NEW BOOK ON CANON LAW

A new book on the canons of the Armenian Church by Archbishop Norayr Bogharian (1904-1997) is now available to the general public. The author is a distinguished theologian and renowned scholar of Armenian Church history and philology, and the author of the multi-volume catalogue of the manuscripts of the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem, as well as authoritative books and numerous articles in the Armenian press.

The original Armenian text on the canons of the Armenian Church is translated into English by Rev. Fr. Arshen Aivazian, a student of the author and himself a student of history and the liturgy of the Armenian Church. He has translated many liturgical texts into English and the Armenian vernacular. He is a former dean of St. Nersess Seminary and has served in parishes in the Eastern and Western Dioceses of North America. The book contains the translation of the Canon Law course taught by Archbishop Norayr Bogharian in the early 1960s at the St. James Seminary of the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem and is being published under the title Introduction to the Canonical Tradition of the Armenian Church.

After completing the course on Canon Law, a few students, Fr. Arshen among them, received permission from the author to transcribe his original Armenian lecture notes. The English edition is supplemented with explanatory notes by the translator, intended to introduce readers to the historical background and evolution of the Canon Law of the Armenian Church. It is dedicated to the 1700th anniversary of the first Ecumenical Council of Nicaea, convened in 325 AD that defined the Orthodox faith in the Nicaean Creed. It also coincides with the 60th anniversary of Fr. Arshen Aivazian’s ordination to the holy priesthood.

The project is sponsored by Anton and Laura Sahazizian and Stephen and Lily Mekenian. The book will be available for sale and distribution at the end of August and may be ordered here. The book price is $25 plus shipping and handling.