Window Quarterly
Vol. I, No. 4, 1990
Copyright 1990

[Permission is granted to use, print, reproduce this article 
provided the following acknowledgment is given:  From 
Window Quarterly 1, 4  (1990);  ACRAG c. 1990. 

***

St. Nersess the Graceful: Chaos & the Need for Reform

by SEROP ALJALIAN

Introduction

Too often nowadays, we find ourselves overwhelmed with 
the problems in the Church.  However, when we look back at 
history, we find that certain issues were always prevalent in 
the life of the church.  The General Encyclical (Unthanrakan 
Dooght) of St. Nersess the Graceful Shnorhali  (c. 1102-
1173) is such a document which bears the unmistakable 
mark of the turmoil, suffering and unrest that troubled 
Armenia during his years as Catholicos (c. 1166-1173). 
Indeed, few documents of the time give so clear an image of 
the  chaos in the nation's religious, political, social, and 
economic life as does this work.  It is essential to note, 
however, that the encyclical is of more than mere historic 
interest, for its influence continues to be felt throughout the 
world in the Armenian community and church.

St. Nersess wrote The General Encyclical in a direct, 
oratorical style. However, the reader soon discovers a wide 
variety of rhetorical devices in the writing.  Among these are: 
the humble, magisterial tone of the narrator, the effective  
use of biblical and patristic allusions, lyric references to the 
coming of Christ, colorful, pastoral imagery, and illustrations 
from the common life. Even in translation, the range of the 
Shnorhali's vocabulary is evident. The encyclical employs  
the language of rural life, of political and military life, of the 
world of business, and of the church. Like so many ancient 
writings, The General Encyclical gives the impression of 
being dictated to an amanuensis by an author in the white 
heat of inspired emotion.

Since its composition, St. Nersess' great work has been 
accepted by the Armenian Church as an enlightening guide to 
reform, worship, ritual, rules of conduct and canons. It is a 
document that the church can ill afford to disregard as it 
carries on its work among the people of the Armenian nation.

In keeping with apostolic and patristic usage, St. Nersess 
begins the encyclical by  establishing his authority in the 
Armenian Church. There is no doubt in his mind that the 
church and nation require reform; however, he is equally 
aware that the forces against reform can overcome only 
through the voice of the duely enthroned Catholicos.
It seems that at the time of  his elevation to the Seat of the 
Catholicos  there was  much trouble, warfare and  poverty, 
and Armenian were scattered. As a spiritual leader of the 
nation, it was impossible for St. Nersess to visit the various 
places in which the scattered Armenians were living in order 
to nourish them as a spiritual father with the knowledge and 
fear of God. St. Nersess writes, "Our nation does not have a 
royal capital or assembly anymore, so that sitting there on the 
patriarchal and doctrinal throne, we taught our people God's 
law like the first patriarchs and doctors. But we are like the 
wild goat that has escaped from the dogs and hunters, living 
in caves."  So while living in a cave, he addresses himself in 
writing to the whole Armenian nation. "We speak with the 
writing of our hand as if with our mouth to everyone who has 
ears to hear, repeating that you might hear the strength of the 
words of the apostles, prophets, and church fathers, and not 
our own words."
 
The encyclical opens with general admonitions to the 
Armenian. This section provides a colorful picture of the 
customs and traditions of the times.  It is clear that St. 
Nersess' major  concern  is the orthodox faith of all 
Armenian  Christians. "The confession of the true faith is the 
foundation of the divine temple which is in us." 
Subsequently,  all that he says later about the lives of all 
Armenian Christians grows out of this faith.
St. Nersess provides specific instructions for all ranks of 
clergy. Some of the instructions  bear the mark of the  time in 
which he wrote as well as the economic, social and political 
situation in Armenia. They seem therefore to be of chiefly 
historic interest. Moreover, members of the Armenian 
Church in America may find little practical interest in the 
exhortations to the monks and  priors because there are no 
Armenian monasteries  in the  United States.

