Page 78 - THE ARMENIAN CHURCH_Neat

Essentials of Faith 79

– Historiography. Although these writ-
ings deal with the history of the Armenian
people and the Church, they contain impor-
tant references to theological issues.
What are the distinctive features of the
theological thinking of the Armenian Church?
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 theo-
logical thinking and doctrinal teachings of
the Armenian Church are inspired by and
rooted in the Bible. Indeed, Armenian theo-
logy 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.
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