treaty of Unkiar Skelessi (1828) a large portion of Upper Armenia was ceded to the Czar, and thus also the head of the Church, the catholicos of Eschmiazin, became a subject of Russia. The attempts of the Russian government to induce the Armenians to en- ter into a union with the Russian Church have failed. In Turkey the Armenians shared in general the fata of the other Christian denominations. See Turkey. In ls48 they elected a council of 12 lay primates, who rule the Church in all its temporal affairs. The pa- triarch has only the right of presidency.
At an early period efforts were made to establish a closer connection of the Armenians with the Roman Catholic Church. In consequence of the Crusades, several kings, in the twelfth and following centuries, interested themselves in behalf of a corporate union of the churches with Rome, and the synods of Kromglai (1179), Sis (1307), and Atan (1316) declared themselves in the same way. At the Council of Florence (1439), the Armenian deputies, together with the Greeks, ac- cepted the union, but neither people ratified it. Some churches, however, remained, ever since the fourteenth century, when Pope John XXIII sent a Roman arch- bishop to Armenia, in connection with Rome, and formed the "Armenian Catholic, or United Armenian Church," which in doctrinal points conforms with Rome, but in all other respects agrees with the Gre- gorian Armenian Church. Through the influence of Mechitar (q. v.) and the Mechitarists, this branch obtained a literary superiority over the main (non- united) body, which, especially in modern times, has worked not a little in favor of Rome. Of late, not only a number of Armenian villages have accepted the union, but in Turkey, among some of the leading men of the national (Gregorian) Armenian Church, a disposition has been created to try anew the accom- plishment of a corporate union. See United Arme- nian Church.
The efforts made by the High-Church Episcopalians for establishing a closer intercommunion between the Church of England and the Eastern churches was favor- ably received by many Armenians of Turkey. A pam- phlet was published in 1860, in Constantinople, with the imprimatur of the Armenian patriarch, to show how nearly the Armenian Church is like that of England. The pamphlet, to this end, quotes from the prayer-book the whole of the twenty-fifth Article of Religion, but so shapes the translation as to make it appear that the Church of England, as well as the Armenian, believe in seven sacraments, though five of them, the pamphlet says, are received only, as they are by the Armenian Church, as secondary sacraments. Several Armenian theologians are quoted in support of this theory. In the same year (1860), Rev. G. Williams, of Cambridge (Eng- land ). had an interview with the Armenian archbishop of Tiflis, in Georgia, relative to the scheme of a union between the English and Armenian churches. Mr. Williams was the bearer of letters from the bishops of Oxford and Lincoln, who, it appears, assumed to speak in the name of the Church of England to the "cathol- icos, patriarch, bishops, etc., of the orthodox Eastern Church." He was to see '"the holy catholicos," the head of the entire Armenian Church, at Eschmiazin ; but, being somewhat unwell, and his time of absence having almost expired, he abandoned his journey to Eschmiazin, and spent ten days in Tiflis to confer with the archbishop of that city. He expressed, in the name of the Church of England, his acknowledgment of the Armenian Church as a true, orthodox, and ap- ostolic church, and kissed "the sacred hand of his holiness." The archbishop, in return, granted to him his episcopal blessing, and expressed a thousand good wishes for himself and his people. To the proposition of Mr. Williams to send a few young Armenians to Cambridge for an education, no definite answer was given.
The Armenian Church has produced a numerous
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theological literature, the chief works of which have been published at Venice by the Mechitarists, and at Constantinople. The translation of the Bible byMes- rob is still regarded as a model of classic language. The most celebrated Armenian writers were Gregory Illuminator and David the philosopher. A martvro- logium was compiled in the ninth century by Kakik and Gregory, an enlarged edition of which (Haisma- vark, Constantinople, 1847) is still read in the Armeni- an churches. See Neumann, Versuch einer Geschichte tier ArmeniscJien Litteratur (Leipz. 18SC). See Mekhitab. II. Doctrines, Usages, and Polity. — The Armenians are said to be Monophysites, but modern " missiona- ries are generally disposed to regard them as differing more in terminology than in idea from the orthodox faith on that point. They agree with the Greeks and other Oriental churches in rejecting the ' iilio-que' from the Nieene Creed, and maintaining the procession ! of the Holy Spirit from the Father only. With some j difference in forms and modes of worship, the religious opinions of the Armenians are mostly like those of the Greeks. The sign of the cross is used on all occa- j sions; but made by the Greeks with three fingers, by j the Armenians with two, by the Jacobites with one — the Greek usage pointing to the Trinity, the Armenian to the two natures made one in the person of Christ, I and the Jacobite to the Divine unity. They profess to hold to the seven sacraments of the Latin Church ; but, in fact, extreme unction exists among them only in name, the prayers so designated being intermingled with those of confirmation, which latter rite is per- formed with the 'holy chrism' by the priest at the time of baptism. Infants are baptized, as commonly in the Greek and other Oriental churches, by a partial immersion in the font and three times pouring water on the head. Converted Jews, etc., though adults, are baptized in the same manner. They readily ad- mit to their communion Romanists and Protestants baptized by sprinkling, differing in this from the Greeks, who receive none, however previously bap- tized, without rebaptizing them. They believe firm- ly in the 'real presence' in the Eucharist, and adore the host in the mass. The people partake, however, in both kinds, the wafer or broken bread (unleavened) being dipped in undiluted wine (the Greeks use leav- ened bread and wine mixed with water), and laid carefully on the tongue. It must be received fasting. They reject the Latin purgatory, but, believing that the souls of the departed may be benefited by the aid of the church (which, of course, must be paid for), the}' pray for the dead. Saint-worship is carried to an extraordinary length, the addresses to saints being often grossly idolatrous, and the mediation of Christ lost sight of in the liturgical services of the church, as it is in the minds of the people. The cross, and pictures of the saints, are also objects of worship, as possessing inherent efficacy. The Supreme Being is likewise represented under the form of an aged, ven- erable man, with whom, and the Son, under the form of a young man, and the Holy Spirit, symbolized as a dove, the Virgin Mary is associated in the same pic- ture. The perpetual virginity of the latter is held as a point of pre-eminent importance. Confession to the priesthood, in order to absolution, is deemed essential to salvation. Penances are imposed; but absolution is without money, and indulgences are never given. Baptism confers regeneration and cleansing from sin, original and actual ; spiritual life is maintained by penances and sacraments ; and the priest holds in his hand the passport to heaven. The merit of good works is acknowledged, particularly of asceticism. Monachism, celibacy, fasting, etc., arc viewed as in other Eastern churches, but fasts are more lengthened and severe : the number of fast-days, when no animal food of any kind can be eaten, is 165 in the year. On the fourteen great feast-days the observance of the day is more strict than that of the Sabbath, which last is