NEWS RELEASE
National Association for Armenian Studies and Research
395 Concord Avenue
Belmont, MA 02478
Tel.: 617-489-1610
E-Mail: [email protected]
Contact: Marc Mamigonian
ARMENIAN CHRISTIANITY TO BE
EXAMINED IN LECTURE AT NAASR
The place of Armenian Christianity within the larger context of world
Christianity will be the subject of a lecture by Dr. Ara Dostourian
on Thursday evening, September 30, at 8:00 p.m., at the Center and
Headquarters of the National Association for Armenian Studies and
Research (NAASR), 395 Concord Ave., Belmont, Mass.
Dostourian, a retired Professor of History at West Georgia State
University and former research fellow in Armenian Studies at
Harvard University, has spent decades studying the development and
characteristics of Christianity as practiced historically by the
Armenian people.
Importance of Broad Context of World Religions
Frequently, when Armenian Christianity is analyzed it is viewed
without reference to world Christianity and other Christian traditions.
Moreover, the national or ethnic character of Armenian Christianity is
emphasized rather than its position within a larger Christian context.
Dr. Dostourian will present an overview of basic Christianity and its
relationship to the other Abrahamic faiths (Judaism and Islam) as well
as the two major non-Abrahamic world religions (Hinduism and Buddhism)
and place Armenian Christianity within the context of the three major
Christian traditions: Orthodoxy, Catholicism, and Protestantism.
A special emphasis will be placed on Armenian Christianity’s
relationship with Orthodox Christianity, as the Armenian tradition is
part of the Oriental Orthodox family of churches (with Syriac, Coptic,
Ethiopian, and Indian). Armenian Orthodoxy will be compared with that
of the Eastern Orthodox family (Greek, Russian, Ukrainian, Serbian,
Bulgarian, etc.). Finally, the uniqueness of Armenian Christianity as
a faith that took root in a particular place and historical context –
political, economic, and cultural – will be discussed.
Lecturer with Background in History and Religion
Dr. Ara Dostourian received a Ph.D. in Byzantine History from Rutgers
University, having earlier received an MA in Medieval History from
Fordham University and a Masters of Divinity from the Episcopal
Divinity School in Cambridge, MA. He is the author of numerous articles
on Armenian history and religion, and is the translator and editor
of Armenia and the Crusades, 10th to 12th Centuries: The Chronicle
of Matthew of Edessa.
Admission to the event is free (donations appreciated). The NAASR
bookstore will open at 7:30 p.m. The NAASR Center and Headquarters is
located opposite the First Armenian Church and next to the U.S. Post
Office. Ample parking is available around the building and in
adjacent areas.
More information about the lecture is available by calling
617-489-1610, faxing 617-484-1759, e-mailing [email protected], or writing
to NAASR, 395 Concord Ave., Belmont, MA 02478.