However, when a reader looks at the admonitions to the 
clergy as a whole--monastics, priors, prelates, and priests--he 
finds instructions of timeless significance. It is in the 
combined instructions that the voice of St. Nersess still 
speaks to the church.
Throughout  the section dealing with clergy,  St. Nersess 
expresses grave concern about the worldliness of the clergy.  
He finds the general preoccupation with money, property, 
personal enrichment at the expense of the church, church 
taxes and perquisites to be contrary to the holy faith and the 
canons. He becomes especially exercised when this 
wordliness takes away from the glory of the church, a glory 
seen not only in splendid buildings and vestments but  also in  
holy worship. Surely current clerical concerns about salary, 
travel allowances, and fees for weddings, funerals and 
baptisms reflect something of St. Nersess' concerns, and his 
encyclical  stands as a reminder to the  clergy of the  
twentieth  century to place self-interest behind the glory of 
the church.

Catholicos St. Nersess is no less concerned about the manner 
in which the clergy lead their lives. His concern begins with 
individual clerical morality and ethics and continues through 
virtually every aspect of the ministry of Word and 
Sacraments. The major thrust of his instruction is in the area 
of the avoidance of anything that would in any way bring the 
general reputation of the clerical order into disrepute.  He 
includes in his instructions references  to the marriage of 
clergy, handling of offerings made for baptisms, weddings 
and funerals, and general behavior in the community.  The 
faith and life of the clergy of every rank are to serve as  
models  for the  lay people committed  to their charge.

For St. Nersess it is of special importance that the clergy 
maintain holiness of life and uphold the faith when they are 
carrying out their priestly functions at the altar or the 
baptismal font or at confession.  Not only are they to avoid 
giving offense to the faithful, they are also to remain free 
from all personal prejudices and favoritism.  This applies to 
officiating at the marriages, to the treatment of rich and poor,  
and to the  handling of  Christians who belong to other 
parishes or jurisdictions.  The clergy are God's servants, not 
lords in their own right. It is God's law, the traditions  of the  
fathers and  the canons of the  church which form the 
standard for judgment and action, not the  whim and  caprice 
of the clergy.  These warnings are appropriate for the church 
of all ages.  As M. Ormanian writes, "Truly, if the Encyclical  
were to be written today  as an encyclical not even one word 
would need to be altered."

He warns against the  sort of external appearances which 
border on the blasphemous. He speaks against standing 
before the altar in  common dress or   without  bathing. He 
insists  that the clergy  be aware of the significance and  
necessity of appropriate  vestments.  A careful reading of St. 
Nersess serves as a reminder to today's clergy to be more 
aware of what they are about  when they  prepare to offer the 
Holy Mysteries.
Through all the instructions to the clergy there runs a  solemn 
warning against the sins which are closely associated with 
the  misuse of the  tongue. These warnings  include: strife, 
gossip, quarrels, and contention. He makes it quite clear that 
when clergymen open their mouths  to  speak, they have the 
power to edify or tear down the church. The dangers of the 
sins of the tongue  continue even to our own time.

The Encyclical is also clear on the subject of jealousy and 
dissention among  the members  of the  clergy. Priests are 
jealous of primates; monks are contentious;  primates and  
priors fail to  care for, instruct  and  give  example to the  
men under their jurisdiction; clerical peers are jealous of one 
another because of supposed preferential treatment. Such 
problems will probably  remain with the clergy of the church 
until the end of time, but Shnorhali's instructions can serve as 
a much needed corrective  to this weakness.

St. Nersess exhorts that clergy of all ranks must be faithful to 
God's calling, devote themselves to their ministry of the 
Divine Word and the Holy Mysteries and cultivate lives of 
Christ-like virtues. While this admonition is really applying it 
to all the faithful, St. Nersess seems  most urgent when 
applying  it to the ranks of the clergy. Taken together these 
instructions  can serve as a guide for the entire life of  the 
man called to serve as a priest of the Armenian Church.

