Armenian Christian tradition in the 20th century
Initially, during the second and third centuries AD, Aramaic-speaking missionaries from Mesopotamia introduced Christianity to the southern Armenian provinces, influenced by the Syriac tradition of Edessa.
The invention of the Armenian alphabet by Mashtots‛ around 405 facilitated the development of a national literary tradition, drawing initially from Syriac and Greek sources before producing original works.
The relations between South Caucasian Churches in the fourth and fifth centuries, the primacy of Gregory the Illuminator's see, and similarities among the Armenian, Georgian, and Albanian alphabets support claims made by Mashtots's pupil and biographer Koriun.
This detachment from Byzantine theological doctrines led to unique Christological inquiries and allowed for independent liturgical developments, fostering the incorporation of local customs within ecclesiastical discipline.
In 1903, Jean-Baptiste Chabot established the Corpus Scriptorum Christianorum Orientalium (CSCO) collection in Paris, a venture independent from René Graffin's efforts.
Chabot directed the collection until his death, overseeing the inclusion of Armenian patristic texts, which played a significant role in the study of ancient Christian civilizations.
Khatchig Dadean initiated excavations at the ruined Cathedral of the Vigilant Powers near Etchmiadzin, followed by Toros Toramanian's extensive documentation and classification of Armenian architectural monuments.
[8] In Vienna, Josef Strzygowski investigated the interaction between architectural traditions of various Christian cultures, including Syriac, Armenian, Coptic, Ethiopic, and Arabic.
[9] Despite hindrances caused by World War I and subsequent political barriers, significant fieldwork continued in Soviet Armenia, led by scholars such as Varazdat Harutyunyan, Aleksandra Eremyan, and Armen Khachatryan, contributing to the understanding of Armenian architectural heritage.
In St. Petersburg, Marr established three significant periodical series dedicated to Caucasian studies, including Xristianskij Vostok (The Christian Orient), which was later reinstated in Moscow after being suppressed under Soviet rule.
His prominent pupil, Cyril Toumanoff, born in St. Petersburg, experienced early hardship, losing his mother to Bolsheviks and seeking refuge with his grandparents.
Their work paved the way for subsequent scholars such as Nina Garsoïan and James Russell to explore the enduring Iranian influence on Armenian institutions and hagiography.
Scholars like Paul Peeters investigated early relations between Syriac Christianity and Armenia, shedding light on the genesis of Armenian hagiography.
[18] Vahan Inglisian, another pupil of Akinean, focused on the Christological conceptions of key figures in stabilizing the Armenian Church's doctrine post-Arab conquest.
[20] The study of liturgical texts saw significant advancements, with scholars like Vardan Hacuni, Karapet Amatuni, and Yovhannes Mécérian investigating various aspects of Armenian liturgy and ecclesiastical institutions.
[22] Despite the challenges posed by Soviet rule, scholars like Paolo Cuneo and Jean-Michel Thierry risked personal safety to explore the Armenian heritage of Eastern Turkey.
In company with his colleagues, L. Xatikyan published a long series of unedited sources and, notably, a collection of colophons of the Armenian manuscripts preserved in the Matenadaran.
To give an example: recently, the Italian Institute of Geophysics published a history of earthquakes in the Mediterranean area reconstructed on the basis of ancient witnesses, in which references to Armenian colophons appear frequently.
Levon Xatikyan and his colleagues undertook the publication of many previously unpublished sources, including a collection of colophons from Armenian manuscripts housed in the Matenadaran.
