Window Quarterly
Vol. 1, No. 2, 1990
Copyright 1990

[Permission is granted to use, print, reproduce this article 
provided the following acknowledgment is given: From 
Window Quarterly 1, 2 (1990); ACRAG c. 1990. 

***

LIBERATION AND WITNESS
In search of an Armenian Theology of Liberation

by Hratch Tchilingirian


"The loud cry of the mobs . . . sounded like the clash of the 
clouds above, and the thundering sound of the noises rocked 
the caverns of the mountains. . .  The flashing of countless 
swords and the swaying of innumerable spears seemed like 
an awful fire being poured down from heaven. But who can 
describe fully the tremendous tumult caused by these 
frightful noises - the clashing of the warriors and the 
snapping of the bow strings -which deafened everyone 
alike!" 1
--Yeghisheh

These words were not written after the massacre of 
Armenians in Baku on a tragic January day [1990].  These 
words were not written to describe the struggle of Armenians 
in Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Tadzhikistan, Karabagh...
These words were written 1500 years ago--by Yeghisheh, the 
eminent 5th century historian--to evoke the reality of 
Vartanantz.  

All nations in the world have their turning points: in ancient 
times, for Jews it was the Exodus, in modern times, for the 
Germans, the crumbling of the Berlin Wall.  These events not 
only mold and shape the ongoing life of a nation, but they 
provide a point of reference and reflection in times of crisis. 
Vartanantz is such a timeless event in the history of the 
Armenian people.  An event that does not exhaust itself in 
the past, but perfects itself in the future.  Just as in the case 
of the Exodus, Vartanantz is not simply an event, but a 
pattern of deliverance that provides a key for interpreting 
Armenian history and for interpreting present experience.
	
For the Jews the greatest miracle in the Bible was the Exodus 
miracle, the crossing of the Red Sea.  Still this remains the 
greatest miracle in the Old Testament.  The embellishments 
which were added to the story through centuries of retelling 
were intended only to underline the need to discern and  
marvel at what God had done for his people.2 In Exodus 3:7-
9 we read: "Then the Lord said, 'I have seen the affliction of 
my people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry 
because of their taskmasters.  I know their sufferings . . 
.behold, the cry of the people of Israel has come to me, and I 
have seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress 
them."  Here we see a God who can hear the cry of the 
oppressed, who comes down, and who leads them to 
liberation.  Correspondingly, Yeghisheh reflects on the 
oppression of the Armenians under Persian rule.  When the 
Persian Tenshabuh  (ambassador) asks the Armenians to 
submit themselves to demands of the Persian king, Ghevont 
the Priest eloquently responds saying, "...You scorn us for 
our afflictions which have come upon us against our own 
will, as they come to everyone according to the nature of 
one's body.  But Christ, the living and life-giving true God, 
by His beneficent will became the healer of souls and bodies 
and Himself first suffered tortures and pains to cure the 
entire human race.  Through His tenderness and mercy, 
moreover, He granted us a second birth in health without 
pains and afflictions; He healed the old sores secretly 
inflicted upon us by the dragon and made us scarless and 
pure in body and soul, so that we may join the hosts of angels 
and become warriors of our heavenly King. But you, not  
aware of this and not having enjoyed God's heavenly gifts, 
are unwilling to learn from us; on the contrary, you wish to 
misguide us, but that is impossible; it will not happen and 
you will not succeed."3

Our Witness

Today, like Vartanantz, the religious-national aspect of our 
struggle is relevant perhaps more than anytime in our history.  
On a global level, the melange of religion, nationalism and 
ultimately liberation has been noticeable in most liberation 
movements of the past few year.  For example, in Poland, the 
church had a definite role in shaping the Solidarity 
movement;  in East Germany, the New Forum was conceived 
on the pulpits of the church; in South Africa, Nicaragua, 
Panama and elsewhere, the situation is the same. In the 
current developments around the global, the reemergence of 
religion in the life of nations is clearly visible, unlike the 
hostile Cold War era.
	
