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Do not make my entrances vain
\nNor my exits unhelpful;
\n 
\nDo not consider the warmth of my faith cold
\nNor judge my kiss of greeting inappropriate;<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Do not record my worship as ungrateful
\nNor disdain my prostration as thoughtless6<\/a><\/sup>;<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Do not let the vision of your image be fruitless,
\nNor the wonder of your figure lose its splendor;<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Do not forget the fireless holocaust,7<\/a><\/sup>
\nNor scatter the sacrifice of this covenant of words;<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Do not let the taste of your light
\nBe for me death,
\nNor the cup of the blood from your side
\nBe for me condemnation.8<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

[3]<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

I beseech you, Lord Jesus,
\nYou who are one of the Essence,
\nThe one through whom we know your Father,
\nAnd taste of the Holy Spirit,
\nWe are taught by you the orders of the Church
\nWhich is given for all,
\nYou who dwell in this luminous house of prayer
\nFor life, salvation, and goodness.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

We lift up our hearts
\nAnd stretch out our hands
\nIn perpetual offerings
\nTo You, Lord of All, One of the Trinity,
\nThis frankincense of words,
\nThis expression of thanksgiving.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

[4]<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Let us praise and lift up our voices
\nWith music and songs of blessing,
\nIn faith and worship.9<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

You who are the benevolent commander
\nAnd cause of all creation,
\nThe Trinity without beginning,
\nExalted without comparison,
\nInaccessible to our thoughts,
\nIncomprehensible by our mind,
\nImperceptible by our senses,
\nUnbearable by your creatures,
\nA greatness that extends beyond heaven
\nAnd the lowest depths,
\nThe fulfilment of all endings and
\nOrigin of all beginnings.
\nOne in three distinct persons;
\nThree in one indivisible essence.
\nBeyond the freedom of the mind,
\nExtended through all places.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Unchanging goodness,
\nUnshakeable rectitude,
\nUndefiled form of love,
\nMagnitude that has no successor,
\nExaltation that cannot be humbled,
\nInexhaustible contemplation,
\nUndiminished beneficence,
\nDeterminate will,
\nLiving commandment,
\nSign of salvation,
\nTrue blessedness,
\nCertain expectation,
\nTrustworthy promise,
\nAbundant treasure,
\nAssured good news,
\nIntangible sublimity.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

One Father of the
\nOnly-Begotten Son
\nHonored by the unique Spirit,
\nOverfilled with the richest bounty,
\nCompletely devoid of any evil,
\nPraised by the sounds of benedictions,
\nBy an unfathomable panegyric.10<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

[5]<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

One exalted, awesome name,
\nSharing equally in honor,
\nIn an inexpressible relation,
\nThree lights joined together,
\nA fullness lacking in nothing,
\nSovereign in his will
\nIn loving reverence toward the Father
\nWhose image he bears.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Uniting in his activity
\nWith the Spirit of Holiness,
\nHe descended to earth;<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Without relinquishing his glory,
\nHe deigned to enter the maternal womb
\nOf the Mother of God, the virgin of purity.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

In her, he made the seeds of blessing grow11<\/a><\/sup>
\nIn an immaculate luminous field
\nWhile remaining always joined with his divine essence
\nIn an inseparable union.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

He combined miraculously
\nIn a penetrating mixture12<\/a><\/sup>
\nThe essence of our breath with
\nHis spirit of divinity.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

He tamed with the reins
\nThat instill obedience
\nMy waywardness.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Willingly offering himself to the cross,
\nHe rose like a flower of the fruit of life
\nTo the top branch of the immortal plant.13<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

He was wounded unto death,
\nWithout separating his divinity
\nFrom the flesh he shared with us;14<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

He gave life to the instrument of torture,
\nAnd the essence of the Creator
\nEver inseparably suffered with
\nHis created body.15<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Descending into the darkness of hell,16<\/a><\/sup>
\nHe released the captives from the scatterer\u2019s17<\/a><\/sup>bonds
\nAnd roused as if from a drowsy slumber
\nHe repulsed death\u2019s assault on him
\nAnd was raised up and divinely resurrected.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

He ascended from the earth
\nAs the bread of life,18<\/a><\/sup>
\nThe shepherd of a rational flock.19<\/a><\/sup>
\nHe was believed on in the world20<\/a><\/sup>
\nAnd in no way diminished in his likeness.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

As he came to us whole,
\nSo too he was raised in his entirety.21<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

He is seated on the sublime throne
\nIn the glory of his primordial simplicity as creator.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

We confess him as beneficent God
\nAnd the Lord of all,
\nWho judges the whole earth
\nWith a just decision on the Great Day.
\nFor he is the beginning and the end,
\nThe first and the last;22<\/a><\/sup>
\nLacking in nothing
\nHe reigns in inaccessible light.23<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

