Christmas in Armenia: Hope of All the World (Fr. Garegin Hambardzumyan)

Jan 2, 2023

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It is impossible to talk about Armenia without talking about the Armenian Apostolic Church. Thanks to the evangelization efforts of apostles St. Thaddeus and St. Bartholomew, the Armenians converted en masse in 301 AD and have preserved their distinctive tradition ever since despite Persian, Arab, Mongol, Turkish, and Russian invasion and colonization. With Christmas just over the horizon (Jan 6), Robert and Mariam travel to the sacred city of Echmiadzin, sometimes called the “Armenian Vatican,” to talk with Father Garegin Hambardzumyan about the Armenian Church, the secret of its inner strength, and its indispensable role in sustaining this beleaguered nation for the last seventeen centuries.

Fr. Garegin Hambardzumyan leads the Department of Christian Education and the Department of the Preservation of the Cultural Heritage of Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) at the Gevorkian Theological Seminary of Holy Echmiadzin. He received his PhD in Biblical Studies from the University of Sheffield.

Episode Highlights

[00:02:30] Fr. Garegin’s journey to the priesthood

[00:08:27] Significance of Etchmiadzin in the Armenian Apostolic Church

[00:09:24] Armenian evangelization and the adoption of Christianity as the State religion in 301 AD

[00:14:00] The significance of the Armenian Apostolic Church in the history of Christendom

[00:17:31] Comparing and contrasting Eastern and Western Christianity

[00:20:54] Faith in the diaspora: adapting and cross-pollinating

[00:22:58] Is there a theological significance to the Armenian Genocide?

[00:28:08] The ins and outs of Armenian Christmas

[00:33:42] Armenia’s resilience over the centuries and its strength in Christianity

[00:41:00] Nagorno-Karabakh: preserving faith and culture in dire circumstances

[00:51:09] What are Armenian values?