Perhaps the specific instructions and  warnings to those in 
secular positions--princes, army personnel, women, etc.--are 
of less interest and importance to the present day Armenian 
community. This is the case because  the instructions are 
quite dated, and some areas are governed by civil law. At the 
same time it must be  noted that admonitions and 
exhortations to honesty, justice, morality, compassion, and 
Christian charity are always appropriate and never out of 
date. St. Nersess' specific  applications of these virtues may 
strike the  reader as somewhat quaint, but a second reading  
will shown that perhaps times and people do not change as 
much as we sometimes  imagine.

---------------------------
Excerpts from St. Nersess Shnorhali's General Encyclical
translated from St. Nersess Shnorhali's Encyclical, 
Jerusalem, St. James, Press, 1871

To the Primates of the Church who are in the World and are 
called Bishops

Let us speak to you the ranks of holy bishops, who are 
ordained overseers by God over the souls of the faithful  who 
are in the world. Although we address you second for the 
sake of orderliness, speaking first to the monastics, you who 
are primates in the world are nevertheless first in rank. 
Before all else I  beg you to bring to mind and recognize with 
wisdom the rank which you possess, the dignity and the 
work, where it began, and why it was established, and what 
was commanded to be done by those who established it.  For 
when one knows these things as he ought to, he profits 
threefold, recognizing the gravity and hardship of the post 
and not willingly approaching it as a easy or pleasant task, 
knowing his weaknesses, but renouncing it completely, 
although he is condemned by infirmities of his mind or by 
those who are close to him, as the first saints did and taught.  
Or taking upon himself to be a bishop, he strives according to 
God's pleasure to perform the work of providence,  or shall 
not do what is worthy, and recognize the harm and the 
deficiency in goodness  to be in himself, and by the 
conscience of his mind he judges himself, considering 
himself guilty. . . .

It is also necessary to know for what reason the work of the 
office of bishop was established by Christ and the Apostles.  
It is evident that the primary purpose is to be the head and 
commander of the priests and people and to watch over 
everyone like a sleepless sentinel and  with the eyes of the 
mind to straighten the crooked and to keep the straight firm 
in their rectitude.  And what a bishop is commanded to be or 
do, that Paul reveals in writing to Timothy, "Now a bishop 
must be above reproach . . temperate, sensible, dignified, 
hospitable, an apt teacher, no drunkard, not violent but 
gentle, not quarrelsome, and no lover of money"  and so 
forth, (Tim 3:2)....

He adds this, "He should be an overseer of the ministry of the 
word," that is, he is to study and to know and to serve the 
ministry of the divine laws, and first to accept the work and 
then the material responsibility, as the Apostles did and 
taught.  For they say, "It is not right that we should give up 
preaching the word of God to serve tables." (Acts 6:2)  
Although the table is service to the poor and not to 
themselves, nevertheless  he commanded that they feed the 
bodies of the poor less than the souls impoverished of good 
with spiritual food, which is the ministry of the word.    For 
the sake of  physical nourishment they established the Order 
of Stephen to serve the people and they themselves preached 
the Word of God (cf. Acts 6:5).   And this is what is 
commanded to the bishops: to be overseers of the ministry of 
the word,  to comfort those who are recovering, that is, to 
those who do not have infirmity of faith, who accept the 
apostolic See, they are bound to carry on the work of the 
Apostles, as they are the followers of the first holy patriarchs.  
And  those who shall have the rank of bishop and are not 
trained in the ministry of the word, it is necessary to surround 
themselves with those who will cultivate them in this divine 
grace, so that they can give to their co-servants the 
nourishment of the word of God at any hour.

Thus did the ranks of Apostles who first accepted the office 
bishop from Christ conduct themselves and teach their 
followers to act according to his law.  Yet, in these troubled 
times we have departed greatly from their good example. 
While those who are willing to accept it know no other 
reason to be  bishops, but to collect belongings from those 
who obey them by various schemes and from glorifiers, to 
hunt for glory which ought to be called dishonor and not 
glory. According to the Lord's commandment,  good works in 
the name of God are the cause of one's true glory: "that they 
may see your good works and give glory to your Father who 
is in heaven," (Mat 5:16).  And the glory of men is opposed 
to the glory of God, as  was said by the Lord about some, 
"For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of 
God," (John 12:43).  But also they shall be condemned to 
their faces as infirm by those who praise them because of  
the desire with which they pursue praise and glory.. . .

