Armenian Theology

Brief History

Armenian Church, which was founded by apostles Thaddeus and Bartholomew. Little is known about the period from the 1st century to the 4th century AD when Christianity became the only state religion of Armenia. Since that time we have had theological works from Armenian theologians, first in Greek, and then, after the invention of the Armenian alphabet in 406, in Armenian. Until Chalcedon Council (451) the theology of the Armenian Church went in line with the theology of the Universal Church and the first three Universal Councils.

Armenian Church did not participate in the Chalcedon Council due to the religious war against the aggression of then Gentile Persia, which was trying to convert Christian Armenia to heathenism. When Armenians, after the war, were able to consider the decisions of the Chalcedon Council, they found that they contradict not only to the theology of the Armenian Church but also the theology of the first three Universal Councils.

The theology of the Armenian Church can be described as non-Chalcedonian. Armenian Theology has common traits with the theology of other non-Chalcedonian Churches. Nevertheless, Armenian Theology has noteworthy differences also with other non-Chalcedonian Churches. In the section Sources we give references to the documents, where Armenian Theology is expressed and explained.