In the case of the Armenians, liberation and witness are two 
important processes in their history.  Yeghesheh explains this 
in Vartanantz, " [The Persian King] persecuted the 
Armenians more than all the others, because he observed 
them to be the most zealous in the worship of God, especially 
those who belonged to the families of the Armenian 
nakharars who had sincerely adhered to the holy teachings of 
the apostles and the prophets."4  

 From a theological perspective, we cannot be liberated if we 
are not ready to be witnesses first: witness to our faith, 
witnesses to the suffering and cross of Jesus Christ.  Today, 
are  we ready to follow in the footsteps of our forefathers, 
who considered Christ their Lord and master above all other 
earthly rulers?  Such faith of our forefathers defined our 
nationhood.  Unfortunately, today, many Armenian leaders 
see little or no value in our Christian faith, but rather 
consider it a baggage of added burden for our "self-
determination" and "liberation."  Armenian Christian faith is 
viewed as a "custom" of the past rather than the source of 
potency of Armenian identity.  It is as if we are reluctant to 
say we are Christians,  that we are determined to hold on the 
tenets of our Faith, because otherwise, the world  might 
deprive us of our rights.  But this was not the case with 
Vartanantz: for them Christ was first, then  politics, Nation, 
then  self-glory. Politics, outside the context of a national 
ethos, is self-defeating. From a broader perspective, politics 
can be considered a chapter of theology.  "A true 'political 
theology' takes upon itself serving man according to his 
nature and his truth; and consequently serving the political 
nature of humanity--i.e. the power of love, which is at the 
heart of existence and which is the condition of the true 
communion of persons, the true city, the true polis."5
	
According to the Scripture, faith is the total response of man 
to God, who saves through love.  In this light, "the 
understanding of the faith appears as the understanding not 
of the simple affirmation--almost memorization--of truths, 
but of a commitment, an overall attitude, a particular posture 
toward life."6  This understanding and witness of Vartan and 
his companions is illustrated in one of the dialogues between 
the King of Persian and a young Armenian nakharar 
(nobleman):
	
" . . . References to Christ's name, His torture, crucifixion, 
death and burial irritated [the King].
	
"He made such demented boasts daily, that one of the 
youngest Armenian nakharars disputed his words and asked: 
'Valiant King, where did you learn the words which you utter 
concerning our Lord?
	
"The King answered and said: 'The books of your heresy 
were read before me.'
	
"The youth replied and said: 'Wherefore, O King, did you 
have it read only that far?  Have the reading continued still 
farther, and you will hear of His resurrection, His appearance 
before many, His ascension to heaven, His sitting at the right 
of His Father, His promise of His second coming to cause the 
miraculous resurrection of all men; and of His summary 
reward in just judgment.
	
"When the king heard this he was deeply hurt, but, laughing 
forcibly, said: 'All that is deception.'
	
"The soldier of Christ replied and said: 'If you take as true 
His bodily sufferings, so must you yet more believe in His 
awesome second coming.'
	
"Having heard these words, the king burned like the fire in 
the glowing furnace of Babylon, and even those who were 
with him felt themselves scorched like the Chaldeans.  Then 
he poured his entire wrath and indignation over the blessed 
youth, whose name was Karekin. Having his feet and hands 
bound, he subjected him to tortures for about two years; and 
after having deprived him of his dominion, sentenced him to 
death."7
	
The importance of Armenian history, particularly Vartanantz, 
is not in its temporality but in the eschatological dimension 
of the event and its role as praxis.  Indeed, Armenian history 
is above all else an opening to the future, hence it is a task, a 
political occupation, through which the Armenian person 
orients and opens himself to the gift which gives history its 
transcendent meaning: "the full and definitive encounter with 
the Lord and with other men.  'To do the truth,' as the Gospel 
says, thus acquires a precise and concrete meaning in terms 
of the importance of action in Christian life.  Faith in God 
who loves us and calls us to the gift of full communion with 
him and brotherhood among men."8
	
The Current Situation

St. John Chrysostom, in one of his homilies, asserts that 
"Familiarity causes admiration to fade.9  Surely enough, as 
we become more familiar with the present reality of our 
church and our rival "Armenianism", it seems that our initial 
admiration is gradually fading away.  There is a whole 
generation of Armenians whose commitment to the 
Armenian church is shifting to other directions.  A generation 
of young, enthusiastic and educated flock of Armenians feel 
frustrated and disillusioned, and mourn the incompetence of 
their role models.  There is a whole generation of Armenians 
who escaping the reverent emptiness and misunderstood 
nationalism of the Armenian Church and find refuge in other 
places. The most tragic aspect of this plight  is the fact that 
the new generation is unable to find Christ in the Armenian 
Church--Christ, "The Son of God [who] shares our nature so 
we can share His;  as He has us in Him, so we have Him in 
us."10   On the other hand there are those who are 
rediscovering the traditional sources of the Armenian Faith, 
without rejecting what is good in contemporary Armenian 
Church life. It should be noted that this phenomenon is not 
unique to the Armenian Church.  It is also happening in other 
churches, namely, the Roman Catholic Church.  In an article 
entitled "Coming Home to Tradition," a young Fr. Wood, 33, 
explains the dilemma: "'I consider myself very avant-garde in 
my methodology but very traditional in the content.' These 
young priests are rediscovering the classic theologians, the 
Divine Office, community life...to deepen and enrich their 
lives rather than to simply protest against what they see as 
negative trends in the contemporary Church.  One thing 
many of them have in common is a problem describing 
themselves--a problem of identity."11  In the case of the 
Armenian Church there is some anticipation and hope, but in 
the long run, the situation remains dormant.
	
We proudly claim to be a national church, but never speak 
about the theological implications of this nationalism or how 
does it fit in the ecclesiology of the Armenian Church--a 
discourse that has not started in the Armenian Church. 
Evidently, "Armenian" is an adjective that describes the 
national or ethnic identity of a person, by virtue of that 
person's birth or association with that particular group and 
culture.  Yet, what is it that makes this group distinct from 
other groups or cultures?
	
In order to deal with this question, we need to examine the 
historical context of the issue.  From the crossing of the 
Bosphorus by the Armeno-Phrygians, ca. 1250 B.C., to King 
Trdat III, third century A.D.,  an Armenian culture did not 
exist as a "distinct culture" per se, but there was what could 
be called a "Hay-Armen culture," i.e. the culture of two 
principal ancestral tribes of the Armenian people.12  
Arguably a formative Armenian culture and a language 
(means of communications) existed, but without distinct 
national characteristics.13   Rather the people living in a 
specific geographic location, within specific boundaries, 
constituted the people of Armenia, i.e. the people who lived 
in a land called Armenia.  There was a pagan culture  which 
sought to unify many deities and cults under one earthly or 
heavenly monarch.14 "During the Classical era, the 
Armenians laid the foundations of their rich and splendid 
national literature. It is true that the distinctive alphabet was 
not invented until after the introduction of Christianity, but 
pagan Armenia was far from being illiterate.  From Moses of 
Khorene, the national chronicle, we have the texts of ancient 
ballads and legends, which were earlier handed down by 
word of mouth.  Official documents and inscriptions were 
written in Greek or else in Iranian using  Aramaic 
characters....King Artavazd II, son of Tigranes the Great, 
maintained a Greek theatre in his palace, and himself wrote 
dramas in Greek to be staged there. Roman legionaries 
brought Latin script with them, notably in the reign of 
Emperor Trajan, though this failed to take root among the 
local population."15
	