But you who are apologists for the truth and followers of the 
same goodness, we ask you to be ready in all the spiritual 
deeds of your pastoral ministry, which you receive from the 
true Pastor according to the above mentioned bounds and 
according to the canonical advice of the holy Apostles and 
their followers.  Thus you may stand boldly and with an open 
face before him who passes on to you the talent of the 
commandment, giving an account of their gain, with double 
increase for himself.  For which you hear the blessed words, 
"Good and faithful servant, you have been faithful over a 
little, I will set you over much.  Enter into the joy of your 
master." (Mat 25:21)   We too through your prayers may 
meet the same in Christ Jesus our Lord.

To the Ranks of Priests
. . .You are designated by your priestly ministry to dedicate 
your whole soul to God, by giving birth to all into the 
adoption of the Heavenly Father and into the joint 
inheritance of Christ.   God through the baptism of the holy 
font, and by the distribution of the redeeming body and blood 
of the Lord  feeds their souls on immortality.

And now I beg all of you with the love of Christ to  open the 
eyes of your minds, to awaken from the deadening numbness 
of daily life, and to know the power of the heavenly work to 
which you were called by invitation. Your rank is higher than 
the supernatural angelic host, who with spotlessness and 
holiness worship Him.  And because you became worthy to 
offer yourselves to this heavenly work, for no reason and 
under no circumstances let yourselves fall into fault in your 
ministry as the Apostle warned (cf. II Cor 6:3).  But  bravely, 
with willing heart and without laziness perform unfailingly 
the regimen of prayers canonized by the holy fathers for each 
hour.  And with a clean soul and pure heart, with spotless 
faith and great hope,  with innocent mind and perfect love 
serve with fear and trembling the divine mystery.  Do not go 
mindlessly, like water through a pipe, through the mystical 
words of prayer which you offer, whether they be Psalms,  
Scripture, Hours [services] or private prayers of the priest 
during the Holy Eucharist or other canonical rites, rather do 
them with great thought.  And if possible, do them with tears 
and great fear, so that you bring them forth in a renewing 
manner from your heart and your mind, for all are prayers to 
God for various and sundry gifts and good things   from Him.  
When God Himself, the gift-giver of good,  sees the fervent 
supplications of a petitioner,  He grants yet more abundantly 
what is asked, according to the Gospel, "For every one who 
asks, receives," (Mat. 7:8) and so forth.
Know that in the earliest times of the Apostles when the 
spring of faith had just blossomed, they were all filled with 
the Holy Spirit, and through the grace of the Holy Spirit from 
their own minds they spoke the words of prayer as was 
proper to the hour of the performance of all rites and the 
Divine Mystery.  And in later times, since the winter of sin 
was close at hand freezing by its ice and severity the warmth 
of the love of all toward God and dulling men to the Grace of 
the Holy Spirit, which was seen with the eye of their souls by 
the Spirit-bearing holy Doctors of the Church,  therefore, in 
the Scripture, they bequeathed everything to those who 
followed them, so that guided by these Scriptures we might 
perform without error or stumbling all the rites of the church. 
Thus, it is necessary to offer these things with thought and 
with great faith and hope.
Know this too, that the calling of your priesthood is not by 
man and not through man, but from Him, who was called 
priest according to the order of Melchisedek, who was 
Himself a true priest, a high priest and a sacrifice to God the 
Father.  And He gave you the calling of His name, and took 
upon Himself with that name also the work associated with 
it, to shepherd his people, and always to teach them good 
works, and to give Himself as a good example for everyone, 
as Paul wrote to Timothy, "Do not neglect the gift you have, 
which was given you by prophetic utterance when the 
council of elders laid their hands upon you" (1 Tim 4:14) and 
again, "Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of 
double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and 
teaching," (1 Tim 5:17).  Therefore we pray that you perform 
your work according to the name of your calling, and as the 
fathers and parents of your people, give them at all times 
spiritual guidance, always teaching in the church, in public 
places, and at home, admonishing each according to his or 
her age and exhorting them to godliness.. . .
And now we ask all of you to be slow to move to argument 
and fights and to be quick to move to reconciliation and 
peace.  And let no one who is strong in physical 
aggressiveness try to deprive his fellows or wrong them, so 
that he may not have as his judge and prosecutor God-who 
defends the rights of destitude-and may not pay  for the 
eternity what he embezzled doing this temporary life. ...

