Spiritual Discussions
Christian faith according to the Bible and teaching of the Church Fathers. How to fulfil the divine commandments and fight against sin? The Holy Bible and the Sacred Tradition of the Church. How the Church responds to the fundamental questions of human live and how to live according to the faith in the modern world? Faith as a worldview, way of knowing and culture. How to raise children? Spiritual principles of learning and self-knowledge.
Modern Theological Education in Armenia
The practical application and professional prospects of theological education in Armenia. The attractiveness of theology for university applicants, and its relation to philosophy, psychology and art history. The relationship of Christian faith and theology. The Church as the driving force of theology and as its natural environment.
- Speakers: Alyona Anakhasyan, Asya Ghazaryan
- Host: Deacon Vardan Aslanyan
Suicide
Suicide: a sin against oneself, natural order, and God. Perception of suicide as sin and combination of despair and homicide in the teaching of the Church. Cases of unconsciously committed suicide. Pastoral care for the souls of suicides and their relatives. Specific cases of euthanasia. Spiritual mechanisms of suicide prevention: brotherly support and spiritual consultation.
- Speaker: Fr. Husik Dokholyan
- Host: Deacon Vardan Aslanyan
Therapy by Narek
The genius of St. Gregory of Narek’s “The Book of Lamentations” (Narek). Traditions of the classical bibliotherapy and the therapy by Narek. Psychological suggestion or spiritual healing effect? Phonotherapy: the effect of prayer recitation. Who is eligible to speak about therapy by Narek and to use it as a method?
- Speaker: Hayk Baghdyan
- Host: Deacon Vardan Aslanyan
Christians as Citizens
“Give back to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's” (Mt. 22:21). Solidification of the teaching of being obedient subjects in apostolic epistles and in the apologetic period: “Obey your leaders and submit to them” (Heb. 13:17). The dual citizenship of the world and heavenly kingdom. Evangelical proverbs about the heavenly kingdom. The administrative mission of the Church in the period of lack of statehood.
- Speaker: Fr. Husik Dokholyan
- Host: Deacon Vardan Aslanyan
Spirituality and Physics
“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands” (Ps. 19:1). The human aspiration to know the universe: is it a search for knowledge or for the Creator? Reconciliation of the scientific and Christian ideas about the creation of the universe. The Creator as an establisher of order and beauty. The symbolic center of the universe and of the Earth.
- Speaker: Fr. Mesrop Aramian
- Host: Deacon Vardan Aslanyan
Bible Study
Commonalities and differences of the reading of the Bible and of fiction. The Bible as food for soul and mind. Individual approaches to the systematic reading of the Bible. Biblical commentary through one’s own efforts and by the help of ecclesiastical sources. The inexhaustible attraction of the Biblical text.
- Speakers: Armine Aleksanyan, Naira Melikyan
- Host: Deacon Vardan Aslanyan
Music pedagogy
Song and music as means for expression of our identity. Sources and traditions of Armenian music school. Performance of folk and spiritual music. Church environment as a school of spiritual music art. Choral and solo music arts in Armenian reality. Music pedagogy for children. Use of musical instruments in Armenian ecclesiastical music.
- Speaker: Hasmik Baghdasaryan-Dolukhanyan
- Host: Deacon Vardan Aslanyan
Let the children come to me
Christ’s teaching of becoming a child in spirit: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Mt. 18:3). “Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as them” (Mt. 19:14). Education of children as God’s offspring in Jewish and Armenian traditions. The Church as children’s fatherly dwelling place: “Why were you searching for Me? Didn’t you know I had to be in My Father’s house?” (Lk. 2:49).
- Speaker: Fr. Husik Dokholyan
- Host: Deacon Vardan Aslanyan
Araratian Week
The Fast of Elijah and the Araratian Week that follow Pentecost. The history of the establishment of the Armenian national church as reflected in the holidays of the Araratian Week. “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church.” The martyrdom of Saints Hrimpsime and Gayiane and their companions, and the conversion of the Armenian people. Bringing the relics of John the Baptist and Bishop Athenogenes to Armenia. The feast of Holy Etchmiadzin; the Vision of St. Gregory the Illuminator.
- Speaker: Fr. Husik Dokholyan
- Host: Deacon Vardan Aslanyan
The Human as God’s Image
Image and similitude: the Holy Trinity and the human tripartite nature. Estrangement from the Divine image as a result of sin. Restoration of the honor of sonship in the Parable of the Prodigal Son. Christ as a way for humanity to return to the first-created image: ”Put on the new self, which is being renewed in the image of its Creator” (Col. 3:10).