[6]<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

We bless together with the Father and the Son
\nThe indivisible source, the Lord Spirit
\nSharing in their glory,
\nWho created everything
\nAnd gave life to all;
\nWho from the beginning
\nWhen the world was engulfed in darkness,
\nSurrounded by mist, fashioned and formed
\nThe all-containing waters of the infinite sea
\nStretching throughout the earth24<\/a><\/sup>
\nFor the realization of this present sacrament,
\nThe holy font of light.25<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

First he made and now he works;
\nHe brings into being and
\nalways perfects his miraculous craft,
\nThe prophecies of the saintly,26<\/a><\/sup>
\nDivine portents,
\nAstonishing powers,
\nProphets, apostles, doctors,
\nTeachers of practical wisdom.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

He built the sanctuary where the blood of Christ is offered,
\nHe commanded the forgiveness of souls
\nAnd the health of bodies
\nThrough his mercy in Christ\u2019s likeness.
\nHe baptized in what is greater than water;27<\/a><\/sup>
\nHe renewed and illuminated with his power alone.
\nHe ceaselessly fortifies us with his beneficence.
\nHe testified to the divinity of the Only-Begotten
\nIn the rivers of the Jordan;28<\/a><\/sup>
\nIn a cloud\u2019s guise he manifested himself
\nWith the voice of the Father on Mount Tabor.29<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

In the same form he sheltered the house of Jacob
\nIn its flight out of Egypt
\nAnd its exodus directed by Moses;
\nHe drowned pharaoh with his violent wind.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

He consecrates priests,
\nHe forms sages,
\nHe gives strength to kings,
\nHe transmits forgiveness,
\nHe grants life to the dead,
\nThrough the renewal of the Resurrection,
\nHe is the anointing of God made man.30<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

In a perpetual equality,
\nHe receives the same worship as the Father
\nFor the majestic honor of the Son,
\nWith boundless glory,
\nBlessed forever.
\nAmen.31<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

[7]<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

We profess the correct faith
\nAnd the unerring purity;
\nWith the kiss of our lips
\nWe greet this tabernacle
\nOf lifeless columns,
\nThe edifice of the church
\nIn which God dwells,
\nRevealed to be more sublime
\nThan the firmament most adorned on high,
\nFounded upon the ranks of apostles,
\nBlessed with incense by the disciples of the Most High,
\nHonored by the servants of the Word.32<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The treasure of this life began in the upper room,33<\/a><\/sup>
\nIn the place where the sacrament was accomplished,34<\/a><\/sup>
\nThe Spirit of God filled and shone with its power first35<\/a><\/sup>
\nOn that great day of Pentecost through the blessed house,
\nA figure of the Church growing in perfect holiness and grace,
\nAnd whose inhabitants were given the glorious light of renewal.36<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

This is why the blood of the Almighty God is distributed
\nIn a perpetual offering with a voice of joy overpowering
\nAbel\u2019s lament of death and proclaiming life immortal to us.37<\/a><\/sup>
\nFor there is no force or power anywhere under heaven
\nOr below the sun to undertake to serve this awesome mystery,
\nUnless they are guarded by the wings of the church;
\nFor heaven is not satisfied by this gift of the Lord\u2019s body
\nIf it is not offered under cover of this blessed canopy.38<\/a><\/sup>
\nFor the law curses a man with death who offers
\nThis divine sacrifice outside this tent of witness.39<\/a><\/sup>
\nMoreover, he will be held responsible for the blood,
\nFor not offering in this consecrated place
\nThe blood that is a symbol of the soul.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

There is in the Church but one washing
\nIn the death of Christ,40<\/a><\/sup>
\nLest the Divinity who submits to abuse
\nFor the sake of those who do not know Him
\nShould suffer a second time
\nFor those who already do.41<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

There is one ordination in the honor of anointing,
\nSo that fraud not be mixed into purity.
\n 
\nAnd there is one forgiveness of sin,
\nMore by grace than by penance,
\nSo that the truth not be deceived by its likeness.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

There is one faith for future election
\nLest the threat of restitution be thought<\/p>\n

Some collection of strange words.42<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

There is one just reproach of our two essences
\nLest one think the compensation for evil or good
\nBe divided in half between the inner and outer person.43<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

<There is one faith in the resurrection of the dead>44<\/a><\/sup>
\nIn the immortal power of adoption into the kingdom,
\nTo make known through the familiarity of earthly flesh
\nThe greatness of the heavenly kingdom.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

There is one hope of life;
\nIt preserves the saints from corruption,
\nSo that the certainty of what has been promised
\nWill be made known and
\nBelieved by those who hear it.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

[8]<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

This adored queen, the inanimate Church,
\nGives life and rules over death;<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Prefigured by Adam\u2019s fruit,
\nIt is worthy of being tasted;45<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Though lifeless, she is
\nMore sublime than rational beings.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

