I knew nothing about Armenia before I met Eli Takesian, who was Armenian to the core. He had served as Chief Chaplain for the Marine Corps before he joined our pastoral staff. I still recall something he said in a sermon, “You never know who you are saving.” While serving as a chaplain in the Vietnam War, he heard the sound of an incoming missile, shoved a soldier into a fox hole and saved his life. This soldier later became CEO of FedEx if I’m remembering his story correctly.
Nerses (310-373) became Patriarch (leader) of the Armenian Church in the fourth century. Before his time, the church was led by the royal family, which exploited the church for political advantage. (Yet another example of why it’s a bad idea for political leaders to oversee churches.) Nerses’ leadership marked a turning point in the Armenian Church. He gave the church back to the people. He built hospitals, schools, and homes for poor people. He was ahead of his time in enacting laws that forbid marriage between first cousins and condemned self-mutilation as an expression of grief. He served as an advisor to King Arshak, until the king aligned with Arius who broke ranks with the church in his unbiblical teachings about Jesus.
Nerses also challenged the king when he ordered his own nephew’s murder who was a rumored rival to the throne. The king wanted someone more pliable and exiled Nerses. After nine years, a subsequent king restored Nerses to his leadership role. When the king confiscated holdings belonging to the church and engaged in other sinister plots, Nerses called him on it. As the story goes, the king invited Nerses to a banquet under the pretense of reconciliation and poisoned him.
Nerses holds a special place in Armenian history. He’s honored as someone who epitomized Peter’s words, “We must obey God rather than human beings” (Acts 5.29). Nerses’ prayer recalls the words of the Great Shema from Deuteronomy 5.29: