Though we have some reason to believe that Chris tianity visited Armenia not long after its first promul gation, yet it was not till the fifth century that it was fully established in that country. Gregory, the son of Anax, had the honour of converting Tiridates and the nobles of his court; and, by dissipating the shades of heathen ignorance, and illuminating the path to immor tality, merited, and received, the appellation of the En lightner. The person who had thus sown the seeds of the faith, was best qualified to rear them up to matu rity. Gregory was therefore consecrated bishop of Armenia, his labours were crowned with success, and the whole kingdom acknowledged the religion of Jesus. The Armenian version of the scriptures was the work of the same age. Not only Moses Choronensis, who assisted in that work, attests its antiquity, but his attes tation is evidently confirmed by many internal charac ters. Though it is universally allowed that it was begun and carried on principally by Mesrobes, yet it is doubt ful whether it was taken from the Greek original, or from the Syriac version. Moses Choronensis says, at first, that it was taken from the Syriac ; but afterwards, when probably explaining himself, tells us, that it was twice translated from the Syriac, and a third tune from the Greek. Indeed, this appears to be true from inter nal evidence ; for, whilst it contains several readings which are to be found only in the Syriac version, it con tains also several other readings, and some books which the Syriac version never admitted. Had this transla tion descended to us unadulterated, its antiquity would have stamped upon it an inestimable value ; but we arc sorry to add, that Haitho, or Hethem, who governed Armenia in the 13th century, not only submitted to the authority of the pope, and became a Franciscan friar, but published a new edition of the Armenian bible, in cluding all Jerome's prefaces, and many alterations and corruptions from the vulgate. In the sixth century, the Armenians departed from the purity of the gospel, by embracing the doctrine of the Monophysites, who main tain that there is only one nature in Christ, or that he is both God and man, without mixture ; and in this opi nion they remain to the present day. But though Jacob Baradmus was chiefly active in restoring and ing the opinion or the Monophysites in Armenia, and ced in all the east, and even gave them his name, yct the Armenians reject many of the doctrines of the Jacobites, and hold no communion with those who strictly adhere to them. They have seven sacraments, as in the Roman church, and celebrate baptism and our Lord's supper, with several peculiar rites, which will be mentioned with more propriety in the history of these ordinances. Their church is governed by pa
triarchs, archbishops, doctors, secular priests, who arc not allowed a second marriage, and monks, who are of the order of St Basil. Though their superior clergy have large revenues, yet they are by no means the vo taries of pride or luxury ; on the contrary, the archbi shops live on nothing but pulse; and fastings and absti nenccs are indispensible duties of their devotion. Be sides Lent, in which they live only upon roots, they have four other fasts, each of eight days, as preparatory to the four festivals of the nativity, the ascension, the an nunciation, and St George ; during which, butter, oil, eggs, or fish, are never mentioned. They consecrate a large quantity of holy water but once every year, which being sold to the members of their church, is produc tive of a considerable revenue. The sect of Armenians is by no means confined to the inhabitants of the coun try from which they derive their name. In the begin ning of the 17th century, Abbas the Great, king of Persia, subdued almost all Armenia, and carried the inhabitants into Persia. Settling at Ispahan, the capital of that country, they enjoyed religious freedom, under the direction of a bishop or patriarch. But at the death of that monarch, when no longer protected by his gene rous policy, the infernal spirit of persecution was con jured up against them by the followers of Mahomet, many apostatised from the religion of Jesus, and the Armenian church in that country was almost extin guished. But the prosperity which in other nations crowned the branches of this sect, must in some mea sure have obliterated the impressions of this calamity. As the Armenians were polite, industrious, and honest, their manners and habits were admirably adapted for the purposes of commerce, which they cultivated to a great extent. Their merchants not only visited the principal European kingdoms, during the 16th and 17th centuries, but formed large establishments in London, Venice, Marseilles, Amsterdam, &c. Nor were they so much occupied with their commercial interests, as to be unmindful of the religious instruction of thcir bre thren at home. They procured Armenian translations of the scriptures, and of other theological treatises, and conveyed them into Asia. These were disseminated amongst the Christians .who lived under the Turkish and Persian government, and not only checked the pro gress of Mahmuctan ignorance and superstition, but in' some degree fanned the glow of piety and religion. For a full account of the affairs relating to Armenia, see Moses Choronensis, Berosus, Streik), Plutarch, Justin, Appian, Dio, Jose/ihus, Tacitus, Ancient Univrrsal tory, Rollin, Gibbon, Mosheim's Ecclesiastical History.
(N)