Until the 4th century, a distinctly Armenian culture was in 
formation, but without a national  character.  Each period 
and dynasty in history contributed to this cultural evolution, 
however, it was the Christianization of Armenia (ca. 301) 
that "determined the entire future course of Armenian 
history"16.  It was after the adoption of Christianity, as the 
state religion, that Armenia became a NATION.  It was 
through Christianity that the people living in the Land of 
Armenia became the Armenian Nation.  Moreover, with the 
establishment of the
Church, the entire Armenian nation was unified as the Body 
of Christ. The Good News of the Gospel, provided a new 
"formula," a new understanding of Armenian nationhood. 
Thus, the Church became a central institution in the life of 
the Armenian nation.  And henceforth, the Armenian 
monarchy prioritized the Church as one of the most 
important institutions to secure the religious, cultural, social 
and political unity of the Armenian Nation. Henceforth, 
Armenian culture (i.e. Armenian-way-of-life) was defined 
and expressed within the context of the Good News, the new 
message of Christ (avedis).  The Armenian nation embraced 
Christ in its own land where Christ himself descended, (etch-
miadzin).  Whether the Etchmiadzin vision of St. Gregory the 
Illuminator was a legend or real, its meaning is not negated 
in either case.  The vision of St. Gregory is a definite 
expression of  the total  acceptance and adoption of Christ by 
the Armenians.  Christ was not only the Savior of the Jews 
and the gentiles, but distinctly the Armenians.  As the new 
Christian faith and the redefined  national identity of the 
Armenians took roots in the life of the nation, the invention 
of an Armenian alphabet was necessitated. Otherwise, why 
an Armenian alphabet was not invented 200 or 300 years 
before Christianity?  Why was it that the necessity of a 
unique Armenian alphabet was felt soon after the 
establishment of Christianity? This was an outcome of the 
Christianization of Armenia.
	 
With the invention of the Armenian alphabet, this newly 
molded Armenian-Christian national identity was shaped and 
secured with a unique Armenian spirit and quality.  It is 
significant that the first book that was translated after the 
invention of the alphabet was the Bible.  This indicates that 
the Armenian alphabet was not invented primarily to record 
ancient  Armenian culture, or to preserve the Armenian 
culture--the way we understand preservation now-- but rather 
it was invented to translate the Scriptures, the new Faith and 
the message of Christ, henceforth, making the Good News of 
Christ accessible to the people and giving it a fundamental 
role in the Armenian national reality.

The Good News of Christ is an essential part of our national 
equation. Without an appreciation of this renewed Faith, we 
cannot have a definition of Armenian nationhood. A full 
appreciation and evaluation of Armenian history cannot be 
done apart from the Christian faith of Armenians.  This is 
consistent with our history: starting from the 4th century to 
the Persian Rule (430-634 A.D.) and Arab Domination (654-
851 A.D.), from the Bagratid Dynasty (885-1079). . . to the 
Armenian Genocide. . .. It could be argued, that if we were 
not Christians, we would have been lost long ago in the 
winds of history.  Yet it was because of our Faith and its 
implications to our nationhood, that we survived.  It is 
indeed, Faith, the understanding of death and resurrection, 
the way of the Cross, the suffering and victory of Christ, that 
gives a nation perpetuity. The message of Christ is central to 
this survival. Today we speak of Armenians as being 
survivalists, but what is it that gives us the desire to survive if 
not the words of Christ that, "he who believes in [him], 
though he die, yet shall he live, and whoever lives and 
believes in [him] shall never die" (John 25-26), that 
"whoever follows [him] will not walk in darkness, but will 
have the light of life."(John 8:12).  It is through His cross, 
suffering and resurrection that Armenian survivalism is 
measured and qualified.
	
Without the Cross there is no liberation.  Liberation from all 
types of tensions in the life of the nation and the life of the 
nation in relation to the  world.  It is only through the process 
and understanding of the Cross that a true liberation is 
achieved-a liberation that even a person locked in a prison 
cell could experience, it is the liberation of Christ.
	