Let none of you love the blindness of ignorance of priestly 
knowledge on account of laziness or worldly preoccupations. 
It is not possible for everyone to be perfect in all grace, 
which the divine commandments demand from priests; 
however,  those who minister must be faultless, that is, they 
must read the church books correctly,  observe the finest 
study of the chants in church, and then present themselves 
for ordination to the priesthood.    		

Again, let no one among the priests or people  judge  the 
church before princes of this world  or before the people of 
other nations or before Christians, so that he will not be 
judged by the apostolic and canonical commandment, as Paul 
writes to the Corinthians, "When one of you has a grievance 
against a brother, does he dare go to law before the righteous 
instead of the saints." (1 Cor. 6:1)   And the holy fathers in 
their canons command that priests who do this be defrocked.. 
. .

And now, let these few admonitions which we wrote be 
enough from us to you priests,  given not by commanding as 
a ruler but by beseeching as a co-servant.   And what is 
missing from our advice you must to learn from the 
canonical writings of the first fathers, by which they guided 
the children of the church to the glory of God.

To the People

Farmers and people in general listen to the advice of God's 
commandment which we give to you.  The spiritual medicine 
is especially  necessary for you for the healing of your souls, 
so that you may be cured of the infirmity of your sins.

Hence we ask you, do not lose the eternal pleasures of the 
soul which the saints enjoy in the kingdom of heaven  
through the pleasures of the body in this ephemeral life.
And since you are temples of God, as the Apostle said (cf. I 
Cor 3:16) and the spirit of God dwells in you through the 
baptism of the font, do not corrupt your Divine temple of 
your souls by abominable prostitution or promiscuity, so that 
God does not corrupt you on the day of judgment with the 
fire of Hell, as the Apostle Paul writes, (I Cor. 3:17).. . .
Moreover, do not make your tongues work for Satan through 
evil and bitter swearing, especially since it defiles the faith, 
the soul, the baptism of the font, the baptizing priest, the face 
and the mouth. These are transgressions greater than 
renouncing one's faith and circumcision.  When those of 
other nations make Christians deny their faith, they do not 
make them disgrace God.  But when you disgrace the faith, 
you do not disgrace man, but God, for the faith of all who 
worship is in God.  When you disgrace baptism and the 
baptizing priest, this disgraces  the Holy Spirit, for through 
Him the baptized are born in the font.  And when you 
disgrace the soul of man, the same blasphemy goes up to 
God, for the soul is the breath of God, and the face is the 
image of God, so too the mouth is the receiver of the body 
and blood of Christ.  And now, do not sadden the Holy Spirit 
of God with such base and vile words, lest the Spirit of God 
that  dwells in you through the font depart from you and  the 
spirit of Satan enter and dwell in your hearts in his place.

Furthermore, we give the following commandment to all 
believers in general, that you nourish your children in the 
fear of God, admonishing them during the days of their 
childhood to be God-loving, merciful, prayer-loving and 
teaching  them the word of prayer and rebuking  them so that 
they do not learn filthy words and swearing, for in the time of 
childhood the advice of parents takes root better in the minds 
of children with uneraseable memory,  with them  you will 
receive the reward of your good deeds from the Lord.

And hold love toward each other as the head of all good. 
Toward the poor,  the naked,  the strangers,  the imprisoned 
and the sick, show sympathy and mercy, through this you 
will become the heirs of the Kingdom in Jesus Christ.


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