PRESS RELEASE
ARPA Institute
18106 Miranda St. Tarzana, CA 91356
Contact: Hagop Panossian
Tel: (818) 586-9660
E-mail: [email protected]
Web:
ARPA Institute presents the Lecture/Seminar:
`Pre-Christian Culture and Impact of Christianity on
Armenia"," by Mr. Hovik Nercissian, on Thursday,
August 30, 2007 at 7:30 PM at the Merdinian School
auditorium.
The Address is 13330 Riverside Dr., Sherman Oaks, CA
91403. Directions: on the 101 FWY exit on Woodman, go
north and turn right on Riverside Dr.
Abstract: Culture should be considered as the total
reflection of the spiritual universe that emanates
from the collective mind and determines the course of
the history of a nation. This single most important
treasure of an ethnic structure is expressed through,
and at the same time is an expression of the social,
political, economic and behavioral aspect of life.
According to our ancient historical scriptures, the
Armenians were uncultured pagans and worshippers of
numerous deities. They had adopted and worshiped the
gods of the Persians. However, according to evidence
from ancient Cuneiform tablets, the worship of the god
Mihr was practiced in the Armenian highlands in the
14th century before Christ, while in Persia its
worship was introduced in the 4th century B.C. by the
Akamemnian king Ardakserkses 2ed. All modern religions
have the evil and the good dichotomy, while only the
Armenians had their one and only creator god, that was
good and the creator of all things. The history of
ancient Armenia should be studied through the recent
findings in excavations, old manuscripts and evidence
of all the written literature. Christianity was easily
adopted by the majority of the people in Armenia
because it was essentially like worshiping Mihr, the
Armenian god. The exceptions were that in Christianity
you had to forgive and love your enemy and turn the
other cheek, while, Mihr was a blacksmith, and always
carried weapons to protect the land and its people,
and his religion was of love and protection. St.
Gregory, who brought the Christian faith to the
Armenians, destroyed the pre-Christian cultural
monuments, the Armenian Literature and introduced
Assyrian and Greek into his new Christian schools as
formal languages of the land. These changes would have
completely wiped out the Armenian language if it
wasn’t for king Vramshabouh, who revived the Armenian
alphabet and thanks to whom we have the Armenian
written language today.
Hovik Nercisian: Was born in 1921 in Tehran, Iran and
received his elementary education in the local
Armenian schools. He received degrees from Tehran and
then Glasgow (England) universities, after which he
attended the Persian Military school and served as an
officer. In 1945 he was awarded a sword by the Shah of
Iran. In 1959 he moved to Hamadan and founded the
first private automated brick factory in Iran. In
1989 he moved to Glendale, USA. He is intimately
familiar with and knowledgeable in ancient
Zoroastrianism, and its relations with the old
Armenian religion, the cultures and histories of
Armenia and Persia. He has given numerous lectures,
written 5 books and is presently writing his sixth
book. His research work has concentrated on the
Summer-Accadian, Assyrian-Babilonian and Persian
history, literatures and cultures, as well as the
study of the Avesta, the bible of the Zoroastrians.
For more Information Please call Dr. Hagop Panossian
at (818)586-9660