She works the miracle of
\nBringing us to perfection,
\nEstablishing in us anew
\nThe restored image and form
\nOf glory and of light.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

There too is inscribed
\nAn image of the grandeur
\nOf the celestial vault
\nCreated from the beginning
\nWhere the heavenly hosts dwell.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Bestowing an honorable richness
\nOn worthless flesh,
\nShe grants us a new flight
\nWith the lightness of the soul.
\n <\/p>\n

She is not disfigured by her own sins
\nUnless she is trampled by the wicked and unfaithful.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

She is a miraculous type
\nThat surpasses the vision of our mind;<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Herself mute, she is made up of rational beings,
\nShe succors them always
\nAs the sublime do the lowly.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

She is greater than a man,
\nAs much as the victorious rod of the elect Moses;46<\/a><\/sup>
\nShe is greater than any rational being,
\nAs much as the mysterious flowering staff of Aaron;47<\/a><\/sup>
\nShe is more sublime than the wise,
\nAs much as the wondrous mantle of Elijah and Elisha,48<\/a><\/sup>
\nResplendent in the miracle that parted the river.49<\/a><\/sup>
\nShe endows the consecrated hands
\nWith a double power to wipe away sins.50<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Greater than any weapon,51<\/a><\/sup>
\nA physical body of stone and clay,
\nIntimate with the sensible;
\nOne in being with the saints.52<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Like the immortal stone that lives53<\/a><\/sup>
\nIn being destroyed and raised up again;54<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Like the judge of all souls that strives
\nMiraculously in her actions of cursing and blessing;<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Like the seer of the invisible
\nWho denounces some and sustains others.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

When she calls us to herself
\nShe does so by name,55<\/a><\/sup>
\nLike the ruler who gives commands to all beings.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Like the everlasting mountain
\nShe is unshaken by her enemies,
\nAnd gathers the spiritual
\nBy means of the Great One\u2019s net;<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

She traces the steps of Christ
\nWithout sin and unfailingly,
\nHer sublime abundance unsullied,
\nShe lifts up her head boldly
\nIn a praiseworthy manner.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

[9]<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

She has such great holiness
\nThat she draws canonical distinctions
\nAmong them according to the image of God.56<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

After many tests of election,
\nIf a culpable man dares enter her narthex,
\nShe is not soiled, but grieves over
\nThe errors of those unprepared.
\nShe is not cursed but receives
\nThose ignorant of the extent of grace;
\nShe does not despair of finding in herself guilt,
\nBut she is darkened by our deeds.57<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

She does not permit anyone to approach twice
\nTo embrace the life-giving feet
\nIn the Lord\u2019s ineffable sacrament,
\nNor celebrate it a second time in one day
\nLest the offering be imprudently profaned.58<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

She has powerful sympathy for our weaknesses,
\nYet remains impassible to the corruption in our passions;
\nWithout speaking she judges with a lordly decree.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

[10]<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

She is a pure ark, doubly blessed,
\nA life-saving guard from the suffocating waves;59<\/a><\/sup>
\nShe does not gather within herself
\nThe multitude of irrational beasts
\nWith just a few human beings,60<\/a><\/sup>
\nInstead she collects with the earthly
\nThe celestial beings within herself.
\nShe does not simply carry them
\nAlong the turbulent waves,
\nBut lifts them up to the heavenly heights.61<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Like the disciple instructed by the Holy Spirit,
\nShe flees from every deceit;62<\/a><\/sup>
\nShe does not lead us into the blows
\nOf the death of the body,
\nBut seizes us and brings us
\nTo everlasting life.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

She was not made by Noah\u2019s hands
\nBut was built by order of the Creator.
\n <\/p>\n

She was not dressed
\nby Moses with Bezalel63<\/a><\/sup>
\nBut by the Only-Begotten
\nSon of God with the Holy Spirit.64<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

She is not forever in motion,
\nConstantly changing,
\nBut on her firm foundation
\nShe rests unshaken.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Again, mute as the ark of wood,
\nIts planks glued together,
\nLacking the perception of sight,
\nShe leads us forward
\nLike an immeasurable figure of Being,
\nAnd prepares for us a place
\nFor our future life in light.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

As happened to Uzzah,65<\/a><\/sup>
\nShe destroys anyone there who
\nDoes not carry her in their soul like a cross,
\nShe kills, dissipates, and consumes immediately
\nAnyone yoked to irrational beasts,
\nToo worldly, tied to their earthly wagon,
\nWho picks her up and puts her on the ground
\nLike some common vessel.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

She speaks not with a tongue of flesh
\nBut with the words of angels.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

She does not listen with material ears
\nBut immediately comprehends all she hears.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Her voice is not in a particular language
\nBut she proclaims to all nations
\nLike an oracle all of Christ\u2019s deeds.66<\/a><\/sup>
\nNot with an articulated vibration
\nBut with a divine breath she gives life.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

