The faith of the church is transmitted through and preserved by the Holy Tra­di­tion. The Bible, the traditions of the early church, the liturgy, the doctrine, the teach­ings of ecumenical councils, and the writings of church fathers together constitute the Holy Tradi­tion of the church. Therefore, the Holy Tradition embraces and expresses the wholeness of the church in all its aspects, dimensions, and manifestations, and ensures its continuity in time and space, ad intra and ad extra. There is a qualitative difference between Tradition and traditions: while Tradition points to the core values of the Christian faith, traditions are local cus­toms and are changeable. The Bible is the heart of the Holy Tradition and the doctrine, which contains and defines the fundamental truths of the Christian faith, occupies a special place within the Holy Tradition. Theology is the mind of the church; it functions within the Holy Tradi­tion and responds, on the basis of the essentials of Christian faith, to the changing realities of time and envi­ronment. Dyna­mic interaction between faith and reason, history and context, local and global is of critical importance in shaping and articulating the church’s theology and doctrine, namely its faith. The constant endeavor of the Armenian Church to pre­serve intact, in faith­fulness to the Holy Tradition of the early church, the essential truths and orthodoxy of the Christian faith, in the midst of the upheavals of history and the encroachment of heresies, has strongly affected its theological thinking and doctrinal attitude. The faith of the Ar­menian Church ought to be seen in the context of this historical background. What are the original sources of the faith of the Armenian Church?

– The Bible. It contains God’s revelation in history. It is the main source of the Church’s faith. Any thought or statement concerning the esse of Christian faith that is not rooted in the teachings of the Bible is neither credible nor orthodox.

– Ecumenical councils. The decisions of the first three ecumenical councils, Nicea (325), Constantinople (381), and Ephesus (431), are major points of refe­rence for the Armenian Church’s doctrinal position and theological teachings.

– Local councils. These are councils of the Armenian Church. Their findings and decisions display the Church’s attitude in respect to doctrinal, pastoral, moral, and canonical issues.

– Liturgy. The liturgy of the Armenian Church is a rich source of the Christian faith. It is based on the liturgies of the early church fathers and has, in the course of time, been developed and further enriched by the Armenian Church fathers and divines.

– Exegetical literature. Biblical exe­gesis, which occupies a central place in the theological literature of the Armenian Church, is an important source of the­ological reflection and doctrinal teachings.

– Hagiographic writings. This branch of theology covers the lives of saints and the acts of martyrs. It provides rich theological insights related to the living experiences of saints, martyrs, and witnesses.

– Treatises and homilies. These writings of church fathers address a variety of aspects and themes dealing basically with the daily life of the church, such as Christian education, pastoral matters, moral instruc­tions, liturgical practices and tradi­tions, veneration of images and saints, doctrinal issues, and the refutation of heresies.

– Encyclicals, pastoral letters, exchange of letters, and confessions of faith. Matters of a mainly doctrinal nature are treated in these writings. Most of them are included in the Seal of Faith, Book of Letters, and Book of Questions, which are of unique importance for the theological teachings and doctrine of the Armenian Church.

– Historiography. Although these writ­ings deal with the history of the Armenian people and the Church, they contain impor­tant references to theological issues.

What are the distinctive features of the theological thinking of the Armenian Church?

1. a) Bible-centered theology. As the source of God’s revelation, the Bible provides a solid basis and proper context for theology. All aspects and dimensions of the theo­logical thinking and doctrinal teachings of the Ar­menian Church are inspired by and rooted in the Bible. Indeed, Ar­menian theo­logy is Bible-based and Bible-driven. The Armenian word for the Bible is Astuacašunjˇ, meaning the “breath of God.” The author of the substance of the Bible is God Himself and herein lies its infallibility and authority, whereas, the authors of its form are human beings inspired by the Holy Spirit. Hence, the exegesis of the Bible is imperative to ensure a sound, credible, and orthodox basis and context for theological reflection, and this task belongs to the Church.
2. b) Apologetical theology. The aim of theolo­gy is to elucidate God’s revelation and make it relevant to concrete situations, challenging any attempts that question its authority and undermine its reliability. In early centuries, when heretical movements raised doubts about the ortho­doxy of the Christian faith, the apologetical ap­proach gained predominance in theological think­ing. This trend became dominant in Ar­menian theology, as the Church was bound to grapple with heresies and defend its faith. In the course of time, the Armenian Church came in touch, directly or indirectly, with a number of heretical movements and it either formally condemned or took a strong stand, particularly against the following heresies: Adoptionism (2nd C.), Gnosticism (3rd C.), Manichaeism (3rd C.), Sabellianism (3rd C.), Arianism (4th C.), Apollinarianism (4th C.), Nestoria­nism (5th C.), Eutychia­nism (5th C.), Monophysitism (5th C.), Monothe­litism (7th C.), Paulicia­nism (7th-9th C.), Ico­noclasm (8^th), Tond­rakianism (9th-11th C.), and Unitari­anism (17th-18th C.).
3. c) Christocentric theology. Due to long and heated controversies about the natures of Christ, Christology was given a primor­dial place in Christian theology from the 5th to the 14th Centuries. Because of its staunch opposition to Chalcedonian Christology and its constant endeavor to explain and defend the Christological teachings of the Armenian Church, the Armenian theology was mainly deve­loped around Christological issues par­ticularly in reference to the person of Christ. Hence, the Christocentric approach became a dominant feature of Armenian theology.
4. d) Mystical theology. Persecution, suf­fering, and martyrdom, which have become the permanent aspects of Armenian Chris­tian life, have impacted and permeated the theology of the Armenian Church. At the same time, the growth of monasticism has significantly enhanced the mystical and con­temp­lative ap­proaches and trends in the Church’s theo­logical thought.

Of the first seven councils designated as ecumenical and recognized by the Eastern Orthodox churches, the Armenian Church has accepted the first three, Nicea in 325 against Arianism, Constantinople in 381 against Apollinarianism, and Ephesus in 431 against Nestorianism. It has formally rejected the Council of Chalcedon (451) against Euty­chianism, and has taken no formal position on the Council of Constantinople II in 553 against the “Three Chapters,” Constan­tinople III in 681 against Monothelitism, and Nicea II, 787 against iconoclasm. Therefore, generally speaking, Armenian the­ology is in line with the theology of Eastern Orthodox churches, except for the teachings related to the Christology of the Council of Chalcedon. Accord­ing to the Armenian Church, the first three ecumenical councils defined the essentials of the Chris­tian faith, whereas the subsequent councils added no signifi­cant elements to the teach­ings of these councils; they either reinter­preted or recon­firmed their basic teachings. Armenian theo­logy was elabo­rated and its doctrine shaped on the basis of the first three ecumenical councils.