At the beginning of the 7th century, the Persians were winning the Persian-Byzantine war. In 610 AD all of Armenia was already under the control of Persia. The Persians succeeded in conquering Syria, Palestine and other countries. However, Emperor Heraclius of Byzantium succeeded in uniting his former Eastern lands within the Empire. Pursuing political aims, the emperor tried to bind Syria, Palestine, Egypt and Armenia more closely with Byzantium. Heraclius appointed the Jacobite, Bishop Sergius, to be Patriarch of Constantinople, the Patriarch of Antioch to be the Catholicos of the Syrian Monophysites, (in an attempt to unite the Syrians with the Patriarchate of Antioch) and Cyril, a fervent anti-chalcedonian, was appointed as the Patriarch of Alexandria. In order to establish peace in the Church life, which had been in turmoil for more than a century and a half, Sergius, the Patriarch of Constantinople promoted the Monothelite doctrine, according to which Christ had two natures, one person, one will and one energy. Emperor Heraclius, approving of this doctrine, suggested that the Churches of the Empire should adopt it. Cyril, the Patriarch of Alexandria, in one of his letters to the Patriarch of Constantinople states that thanks to the Monothelite doctrine, supported by the Emperor and Patriarch Sergius, he has managed to reconcile adversaries in Egypt. The Monothelite doctrine was favorably adopted both in Byzantium and in the West; it was also adopted by the Roman Pope Honorius (625-638). However, there were representatives on both sides who rejected this doctrine. Emperor Heraclius also suggested that the Armenian Church adopt the Monothelite doctrine. Catholicos Yezr (630-641) asked the Emperor to send him the text of the doctrine. After receiving it, the leaders of the Armenian Church discussed it and came to the conclusion that in general it corresponded to the principles of the Orthodox faith and it was acceptable, but it excluded the condemnation of the Council of Chalcedon. In 633 a National-Ecclesiastical Council was convened in Karin, where the Emperor, Catholicos Yezr and their followers came to an agreement. But both in the Empire and in Armenia there were opponents to Monothelitism. During this same time the Arabs emerged on the stage of history. They captured Syria from Byzantium in 638 and Egypt in 640. The Empire once and forever lost the states that had Monophysites inhabitants. Thus the Monothelite doctrine lost its political significance and soon was ignored both in Byzantium and in Armenia. Armenian-Byzantine Church Relations in the Second Half of the 12th Century During the centuries the Armenian and Byzantine Churches repeatedly tried to unite first in 654 in Dvin, then in the 8th, and in the 9th century. But the most serious attempt of reunion of the Churches took place in the 12th century. The migration of the Armenian nation to the territories of the Eastern provinces of Byzantium occurred through the 11th century. In 1080 Ruben, the governor of the Mountainous Cilicia and a relative of Gagik II, the last king of Armenia, united the plains of Cilicia as his belongings and founded the Cilician Armenian principality on the north-eastern shores of the Mediterranean. In 1199 this principality became a kingdom and existed until 1375. The Patriarchal See of Armenia moved to Cilicia. At the beginning of 1165 Bishop Nerses Shnorhali (the Graceful), the brother of Catholicos Gregory III (1113-1166), had a discussion with the Byzantine envoy Alex, son-in-law of Emperor Manuel Comnenus, about the differences between the Armenian and Byzantine Churches. Handing over a questionnaire to Nerses the envoy asked him to make notes of their discussions and to answer the questions which the Greek archimandrites had given him. Nerses Shnorhali prepared and gave to Alex the "Profession of Faith of the Armenian Church", which was comprised of two parts. In the first part he spoke about the Holy Trinity and the Incarnation of Jesus Christ and in the second he spoke about the services specific to the Armenian Church. Alex personally handed this text to Emperor Manuel. The Emperor and Patriarch Luke of Constantinople (1156-1169) studied the document and found that it could serve as the basis for the unification of the Armenian and Byzantine Churches. Nerses Shnorhali, who was now serving as the Catholicos of All Armenians (1166-1177), sent the Emperor a second paper defining more precisely his points and indicating that the unification must not be between master and servant, but between equals, based on the Holy Bible and the Sacred Tradition. Wherever there were theological and ritual divergences either in Armenian or in Byzantine Church, they should be rejected. The emperor and Patriarch Michael III (1169-1177) answered St. Nerses’ letter in 1172, suggesting that for unification the Armenians should agree to the following 9 conditions: To anathematize those who confess Christ’s one nature/ (Eutyches, Dioscorus, Severus and Timothy Aelurus); To confess that Christ has one person, two natures, two wills and two energies; To celebrate Christmas, the Presentation of the Lord to the Temple, Annunciation and other feasts according to the Byzantine calendar:
Disappointed, St. Nerses, being a great promoter of the idea of Church unification, replied to Theorianus, who was the envoy of the Emperor and of the Patriarch, that it was beyond his power to solve such serious problems. He told them he would have an answer to their conditions, after convening a National-Ecclesiastical Council. Catholicos Gregory IV (1173-1193) convened the promised Council in 1179 in Hromkla. In his letter to the bishops and Archimandrites (Vardapets) in the east he advised: "Don’t consider the Greeks heretics, for they have had prominent Church Fathers. One should not despise them, but should have friendly relations with them and if they are at fault, one should admonish and show them the true way or, at least, prove that we are sensible, thus we will do a great service to those Armenians who are being persecuted by the Greeks for religious reasons". The Council in Hromkla, in which bishops of Greater Armenia, Cilicia and adjoining lands, the Catholicos of Aghvank and the representative of the Patriarch of the Syrian Jacobite Church participated, on one hand condemned the extreme form of Monophysitism, on the other hand refused the doctrine of two natures, two wills, two energies and affirmed the interpretation of the Armenian Church regarding the one nature of the Incarnate Word of God. Before the decision of the Council was known in Constantinople, Emperor Manuel ( 1180) died, and his followers did not show any sign of interest in the reunion with the Armenian Church. Armenian-Latin Church Relations during the 12th - 14th Centuries During the same period the Armenian Church for the first time in her history established relations with the Roman Church. During the Crusades a series of Latin principalities came into existence and patriarchal Sees were established in the East. During the Latin Council of Antioch, in 1141/2, to which the Armenian Catholicos Gregory III was also invited, theological and ritual differences between the Armenian and Latin Churches were discussed. Returning to Rome the Pope’s envoy, praised the Armenian Catholicos and his brother Nerses Shnorhali to Pope Innocent II. The Pope of Rome wrote a letter to the Armenian Catholicos, in which he recognized the Orthodoxy of the Armenian Church and for the complete unification of the two Churches suggested that the Armenians should mix water in the Chalice and celebrate Christmas on the 25th of December. Innocent II also presented the Armenian Catholicos with an Episcopal staff, which began to be used by bishops. The eastern Greek-Cappadocian staff was used by archimandrites only. In 1145 Catholicos Gregory III Pahlavouny asked Pope Eugene III (1145-1153) for political assistance and Gregory IV turned to Pope Luke III (1181-1185) with the same request. In return for granting this help the Popes again suggested mixing water in the Chalice and celebrating Christmas on the 25th of December. Soon the third Crusade began. In 1189 the Pope of Rome Clement (1187-1191) asked the Catholicos of Armenia and the governor of Cilicia, Leo for help. The Armenians truely supported Crusaders to a great extent. Though the emperor of Germany Henry IV recognized Prince Leo as the king of Cilicia in 1195 who also received a crown from Emperor Alexy III (1195-1203) of Byzantium in 1196, the coronation was postponed. Leo wanted to be crowned by the West in order to have its patronage. All western political aspirations were being confirmed and blessed by the Pope of Rome. At last the Pope’s envoy, Cardinal Conrad, arrived in Cilicia for Leo’s coronation. The Pope could not crown and bless anyone, who did not have the same profession of faith. That was why the Cardinal promoted the idea of unification of the Armenian and Latin Churches suggesting that the Armenians should agree to the following conditions:
The Council convened by Leo rejected the suggestion of Rome. It is not known under what conditions, but, in any case, an agreement was signed between the representative of Rome and 12 bishops who were the upholders of the state interests of Cilicia. On 6 January, 1199 Cardinal Conrad conducted Leo’s coronation, and the consecration of the Armenian Catholicos, which was done according to the rites of Latin Church, specially translated into Armenian by Nerses of Lambron, the archbishop of Tarsus. In 1244 Pope Innocent IV in his letter to Catholicos Constantine I suggested using oil in anointing the sick according to the custom of the Latin Church. The second Council of Sis took place in 1243 with the participation of the clergy of Cilicia; it established 24 regulating canons, regarding the life of the faithful. In 1246 these canons together with the Catholicos’ Encyclical, which suggested anointing sick people with oil, were sent to Eastern Armenia for implementation. But Pope Innocent IV, dissatisfied with this, sent bishop Timanch to Cilicia in 1248, in order to explain what political benefits the Armenians could gain by the unification of the Churches. King Hethoum asked the Catholicos to reply to the Pope’s message. Though the Catholicos respected the Roman See, he could not admit the conditions proposed by the Pope. Thus he sent King Hethoum a message, consisting of 15 points, in which he refused to accept the doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church and asked the king not to trust the West. The Roman See, receiving this answer, reduced her original conditions in the letter written in 1250 and offered to admit only the Filioque that the Holy Spirit emanates not only from God the Father, but also from the Son. This was the very question