She has neither joints nor bones nor sinews,
\nBut with the width of two-thousand cubits,67<\/a><\/sup>
\nLike the infinite band, the living army raised by God
\nThe crowd roused from the Hebrews.
\nAnd now she separates from herself
\nThe unclean who have departed from purity,
\nThose afflicted by the passion of sin<\/p>\n

And she travels to a distant land
\nWith those who have endured
\nThe work of making bricks.68<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The same essence of the incarnate God
\nIs symbolized by the name of this rock
\nWho gives to us all to drink
\nFrom the tear69<\/a><\/sup>in his side.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

She protects us and renews our life
\nNot with the flow of blood from her veins
\nBut by union with her radiant streams of celestial light.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Neither Solomon nor Zerubbabel served70<\/a><\/sup>
\nAs architects72<\/a><\/sup>of her construction
\nBut the One who possesses all wisdom
\nHas sketched out her plan.72<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Not with the profane oil,
\nTasted in common by all,
\nLike that which Jacob poured out,73<\/a><\/sup>
\nBut by the majestic glory of
\nThe anointing with his precious blood.
\n <\/p>\n

She is not an earthly, material house,
\nBut the heavenly flesh of God\u2019s light
\nThat seals and consecrates his children.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

She does not give birth to us for an earthly life
\nBut trains us to be heirs of the kingdom of heaven,
\nFor she offers Abraham\u2019s bosom<74<\/a><\/sup>
\nTo those whom she embraces in her lap.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The groom at her wedding is
\nThe Son of the living God;75<\/a><\/sup>
\nThe maidens at her banquet
\nAre the band of the patriarchs.76<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

She has made us forget
\nThe demonic mounds of idolatry,
\nSo that we only recognize
\nGod who is in heaven.<\/p>\n

Alien to her in every way
\nAre the statues of false gods,
\nFor everywhere her stones
\nNow worship Christ.77<\/a><\/sup>
\nVisibly destroyed are the
\nPhantom images of the groves,<\/p>\n

For in all the forests of the land
\nThrough their likeness to the tree of life
\nThere the Lord is offered.
\nBroken are all the diabolic charms
\nAnd talismans, for the praised rock
\nIs again established with rubies,
\nPrecious gems, living stones.78<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

[11]<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

This wondrous vault beneath which
\nWe receive God
\nIs free at once of any servitude;79<\/a><\/sup>
\nShe is not just an image
\nOf the heavenly Zion<\/p>\n

But in her we recognize
\nIts very presence.80<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

She is not a temple tied to idolatry
\nNor a place of condemnation
\nYoked to the law,
\nBut a place of the grace
\nOf the Lord\u2019s beneficence
\nAnd of our embrace.81<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

She neither trembles nor changes
\nInto some other form or state,
\nBut the glory of her brilliance
\nMajestically stretches out.82<\/a><\/sup>
\nShe is herself heaven of heaven on earth
\nCelebrated in her resplendent form.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Just as without the Father of Christ
\nNone can be perfected in the Spirit,
\nNeither can they be perfected
\nWithout this, our Mother\u2019s womb.83<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Incomprehensible One would be
\nHomeless, wandering
\nIf He did not dwell in
\nThis tabernacle, this home.
\nThe Lord would have no where
\nTo rest his head84<\/a><\/sup>
\nIf he did not enter and lodge in
\nThis station of life.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The immensity of the divine light
\nShines forth more gloriously
\nIn this material dwelling
\nThan in heaven\u2019s sublime arch,
\nJust as its type, the prophet\u2019s hidden face,
\nWhen they fled from
\nThe glory of his countenance,85<\/a><\/sup>
\nAnd the priests could not endure
\nHer likeness in the temple.86<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

During a feast of great solemnity and praise
\nThe choirs of rational beings87<\/a><\/sup>assembled there
\nSing blessings with a yearning greater
\nThan that for the garden of delight.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

[12]<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

This spiritual mother, celestial, luminous,
\nCaressed me as her son
\nMore than my earthly, human, physical mother.88<\/a><\/sup>
\nThe milk of her breasts was the blood of Christ.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

If one were to write that the God-bearer89<\/a><\/sup>
\nIs an icon of the Church,
\nOne would not be unjustified.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Like the sign of the cross of salvation,
\nShe effects wondrous powers
\nIn many admirable ways
\nAnd miracles of several kinds.90<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

We see the judgment seat91<\/a><\/sup>
\nOf the terrible court
\nEstablished in her.
\nThrough her are silenced the mouths
\nOf the heretics, the capricious schismatics.
\nShe possesses stones of
\nReason and of intellect.
\nWith them she removes the savage
\nAnd banishes the impure.92<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

At times she gives birth to gods,
\nPure images of the one God, Christ.93<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

She fixes our attention to the east,94<\/a><\/sup>
\nTo the place of promise and our first abode.
\nHer hand shows clearly and in vigilance
\nthe way of God\u2019s advent;<\/p>\n

She teaches us by presenting
\nThe lightning in the Lord\u2019s allegory.95<\/a><\/sup>
\nShe interprets to the creatures of earth
\nThe appearance of the dawning of the morning star,96<\/a><\/sup>
\nThe salvation through Christ on the last day.97<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

She expels pain, heals the sick,
\nConquers demonic possession;
\n 
\nHer womb is the life-giving font;
\nIn the chorus of her wedding
\nAre the ranks of the apostles.98<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Abounding and flourishing
\nIn such great blessing,
\nShe is rightly called
\nBy the name Savior.
\n 
\nThe companions of the Only-Begotten One
\nDeclared and confirmed her
\nAs the Mother of the Lord
\nAnd of the Light.
\n 
\nTranquil harbor for storm-tossed sinners,
\nBanquet-hall of the celestial ranks,
\nInfallible hospital for anxious debtors,
\nIn her is the ineffable Trinity
\nPraised and blessed for all.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

[13]<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

But if anyone raises their wicked hand
\nAgainst the heavenly kingdom,99<\/a><\/sup>
\nOr presumes the traditions of the Church
\nTo be some fleshly artifice,
\nA human device or earth-born deceit,
\nMade by human hands\u2014<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

And if they do not confess that
\nShe is in truth the gift
\nOf abundant life,
\nThe divine and prophesied sign,
\nRevealed in renewed light
\nBy the Holy Spirit,
\nThe fullness of the favors
\nOf the all-giving Most High,
\nThe incense-worthy office100<\/a><\/sup>of the creator\u2019s will,
\nThe wise beneficence of the apostles\u2019 right hand\u2014
\nTo say it all at once\u2014
\nThe door of heaven,
\nThe city of the living God
\nAnd mother of all life,101<\/a><\/sup>
\nWho frees us from our debts;
\nAn exact model of our rational form,
\nAn intelligible symbol of our soul,102<\/a><\/sup>
\nA new sanctuary more sublime
\nThan the unspeakable temples of old;
\nShe is crowned in splendor
\nWith the sign of Christ\u2014<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Then will they be dismissed
\nFrom the presence of
\nThe Almighty Father through
\nHis consubstantial Word.
\nAnd he will lift from them
\nThe deposit of grace
\nOf the Spirit equal in glory,
\nAnd close the door of life
\nAnd the curtain103<\/a><\/sup>before them.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

As for us who write these words,
\nWe testify and believe all
\nThat we have set down.
\nIn the name and to the glory
\nOf the Almighty Trinity,
\nOne God, forever and ever.
\nAmen.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

There is my faith in the Trinity;
\nAnd here is my profession, my vow
\nTo my Mother, luminous, glorious.104<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

1.The swindler and deceiver is Satan but also Smbat Zarehavants\u2018i.\u21a9<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

2.This suggests that G himself joined the T\u2018ondrakean movement. We know from G\u2019s letter to the abbot of K\u2018chaw that at least in some of the monasteries there were monks with T\u2018ondrakean sympathies. Also the Armenian synaxarion <\/em>reports an episode in which G was accused of heresy. At the very least it is highly plausible that G may have been suspected of the heresy.\u00a0 G\u2019s abbot and teacher, Anania of Narek. was anathematized for his alleged T\u2018ondrakism. But there is also the possibility that in this exhortation to the T\u2018ondrakeans, \u00a0G deliberately avoids taking an accusatory stance and instead presents himself as one also prone to the temptation of apostasy. So he must first must confess and be forgiven of this notional sin before he judges any heretics, following the dictate of \u00a0Matthew 5:7\u2014first cast out the beam in your own eye and then you shall be ready to cast out the mote of your brother\u2019s eye.<\/em>\u21a9<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

3.Eph 1:22-23\u21a9<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

4.Col 1:22\u21a9<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

5.Zch 12:8.<\/em>\u21a9<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

6.The mechanical and shallow worship that G\u2019s father, Khosrov Anjewats\u2018i, decried. One can bow down before God in worship without understanding its meaning or with any feelings of piety.\u21a9<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

7.<\/a>The fireless holocaust is G\u2019s offering of his words.\u21a9<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

8.1 Cor 11:27-32\u21a9<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

9.Cf. Ps 95[94]:1-2\u21a9<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

10.After having professed his faith in the Trinity, G focuses his attention on each of the three persons, ending this section with the Father before he turns to the Son in the next.\u21a9<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

11.Cf. Gen 22:18; Lk 1:42\u21a9<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

12.The language of an interpenetrating mixture to describe the Incarnation is characteristic of the miaphysite Christology of the Armenian Church based on the writings of St. Cyril of Alexandria.\u21a9<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

13.Is 11:1\u21a9<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

14.Christ’s divinity shared in the suffering of hiss humanity.\u21a9<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

15.A vivid depiction of the close union of the divine and human in Christ: Christ\u2019s divinity so intimately penetrates the flesh that the divinity participates fully in the suffering and death of the body. The essence of the creator is united inseparably and paradoxically with the created flesh.\u21a9<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

16.1 Pet 3:18-19\u21a9<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

17.\u0561\u0582\u0571\u057f\u0578\u0572, \u2018scatterer\u2019, a common descriptive name for Satan. Note also the phonetic relation to \u0561\u0582\u0571, \u2018serpent\u2019, although the two words are not etymologically related.\u21a9<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

18.Jn 6:35\u21a9<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

19.Ez 34:31; Jn 10:11\u21a9<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

20.1 Tim 3:16\u21a9<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

21.Against the docetists and heretical monophysites who deny or minimize Christ\u2019s humanity , Christ came as a complete human with a body and was raised in his body.\u21a9<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

22.Rev 22:13\u21a9<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

23.1 Tim 6:16\u21a9<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

24.Gen 1:2\u21a9<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

25.The Spirit who hovers over the face of the water in Gen 1:2 is a prefiguration of the sacrament of baptism.\u21a9<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

26.Eph 4:11\u21a9<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

27.Mt 3:11; Mk 1:8; Lk 3:16\u21a9<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

28.Mt 3.16-17; Mk 1.10-11; 9.7; Lk 3.22; 9.34-35\u21a9<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

29.Mt 17.5\u21a9<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

30.Cf. Is 61.1\u21a9<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

31.This closes the profession of faith in the Trinity and the next section turns to the laudatory apology for the Church.\u21a9<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

32.While agreeing with the T\u2018ondrakeans that the church structure is inanimate, G affirms that it is also the house of God and the blessed sacrament, and therefore worthy of veneration.\u21a9<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

33.The upper room of Pentecost, the birth place of the Church.\u21a9<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

34.In the same room at the Last Supper, Christ instituted the Eucharist. Cf. Mt 26:26-28; Mk 14:22-25; Lk 22:19-20.\u21a9<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

35.Acts 2:1-4\u21a9<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

36.The spirit is the Holy Spirit that descended on the apostles in the upper room. By cutting themselves off from the apostolic church, the T\u2018ondrakeans are not truly worshipping God in spirit and truth (cf. Jn 4:23). The \u201clifeless columns\u201d do not distinguish a house as a place of worship; rather, the church building, through the mediation of the apostles and their successors\u2014the bishops and priests–comes to be the dwelling of the Spirit and the Body of Christ, who is Truth. Therefore, it is in the Incarnate Church that Christ\u2019s prophecy that we worship in spirit and in truth is realized.\u21a9<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

37.Cf. G\u2019s commentary on Job 38-39, a work attributed to G but whose authorship has been challenged by scholars: \u00a0Abel\u2019s blood cried out and said \u2018The heavenly Lamb shall come and destroy death\u2019, and the blood of Christ, the blood of the New Covenant graced us with deliverance so that we may say \u2018Where, O death, is your victory?\u2019<\/em>(1 Cor 15:55).\u21a9<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

38.An allusion to the T\u2018ondrakean practice of worshipping in open air.\u21a9<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

39.Lev 17:1-19\u21a9<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

40.Rom 6:3; Eph 4:5\u21a9<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

41.Cf. Heb 6:4-6. This stanza is directed both against the T\u2018ondrakean rejection of the orthodox understanding of the sacrament of baptism, but also against the practice of rebaptism that began to be followed by both Chalcedonian and non-Chalcedonians communions. If Mah\u00e9 is correct that this part of the BL is relatively late, then it would be around the time that G was writing this that the question of rebaptism began to emerge again after a period of relative amity between the Byzantines and Armenians. Alternatively, the question of rebaptism would also concern ex-T\u2018ondrakeans who request to be received back into the Armenian Church. In the spirit of Hebrews, G may be admonishing those attracted by the heresy that like the early Christians who were tempted to return to Judaism, they cannot be rebaptized if they renounce their baptism.\u21a9<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

42.Mt 25:31-46; Eph 4:5\u21a9<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

43.This is perhaps a reference to the T\u2018ondrakeans\u2019 alleged antinomianism according to which the sins of the body do not affect the soul, and thus carnal behavior does not compromise one\u2019s spiritual salvation. G criticizes this harshly dualistic view of the human person and insists that the person is a union of body and soul, both of which face final judgment together.\u21a9<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

44.This line is a conjectural addition by Mah\u00e9 and does not appear in any of the manuscripts. We find Mah\u00e9\u2019s arguments for this addition compelling.\u21a9<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

45.Cf. Gen 2:16-17\u21a9<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

46.Ex 4:1-5; 17\u21a9<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

47.Nmb 17:23\u21a9<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

48.2 Kg 2:8, 14\u21a9<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

49.These are OT examples of material objects that mediate the graces of God. As such they are types of the Cross but also of the Church and the sanctified matter of its sacraments. G thus challenges the T\u2018ondrakean\u2019s claim that matter cannot be endowed with spiritual powers.\u21a9<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

50.That is, the hands of the ordained priests have the power the forgive sins through the sacrament of confession and that power extends to both the body and the soul of the sinner. A purely \u201cspiritual\u201d soul cannot heal the whole person.\u21a9<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

51.Cf. BL72.1: the bare hands of the monks there and the hands of the priest here administering sacraments are stronger than any material weapons.\u21a9<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

52.It is the materiality of the Church that allows it to have solidarity with humans who are themselves made of matter. A purely \u201cspiritual\u201d church is not a church for humans since it only relates to half of human nature.\u21a9<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

53.1 Pet 2:4\u21a9<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

54.Jn 2:19\u21a9<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

55.Cf. Ps 147[146]:4\u21a9<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

56.G refers to the hierarchy and ranks established among the clergy. These ranks are themselves a reflection of the celestial harmony ordained by God.\u21a9<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

57.Here G responds to the charge of corruption and venality among the ordained clergy. In his letter to the abbot Kchaw, lists among the errors of the T\u2018ondrakeans their rejection of apostolic ordination and their practice of self-ordination. Against this haphazard approach, G contrasts the Church\u2019s tests of election to determine if a man is worthy to enter the priesthood. Nevertheless, men who are properly formed and prepared still become priests. While this brings dishonor to the Church, it does not compromise her purity. The last line is an allusion to Song of Songs 1:5\u2014I am black and beautiful. <\/em>In his commentary on the Song, G focuses on the Bride of the Song as a symbol of the Church. She is darkened by the sins of her members but remains throughout beautiful.\u21a9<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

58.G presents the canonical prohibitions against a priest\u2019s celebration of the Eucharist twice in one day and the reception of communion more than once per day.\u21a9<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

59.Gn 6:14\u21a9<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

60.Gn 7:1-21\u21a9<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

61.Noah\u2019s ark is a prefiguring type of the Church, but the Church is greater since it does not only shelter humans on earth but brings them to heaven.\u21a9<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

62.Wis 1:5\u21a9<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

63.Ex 31:1-11\u21a9<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

64.God commanded Moses to build the ark of the covenant. The Church was not built by human hands but is divine, and therefore greater than the arks built by the OT patriarchs, and a fortiori<\/em>greater than the religious associations created by heretics.\u21a9<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

65.2 Sam 6-7\u21a9<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

66.Cf. Acts 2:6. G emphasizes the universality of the Church and its speaking in the tongues of all nations at Pentecost. This universal proclamation and presence is one of the marks of the Church that distinguishes it from the parochial nature of sects.\u21a9<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

67.Jsh 3:4\u21a9<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

68.Ex 5:6-18\u21a9<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

69.\u057a\u0561\u057f\u0561\u057c\u0578\u0582\u0574\u0576 occurs in the Arm NT twice, (Mt 9:16, Mk 2:21) both referring to the tear in the unshrunk cloth on an old garment. There may also be an allusion to the piercing of Christ\u2019s side on the Cross, which is prefigured by Moses\u2019 striking the rock with his rod (Ex 17:6-7).\u21a9<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

70.1 Kg 5:17-18; 2 Ez 3:8; Zch 4:9\u21a9<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

71.The word is \u0578\u057d\u057f\u056b\u056f\u0561\u0576\u0578\u0582\u0569\u056b\u0582\u0576, \u2018inspectorship, ministry\u2019 which also recalls in G\u2019s day the office of \u0578\u057d\u057f\u056b\u056f\u0561\u0576, the Arab governors of Armenia, whose rule could often be harsh. The choice of word here accentuates the alien and malignant character of the heresiarchs who attempt to build churches by their own human hands. Although G is speaking of OT builders of the temple, he is clearly aiming this at his contemporary dissidents who attempt to build their own house of God rather than remaining part of the divinely constructed Church of Christ.\u21a9<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

72.In contrast to the temple, which had human architects, the true architect of the Church is God.\u21a9<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

73.Gn 28:18\u21a9<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

74.Lk 16:22\u21a9<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

75.Rev 21:2\u21a9<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

76.Cf. also G\u2019s commentary on Song of Songs 1:9, where the maidens are said to be \u201capostles, prophets, and teachers\u201d.\u21a9<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