- Speaker: Fr. Husik Dokholyan
- Host: Deacon Vardan Aslanyan
Pentecost
The Holy Spirit in the Lord-established Church. The activity of the Holy Spirit through Church sacraments. Depictions of the Lord’s Spirit. Our heart as a Holy Spirit’s abode: ”Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you and whom you have received from God” (1 Cor. 6:19-20). The gifts of the Holy Spirit in the theology of the Armenian Church. The biblical episodes of being filled with the Holy Spirit.
- Speaker: Fr. Husik Dokholyan
- Host: Deacon Vardan Aslanyan
The Role of Women in the Church
The reflection of the patriarchal society in the Bible and in the ecclesiastical order. The stance of the Armenian Church and generally Church fathers on the ecclesiastical service of women. Ecclesiastical fields available for women in modern times: theology, iconography, administrative work, women’s unions. Possibilities of women’s involvement in the Church life that are being discussed: godmotherhood and restoration of the service of deaconesses.
- Speaker: Marianna Apresyan
- Host: Deacon Vardan Aslanyan
Commemoration of the Departed
The memorial Divine Liturgies following taghavar feasts; memorial service. Communication between the earthly and heavenly abodes of the Church. The fate of a soul in the afterlife. Depictions of Christian paradise and hell. A Christian’s earthly path and dispatchment to heaven.
- Speaker: Fr. Husik Dokholyan
- Host: Deacon Vardan Aslanyan
Iconography
Christian preaching through images and colors; the role of sensual perception in strengthening one’s faith. The presence of prayerful state and faith-related feelings in the process of icon creation. Choosing the materials and surface for painting. Armenian iconographic traditions and armenification of the icons of the Lord and saints.
- Speaker: Tatev Petrosyan
- Host: Deacon Vardan Aslanyan
The Gift of Motherhood
Childbearing as a God-given commandment. “With God’s power I gave birth to a man” (Gen. 4:1). Childbearing in the center of Biblical and patriarchal life: Abraham and Sarah, Elkanah and Hannah, Zechariah and Elizabeth. Difficulties of becoming a mother and the strengthening of faith. Annunciation of the Mother of God. Parenthood as godlikeness.
- Speaker: Fr. Husik Dokholyan
- Host: Deacon Vardan Aslanyan
Divorce
The holiness of marriage union in all religions and cultures. The Family of the Paradise; marriage as a blessing. What values make the core for building a Christian family. Biblical examples for the respectful and healthy marital relations. Spiritual consultation for marriage problems. Poisonous union: marriage as a heavy burden. Instructions for the Holy Matrimony.
- Speaker: Fr. Arnak Harutyunyan
- Host: Deacon Vardan Aslanyan
Religious Tourism
Pan-national pilgrimages of the Easter period. The difference between pilgrimage and religious tourism; the important role of a tour guide. Visits to religious venues as a strengthening factor for the knowledge of homeland and for national identity and faith. Expansion of humans’ spiritual horizon through visits to pan-Christian as well as non-Christian centers.
- Speaker: Nadia Hovhannisyan
- Host: Deacon Vardan Aslanyan
Waiting for the Lord’s Resurrection
Holy Easter as the finale of Holy Week events. The Passion Friday and the mystery of the Lord’s triumphant cross. “If we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with Him” (Rom. 6:8). Easter joy after the grave grief: “You will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy... and no one will take away your joy” (John 16:20, 16:22).
- Speaker: Fr. Harutyun Sepanyan
- Host: Deacon Vardan Aslanyan
Palm Sunday
The allegory of the bride and bridegroom in the Song of Songs. The image of the king entering Jerusalem; Christ and the anticipations of the Jews. The Parable of the Wicked Tenants (Lk. 20:9-16). The contrast between the triumphant entrance to Jerusalem and the excruciating road of the cross. “Let anyone who is thirsty come to Me and drink” (John 7:37). “The Lord is near” (Phil. 4:5).
- Speaker: Fr. Arnak Harutyunyan
- Host: Deacon Vardan Aslanyan
Sunday of Advent
Explanation of the Biblical readings for the Sunday of Advent (Is. 56, Col. 2, Mt. 22-23). The prophetic picture of the Lord’s first coming, and the anticipation of the Second Coming. The sudden coming, judgment, and recompense. Deprivation of the Jewish people of their birthright, and the pagans’ adoption by God.
- Speaker: Fr. Husik Dokholyan
- Host: Deacon Vardan Aslanyan