which separated the Byzantine and Latin Churches in 1054. Catholicos Constantine convened the third Council of Sis to respond to this proposal. Not being able to arrive at a final decision, the Council sought the opinion of the Church leaders in Eastern Armenia. This was a new problem for the Armenian Church and naturally there were different opinions. Thus it was difficult to arrive at a decision. In 1262 Bishop Gulielmos, the legate of Pope Urban IV, arrived in the East and settled in Achaya. To welcome the legate King Hethoum sent his brother Oshin, and the Catholicos sent archimandrite Mkhitar Skevratsy, who was familiar with the Pope’s legate. Bishop Gulielmos insisted that the Pope of Rome was the Head of the Church, whereas Father Mkhitar, quoting the Bible, argued that the Head of the Church was not the Pope of Rome, but Christ Himself. In 1292 Gregory VII (1293-1306), Bishop of Anavarza, became the Catholicos of All Armenians. He was enthusiastic with the idea of the unification of all the Christian Churches. To achieve this aim he was ready to sacrifice some of the traditions of the Armenian Church. During this period Hethoum II (1289-1301) reigned in Cilicia and was also an adherent of the unification of the Churches. Catholicos Gregory of Anavarza first set the Synaxaries of the Church to correspond to the Latin and the Greek and at King Hethoum’s request, and established the feast of All Saints on November 1, as it is in the Latin Church. He tried to make changes in a series of ritual issues, which always hindered the unification of the Armenian Church with the Byzantine and Latin Churches. These changes raised serious objections in Eastern Armenia, where under the leadership of the Metropolitan of Syunik, a council was convened, which warned the Catholicos in writing not to make changes to the traditions of the Armenian Church. In 1295/96 Mariam, the Armenian wife of the Crown Prince of Byzantium, and her sister at the request of the Byzantine Church, were re-baptized as if they were individuals who had turned to the true faith from a heretical church. This, as well as the reaction of the clergy of Eastern Armenia dampened the enthusiasm of Gregory of Anavarza towards the Greeks and instead turned his attention to the West, hoping to receive political assistance for Cilicia. He was getting ready to make changes in the liturgical life of the Armenian Church and he had written special hymns for Christmas and Epiphany, planning to celebrate them separately. But realizing that it was impossible to receive help from the Latins either, he decided not to pursue the unification of Churches, since this certainly would create disturbances within his own Church. But Kings Hethoum and Leo, hoping to receive aid from the West, continued to demand that the Catholicos achieve the unification of the two Churches. The Catholicos refused to do this and for this reason he was dethroned and exiled. He died in exile in 1306, stating prior to his death, "I am an Armenian and I die as an Armenian". After the death of Gregory of Anavarza King Leo convened a Council in Sis, in 1307, which is known in history as the seventh Council of Sis. 43 bishops and princes from Cilicia participated in this Council. King Leo represented a letter to the Council, as if written by Gregory of Anavarza, which consisted of the following theological and ritual changes:
The participants of the Council, except for five bishops, accepted these changes. In this Council Constantine, the Bishop of Caesarea, upholder of the unification, was elected Catholicos (1307-1322). The decisions of the Council of Sis faced serious resistance both in Eastern Armenia and in Cilicia. However, King Leo’s successor, Oshin (1307-1320), made all the efforts to bring these decisions to life. In order to bring an end to the disputes King Oshin convened a Council in Adana, in 1316. 13 bishops, 7 archimandrites and 10 princes took part in it. In this Council the objections against the decisions of the Council of Sis were rejected as being contrary to the truth. The decisions of the Council of Sis were confirmed once again. But such Councils could not alter the traditions of the Armenian Church and naturally they did not have a lasting effect upon the Church. After the Council of Adana, King Oshin appealed to Pope John XXII and Philip, the king of France in 1318, asking their promised aid in return for the unification of Churches. But his request was in vain. The result of the pro-Latin policy gained only an unfriendly attitude by the neighboring Moslems, especially the Mamlukes of Egypt, whose frequent invasions in Cilicia caused the fall of the Armenian State in 1375. Catholicos Mesrop I of Artaz (1359-1372), was displeased with the fact that the West had not kept its promise and convened the 8th Council of Sis in 1361 and ordered to abolish all the innovations which were the result of the Cilician kings’ pro-Latin policies. The Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia fell in 1375. The country was ruined and a mass migration began. The Patriarchal See became a toy in the hands of the foreigners. In such political conditions the idea of returning the Patriarchal See to Armenia gained favour in Greater Armenia. In 1441 the See of the Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians was again relocated at Holy Etchmiadzin.
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