As Armenians, "confessing Christ is to receive His cross into 
our lives and to translate it into action.  It implies a new form 
of kenosis ["self-emptying"], a renewed discipleship of Him 
who 'trampled down death by death' and became and 
remained our Way, our Truth and our Life. Confessing Christ 
today entails not only continuous and conscious participation 
in His sacramental presence in the church. . . but it demands 
a deeper commitment to His liberating action in the world, 
an active and sacrificial involvement in the struggle of social 
justice, and authentic humanness.  Confessing Christ 
eventually orients us to a community which transcends our 
own particularities, a world community undergirded by the 
power of His cross and resurrection."17

Believing in Christ does not consist in pious exercises only, 
but rather in a new mode of existing before God and in the 
light of the movement  announced by Him.  Leonardo Boff, 
one of the notable liberation theologians, convincingly 
presents this thesis. "Conversion," he writes,  "always implies 
a rupture: 'Do you suppose that I am here to bring peace on 
earth? No. I tell you, but rather divisions.  For from now on a 
household of five will be divided: three against two and two 
against three . . .' (12:51-52). Nevertheless, this reversal in 
one's mode of thinking and acting is to be life-giving, it is to 
lead a person to a crisis and to deciding for the new order 
that is already in our midst, that is Jesus Christ himself (Luke 
17:21).
	
"Jesus in not so much interested in whether a person before 
all else observed all the laws, paid tithes on all things, 
observed all the legal prescriptions of religion and society.  
He is primarily interested in whether a person is disposed to 
sell all properties to acquire the field with hidden treasure; 
whether one is ready to sell all to buy the precious pearl 
(Matt. 13:4-46); whether, in order to enter the new order, one 
has the courage to abandon family and fortune (Matt 10:37), 
risk one's life (Luke 17:33), tear out an eye and cut off a hand 
(Mark 9:43 & Matt. 5:29).  This no  to the established order 
does not signify asceticism but an attitude of readiness to 
comply with the exigencies of Jesus.
	
"Now therefore, it is urgent that one open oneself to God. 
This demand goes so far that Jesus threatens us with the 
following harsh words: 'If you do not change your way of 
thinking and acting, you will all perish' (Luke 13:3,5). The 
flood is imminent and it is the final hour (Matt. 24:37-39; 
7:24-27).  The ax has been put to the root of the tree; if it will 
not bear fruit, it will be cut down (Luke 13:9).  The owner of 
the house will close the door and those that are late will hear 
these sad words: "I do not know where you come from (Luke 
13:25); it is already too late (Matt. 25:11).  For this reason, 
those are called prudent who understood this situation of 
radical crisis (Matt. 7:24;24:45;25:2,4,8,9; Luke 12:42) and 
opted in favor of a kingdom, making a choice capable of 
supporting and conquering all temptations (cf. Matt. 7:24-
25).  The invitation is given to all. Most, however, find 
themselves to be so busy with their affairs that they reject the 
invitation to the nuptial feast (Luke 14:16-24). Chiefly the 
rich are so installed (Mark 10:25; cf. Matt. 23:24). The gate 
is narrow and not all make sufficient effort or work hard in 
order to pass through it (cf. Luke 13:24).  The necessity for 
conversion at times demands a rupture from the most 
rudimentary ties of love for dead relatives that are about to 
be interred (Luke 9:59f; Matt. 8:21f.).   A person who has 
opted for the tidings of Jesus looks only ahead. . . The option 
for Jesus cannot remain at some half-way point like the 
constructor of a tower who laid the foundation but ceased 
work when it was half finished.  It is urgent that one reflect 
before accepting the invitation.  To say, 'Lord, Lord,' is easy, 
but one must also wish to do what the Lord says (Luke 6:46).  
Otherwise, one's last state is worse than the first (Matt. 
12:43-45).  Conversion itself is like a nuptial gown, like an 
oiled head and a washed face (cf. Matt. 6:17), like music and 
dance (Luke 15:25), like the joy of the son who returns to the 
father's house (Luke 15:32), like the satisfaction one has on 
finding lost money (Luke 15:8-10)."18

An Armenian theology of liberation would reaffirm the faith 
of our forefathers, that goodness can and will triumph over 
evil.  Despite the system, despite the magnitude, complexity 
and apparent insolubility of our problems today, our nation in 
Christ can be, and in the end will be, liberated.  The power 
that can achieve this is the power of our faith that believes.  
It is only through our witness to the power of Christ that 
would make this possible.
	
With this kind of approach to our national problems, one will 
surely come to recognize the impending catastrophes facing 
our people as a unique opportunity for the coming  of the His 
Kingdom and our witness to it.   By shaking the very 
foundation of our lives, Christ awakens in us the faith and 
the hope to see the signs of His kingdom here in our midst, to 
see our eschaton as an either-or event and to see our time as 
the unique opportunity for the total liberation of his people.  
God is speaking to the Armenian people in a new way today. 
He is speaking in the events and problems of our times.  
Christ can help us understand this voice of Truth, but 
ultimately, it is we who must decide and act.
	
In contemporary Armenian experience, fidelity to Armenian 
nationalism and ethos should revolve around the themes of 
remembrance, critique, affirmation  and witness, all within 
the "limitations" of a  broken world.   As a Nation, presently 
our choices are difficult, delicate and fateful.  Our collective 
existence, particularly in Armenia, is threatened by political 
and economic predicaments.  Yet, despite the fact that we are 
somewhat dependent on regional powerbrokers, an Armenian 
solution to Armenian problems has been most desirable.  It is 
at this critical juncture that a new  Armenian theological  
reflection is urgent --a theology that will be accountable to 
the experience of the people.  An Armenian theology that 
will articulate significant events in Armenian history; a 
theology that will serve as a guide for direction and choice in 
the present; a theology that will provide the resources 
necessary to create a future for the Armenian people.19
	

Notes:

1.  Yeghisheh, History of Vartan and the Armenian War,  
(New York: The Delphic Press, 1952.),  p. 74.

2.  cf. Albert Nolan, Jesus before Christianity,  (New York: 
Orbis Books1978), p. 34.

3.  Yeghisheh, History of Vartan,  p. 110

4.  Yeghisheh, History of Vartan,  p. 10

5.  Christos Yanaras, "A Note on Political Theology,"  SVTQ 
Vol 27, No. 1/1983. p. 54.

6.  Gustavo Gutierrez, A Theology of Liberation, (New York: 
Orbis Books 1973), p. 7.

7.  Yeghesheh, History of Vartan,  p. 7.

8.  Gutierrez, A Theology, p. 10.

9.  St. John Chrysostom, On Marriage and Family Life, 
(Crestwood, New York: St. Vladimir's Seminary Press, 
1986), p. 49.

10.  ibid., p. 51.

11.  "Coming Home to Tradition," Catholic Twin Circle, 
March 11, 1990, p. 4.

12.  cf. Vahan M. Kurkjian, A History of Armenia, (New 
York: A.G.B.U., 1964), pp.19-21.

13.  There were local customs, manners and traditions but 
not a universal Armenian culture. cf.  David Marshal Lang, 
The Armenians,  (London: Unwin Paperbacks, 1988), p. 44.

14.  cf. H. Richard Niebuhr, Christ and Culture,  (New York: 
Harper Torchbooks, 1951), p. 8.

15.  Lang, The Armenians, p. 47

16.  ibid., p. 47

17.  Aram Keshishian, The Witness of the Armenian Church,  
(New York: Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of 
America, 1978), pp. 67-68.

18.  Leonardo Boff, Jesus Christ Liberator,  (New York: 
Orbis Books, 1986), pp. 64-66.

19.  cf. Marc H. Ellis, Toward a Jewish Theology of 
Liberation, (New York: Orbis Books, 1987), pp.110-122. I 
have utilized Ellis's typology of a "Jewish theology of 
liberation," which in many ways is applicable to the 
Armenian experience. The author provides an insightful and 
provocative study of Judaism and the challenges it faces in 
the light of the Holocaust and the emergence of the potent 
state of Israel. In so doing, he offers a critique of certain 
Jewish political and theological positions, and lay the 
foundation for an authentically Jewish theology of liberation.

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