ARMENIAN PROTESTANTS
Tigran Ghanalanyan
"Noravank" Foundation
12 April 2010
The origin of the Protestantism in Armenia is connected with a number
of historical circumstances. In new times they engineered vigorous
activity in Armenia. Of course, the dissemination of the Protestant
movement in Armenia took place gradually but in the 19th century
it took a mass character and as a result the Protestants really
succeeded. From Protestant groups the most widespread among the
Armenians was the Evangelical.
It is characteristic that the missionaries did not belong to any
structure managed from one centre. They just served to the interests
of different states. In this regard Raffi wrote that the English
missionaries were much more dangerous that the Americans1. Thus,
studying the missionaries’ activity, alongside with the confessional
and clerical side, the political actions implemented by the
missionaries should also be covered. The missionaries’ activity found
fertile ground among the Western Armenians which was connected with
the recent tough legal, political and economic situation.
If Armenian Catholics were called "franks" then the Protestants were
called "ingliz".
If the dissemination of Catholicism among Armenians was conditioned by
the Rome factor then the penetration of Protestantism was carried
out mainly by Anglo-American missionaries. The conversion to
Protestantism was accompanied by cultivating the English-speaking
Western civilizational values, which provided enough grounds for
calling Armenian Protestants "ingliz".
The forming of Protestantism in Armenia Since the middle of the 19th
century Armenian Evangelical Movement had been disseminated across
the Western Armenia, Cilicia, and other regions of the Ottoman Empire
populated by the Armenians. On 1 June, 1846 Armenian Protestant
were recognized as separate "millet" (nation). Since 1860s Armenian
Evangelical Churches had been arranged in different parts of Turkey –
Central Union, Unions of Butania, Eastern Cilicia2.
This, of course, affected the power of Armenian Patriarchate and
influence sphere, and that process was in tune with the national
policy of the Ottoman Empire. But the recognizing Catholic and
Protestant Armenians as separates millets had also had a negative
effect for Turkey. Taking advantage of the existence of the Catholic
and Protestant communities foreign states interfered in Turkey’s
domestic affairs under the pretext that they help their coreligionists.
It is remarkable that the formation of the evangelical unions began
at the 60s of the 19th century when the new stage of the national
persecutions was initiated. The Apostolic Armenians also adopted
Protestantism in order to avoid persecutions on the national ground.
The study of the national policy of Turkey helps to understand
cause-and-effect relation of spreading Protestantism among Armenians.
In contrast to Turkey, where state policy often boosted the activity
of the missionaries in order to split the unity of the Armenians,
Iran tended to strengthen the positions of the Armenian Apostolic
Church trying to jeopardize the eager activity of the missionaries.
Evangelical ideas were spread among Eastern Armenians at the end
of the 18th and at the beginning of the 19th century through the
first Protestant individuals and small groups. The spreading of
Protestantism among Eastern Armenians was favoured by those small
separate communities and individuals which adjoined to Protestantism
and Baptism in Eastern Armenia and a number of districts in Georgia,
as well as Swiss, German and Swedish Protestant preachers who settled
in the Caucasus in the 20s of the 19th century.
The Eastern Armenian Evangelical Churches are separate and independent
units. The political division of Armenia can be considered as a reason
for that and as a result Western Armenians and Eastern Armenians passed
peculiar ways of historical development. Despite numerous claims
the Russian Empire had not recognized Eastern Armenian Evangelists
as a separate religious community till 1914 (in the Russian Empire
officially only the Lutheran Church functioned). The Lutheran Church
tried to subject Armenian Protestants in the Caucasus.
In 1820-1890 the centers of the Armenian Protestants in the
Transcaucasia were Shamakhi and Karabakh. In Transcaucasia Armenian
Evangelical schools in Shushi, Shamakhi and Tiflis had a good name.
In the middle of the 19th century there were Armenian Evangelical
communities in Yerevan, Vagharshapat, Aleksandrapol, Kars, Tiflis,
Baku, Batumi and Sukhumi. In 1914 the Araratian Union of Armenian
Evangelicals was established which was recognized in the same year
by Russian authorities. The Union which headquarters was in Yerevan
had worked till 1928. It was headed by Rev. Vahan Mikaelyan. In
1923 the authorities of the Soviet Armenia recognized officially
the Araratian Union of the Armenian Evangelicals and registered its
charter. In 1918-1930 the number of the Armenian Evangelicals in
Armenia was 2500-3000 people and in the Transcaucasia in the whole
3500-4000 people. Almost all the communities had churches and prayer
houses, Sunday schools, ordained pastors. At the end of 1920s the
repressions in regard to the religious communities aggravated. Since
1930, together with others, the activity of the Armenian Evangelical
churches was prohibited.
In February 1946 the government of the Soviet Armenia officially
recognized the Yerevan Church of the Armenian Evangelical
Baptist-Christians and Gyumri’s Evangelical-Baptist Church formed
its part.
The structure of the Armenian Evangelical Church Armenian Evangelical
Church has no clergy (catholicos, bishops, archimandrites,
dioceses). Each church has three official bodies:
Board of guardians which controls the activity of the church in general
(particularly spiritual activity).
Trusteeship which controls the property of the church and administers
it, as well as issues marriage certificates.
Board of guardians of schools which controls the schools belonging
to the church. Sunday schools, youth Christian organization, women’s
and cultural unions constitute an important part of the Evangelical
churches.
Since 1991 the Armenian Missionary Association of America has been
functioning in Yerevan. Since July 1, 1994 Armenian Evangelical
Church acquires a right to work in Armenia officially. There are 50
Evangelical churches and prayer houses in Armenia.
In May 1995 the Union of Evangelical Churches of Armenia was
established in Yerevan. And in August 1995 the Armenian Evangelical
Union of Armenia, Georgia, Eastern Europe and Middle East was
established (centre in Yerevan, chairman – Rene Leonian). The Union
includes the Union of Armenian Evangelical Church of Armenia, Armenian
Evangelical Union of Georgia3, the Armenian Evangelical Baptist Church
in Sukhumi, as well as Armenian office of the Armenian Missionary
Association of America.
There are no distinct data about number of the Evangelicals in
Armenia, that’s why we have to rely on approximate numbers. Rene
Leonian mentions that the number of the members of the Armenian
Evangelical Church is 25-30 thousand and general number of the Armenian
Evangelicals is about 100 thousand4.
According to the data for 2003 there are 3 Armenian Evangelical Unions
working in the Diaspora:
Union of the Armenian Evangelical Churches in the Near East
(established in 1924, centre – Beirut, includes 11 churches in Syria, 6
– in Lebanon, 3 – in Iran, 3 – in Turkey, 2 – in Greece, 1 – in Egypt).
Armenian Evangelical Union of France (established in 1927, recognized
by the government in 1946, centre in Paris, includes 14 churches).
Armenian Evangelical Union of North America (established in 1971,
centre in New Jersey, includes 20 churches in the US and 4 Evangelical
churches in Canada).
There are Armenian Evangelical Churches in Buenos Aires, San Paulo,
Montevideo, London, Brussels, Sofia, Sidney which are not included
in the union5.
At the beginning of 1980s 3 unions of Diaspora formed Armenian
Evangelical World Council (centre in New Jersey, USA) and later on,
2 Armenian Unions joined it. The Council manages common activity
of the unions. The chairman who is elected for 2 year period can be
re-elected one more time.
On June 7, 1918 in Worcester, MA, the Armenian Missionary Association
of America was established. This is the organizational and executive
body of the Armenian Evangelical Churches and the first and the only
Armenian Evangelical missionary organization (AMAA). The AMAA has
its branches and offices in approximately 20 countries all over the
world, including Armenia (since 1991) and the NKR (since 1995). The
AMAA carries out its programmes in Armenia and Artsakh together with
the French "Hope for Armenia" organization. The programmes are of
two main directions – charitable and educational. Among the important
aims of the AMAA the followings can be mentioned: to render assistance
in restoration of the regions damaged after the earthquake in 1988;
the care of the orphans and children of the diseased fighters for the
freedom; the Christian education of the growing generation; medical
services as well as assisting to two Armenian states in agriculture,
building, education.
Armenian Evangelical Church carries out its benevolent, educational,
publishing, social activities through about a dozen of organizations
which are managed either by the Armenian Evangelical Church or
together with appropriate bodies of the Armenian Apostolic and
Catholic Churches. The centers of Jinishian, Philibosian, the Armenian
Evangelical Social Service Center (LA), Armenian National Sanatorium
(Lebanon), Armenian Old Age Home (Aleppo) and etc. are remarkable.
Armenian Evangelical Church considered and considers Armenian Apostolic
Church the Mother church, it accepts the Holy Fathers of the Armenian
Church; during the rites it uses Armenian medieval sharakans, carries
out ceremonies together with the clergymen of the Armenian Apostolic
Church.
Armenian Evangelical Church is one of the founder members of World
Churches Council and it cooperates with American, European and Near
Eastern churches.
Educational Facilities of the Armenian Evangelicals Since the formation
of the Armenian Evangelical Church the Evangelical educational
institutions were established – preschools institutions, secondary
schools, colleges, schools. In these educational institutions
those Armenians are studied who want it, irrespective of their
confession. Since 2003 18 Armenian Evangelical educational
institutions has been functioning (from preschool to higher
educational institutions). 9 of them are functioning in Lebanon, 5 –
in Syria, and by one – in Armenia, Greece, Iran and USA. Among those
educational institutions Haigazian University, which is the only
higher education institution of Diaspora (established in 1995), is
distinguished6. Near East School of Theology (Beirut), Aleppo College
(Syria) and Evangelical Theological Academy of Armenia, established
in 1997 in Yerevan, are remarkable.
Armenian Evangelical Press Armenian Evangelical Church has published
periodicals: 1839-1856 in Jmurnia, with interruptions, the first
Armenian newspaper in ashkharhabar – "Fount of Useful Information"
was published. It was followed by "Avetaber" (Istanbul, in Armenian
and in Turkish but with Armenian letters). Today "Banber" (since 1925,
Paris), "Patanekan Ardzaganq" (since 1936, Beirut), "Djanaser" (since
1937, Beirut), "Le Lumignon" (Lyon, in French), "Lraber" (since 1965,
New Jersey) magazines, "Forum" (since 1975) by Armenian Evangelical
Union of North America and "Our Daily Bread" (since 1991) periodicals,
"Haigazian Journal of Armenian Studies" (since 1970, Beirut) annual,
"Armenian Evangelic Church" (since 1997, Yerevan), which is issued
once in three months, are published7.
Conclusions Today the problems of the Armenian Protestants play
important role in the processes of the self-organization of the
Armeniancy. For the Protestant Armenians the protection of the Armenian
national values and the strengthening of national self-consciousness
are topical from the point of view of the social and political
consolidation of the Armeniancy.
In consequence of positive, permanent development of the relations
between the Protestant Armenians and Armenian Apostolic Church,
the well-wishing mutual perception and collaboration of the Armenian
representatives of those two Christian teachings can be proved.
The issues of the Protestant Armenians are also important in the
context of the preservation of the national identity of the Armenian
Diaspora. The Protestant Armenians should preserve their national
character and not to alienate from their compatriots who are the
adherents of the Apostolic church. In this issue the approaches of
both parties, which should be based on national unity, tolerance,
underlining of common values, joint activity, are crucial.