Page 20 - THE ARMENIAN CHURCH_Neat

LONG HISTORY IN BRIEF

From its inception, formation, and insti-
tutionalization, the Armenian Church has
permeated all spheres, aspects, and dimen-
sions of Armenian life and, in turn, its life,
thought, and witness have been strongly
affected by the circumstances and develop-
ments of the Armenian people's history. In
order to more fully understand the Armenian
Church, we must look at some of the land-
mark events and significant aspects of Ar-
menian history.
The descendants of a branch of the Indo-
Europeans, the Armenians call themselves
hay (Armenian) and their homeland Hayas-
tan (Armenia). The origin of the Armenian
people dates back to the second millennium
B.C. According to Armenian tradition, the
forefather of the Armenian people was Haig
(Hayk) who lived in Babylon. The tyrannical
ruler of Babylon, Pel, ordered Haig to re-
cognize his sovereignty. Haig refused and
during a fierce battle he killed Pel and
subsequently moved his people to a region
near Ararat, which was later called Armenia.
Because of its geographical position, Armenia
would become a battleground throughout its
history. Greeks, Romans, and Byzantines on