77.A reference to khachkars<\/em>or stone-crosses that have taken the place of the idolatrous steles and mounds. The T\u2018ondrakeans rejected the veneration of the cross. Also figuratively these khachkars <\/em>are symbols of the living stones that bear the cross on their bodies and worship Christ.\u21a9<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

78.Defending veneration of material objects like the cross against the T\u2018ondrakean accusation of idolatry, G carefully distinguishes between the idols of old and the objects of proper veneration. They may be materially the same objects, made of stone and wood, but through the sanctification of the Church they are directed toward worship of the living God rather than the dead divinities of the pagans. The living stones are the members of the Church, and the jewels are those who lead holy lives. Cf. Is 54:11.\u21a9<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

79.Cf. Gal 4:26\u21a9<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

80.The Church is not just an image of heaven, but its very presence on earth. So too the Eucharist is not just a symbol but the real presence of Christ among us.\u21a9<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

81.Here G emphasizes the freedom from bondage that the Church grants: we are free from service to any idols or to an unforgiving law. Instead we worship the God who freely offers us grace and forgiveness.\u21a9<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

82.One sign of the Church is its universality. Another is her unwavering teaching of orthodox doctrine. The T\u2018ondrakeans, who deviate substantially from the apostolic tradition and who do not extend throughout the world, do not have the marks of the Church.\u21a9<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

83.Cf. Jn 3:3.\u21a9<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

84.Mt 8:20\u21a9<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

85.Ex 34:29-35; 40:34-35; 1 Kg 8:11\u21a9<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

86.The likeness is the ark of the covenant. Cf. Ex 40:28-29.\u21a9<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

87.The choir brings together the voices of angels and humans.\u21a9<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

88.A reference to G\u2019s earthly mother, who died in his infancy.\u21a9<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

89.\u0531\u057d\u057f\u0578\u0582\u0561\u056e\u0561\u056e\u056b\u0576, the Armenian equivalent of Theotokos<\/em>.\u21a9<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

90.Connection between the cruciform church building and the sign of the cross: both work miracles.\u21a9<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

91.\u0532\u0565\u0574has the double meaning of altar (cf.bema<\/em>) and seat of judgment.\u21a9<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

92.The Church ideally does not resort to violence but rather uses reason and argument to persuade the heretics.\u21a9<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

93.Referring to the saints, living icons of Christ. Instead of the dead idols of the pagans, the Church has living idols who derive their \u201cdivinity\u201d from their conformity to Christ.\u21a9<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

94.Referring to the altar facing the east in the direction of the advent of Christ, the Sun of Righteousness, as well as the location of Eden.\u21a9<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

95.Lk 17:24\u21a9<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

96.Cf. 2 Pt 1:19\u21a9<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

97.The Church\u2019s essential role in interpretation of scripture and explaining the figures of the bible as allegories of Christ\u2019s second coming. The word translated as \u201cinterpret\u201d is \u0569\u0561\u0580\u0563\u0574\u0561\u0576\u0565\u0574, \u2018translate\u2019, from Syriac targuman <\/em>(cf. Hebrew targum<\/em>, Aramaic interpretations and paraphrases of scripture).\u21a9<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

98.Cf. BL 75.10\u21a9<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

99.A reference to the alleged T\u2018ondrakean practice of destroying crosses and liturgical objects. <\/em>\u21a9<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

100.\u053d\u0578\u0580\u0570\u0580\u0564\u0561\u0580\u0561\u0576refers primarily to a parliament or assembly of legislators but also can mean the place where sacraments are administered. The ambiguity here underscores the connection between the Church\u2019s juridical-legal role in judging as well as its dispensing of the sacraments.\u21a9<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

101.Cf. Gal 4:26\u21a9<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

102.Like humans, the Church is both spirit and matter. The Church is thus the archetype of the person. Denial of the material Church is also denial of the human body and, since Christ is perfect man, the Incarnation.\u21a9<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

103.Represented by the curtain of the temple and also the altar curtain in Armenian churches.\u21a9<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

104.One cannot profess faith in the Trinity and reject the Church. One\u2019s spiritual birth is through God and the Church. To disavow one is to disavow the other.\u21a9<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Profession of Trinitarian Faith and Praise of the Church \u00a0 In the ninth century a new dissident movement emerged in Armenia. Founded by Smbat Zahrevants\u2018i, the movement was driven by … Continue reading Prayer 75 of the Book of Lamentation<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":0,"parent":212,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-440","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.berry.edu\/mpapazian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/440","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.berry.edu\/mpapazian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.berry.edu\/mpapazian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.berry.edu\/mpapazian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/25"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.berry.edu\/mpapazian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=440"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/sites.berry.edu\/mpapazian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/440\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":472,"href":"https:\/\/sites.berry.edu\/mpapazian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/440\/revisions\/472"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.berry.edu\/mpapazian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/212"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.berry.edu\/mpapazian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=440"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}