Page 21 - THE ARMENIAN CHURCH_Neat

22 The Armenian Church

the west, and Persians, Arabs, and Turks on
the east constantly endeavored politically,
militarily, and religiously to control and even
subjugate Armenia. These actions had far-
reaching repercussions for the Armenian
Church.

The major periods of the history
of the Armenian Church
The history of the Armenian Church can
be divided into the following major periods:
• The first period: The dawn of the
Armenian Church arrived in the 1st Century
with the preaching of the apostles St.
Thaddeus and St. Bartholomew and their
immediate followers.
• The second period: The 2nd and 3rd
Centuries were a time of persecution and
hidden expansion of the Christian faith in
Armenia.
• The third period: This period is known
as the time of institutionalization of the
Armenian Church. In 301 the Armenian
people became the first nation in the world
to officially accept Christianity as the state
religion.
• The fourth period: This was the time of
the Armenianization of the Christian faith.
The 5th Century, in which the Armenian
alphabet was invented and a rich literature