Nerses IV the Gracious (; also Nerses Shnorhali, Nerses of Kla or Saint Nerses the Graceful; 1102 – 13 August 1173) was
Catholicos of Armenia
The Catholicos of All Armenians (plural Catholicoi) ( hy, Ամենայն Հայոց Կաթողիկոս; see #Other names), is the chief bishop and spiritual leader of Armenia's national church, the Armenian Apostolic Church, and the worldwide Arm ...
from 1166 to 1173. A more precise translation of his epithet ''Shnorhali'' is "filled with Grace". He received the appellation Shnorhali from his contemporaries because of the very
irenic Irenicism in Christian theology refers to attempts to unify Christian apologetical systems by using reason as an essential attribute. The word is derived from the Greek word ''ειρήνη (eirene)'' meaning peace. It is a concept related to a comm ...
quality of his writing.
During his time as a bishop and, later, as Catholicos of the Armenian Church, Nerses worked to bring about reconciliation with the
Eastern Orthodox Church
The Eastern Orthodox Church, also called the Orthodox Church, is the second-largest Christian church, with approximately 220 million baptized members. It operates as a communion of autocephalous churches, each governed by its bishops via ...
, and convened a council with emissaries selected by the
Byzantine Emperor
This is a list of the Byzantine emperors from the foundation of Constantinople in 330 AD, which marks the conventional start of the Eastern Roman Empire, to its fall to the Ottoman Empire in 1453 AD. Only the emperors who were recognized as le ...
himself to discuss how they might be able to reunite the two churches. The terms the emperor offered were, however, unacceptable to both Nerses and the Armenian Church, and the negotiations collapsed.
Nerses is remembered as a theologian, poet, writer and hymn composer. He has been called "the
Fénelon of Armenia" for his efforts to draw the Armenian church out of isolation,
[Attwater, Donald (1965) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Saints''. Harmondsworth: Penguin; p. 248] and has been recognized as a saint by the
Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
, which holds his feast on August 13, and by the
Armenian Apostolic Church
, native_name_lang = hy
, icon = Armenian Apostolic Church logo.svg
, icon_width = 100px
, icon_alt =
, image = Էջմիածնի_Մայր_Տաճար.jpg
, imagewidth = 250px
, a ...
, who celebrate him in mid-October on the Saturday of the Fourth Week of the Holy Cross.
Biography
Early life
Nerses was born in 1102 (or 1098 according to some authorities) into the noble
Pahlavuni
Pahlavuni ( hy, Պահլավունի; classical orthography: Պահլաւունի) was an Armenian noble family, a branch of the Kamsarakan, that rose to prominence in the late 10th century during the last years of the Bagratuni monarchy.
Orig ...
family, near present-day
Aintab,
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...
. After the early death of his father, Nerses and his older brother Gregory were placed under the guardianship of their maternal granduncle,
Gregory II the Martyrophile
Gregory II the Martyrophile ( hy, Գրիգոր Բ. Վկայասէր) was the Catholicos of the Armenian Apostolic Church between 1065 and 1105.
Origin
Gregory was born under the name Vahram as the son of the Gregorius Magistratus, a member of ...
, who placed them in the monastery at
Fhoughri. Later, Gregory's successor placed them under the monk Stepanos Manouk, a highly regarded scholar and theologian.
Nerses's family, the Pahlavuni, displayed a degree of
nepotism
Nepotism is an advantage, privilege, or position that is granted to relatives and friends in an occupation or field. These fields may include but are not limited to, business, politics, academia, entertainment, sports, fitness, religion, an ...
, including in the area of religious vocations. Nerses himself was ordained to be a celibate priest at the age of 17, and was consecrated a bishop at the age of 35.
[
]
Bishop
In 1125, Nerses assisted his older brother, now Catholicos Gregory III of Cilicia, in moving the catholicate to Dzovk near Lake Kharput, on the property of their father, Prince Abirad. In 1138, amid political tensions, Gregory and Nerses started on a pilgrimage
A pilgrimage is a journey, often into an unknown or foreign place, where a person goes in search of new or expanded meaning about their self, others, nature, or a higher good, through the experience. It can lead to a personal transformation, aft ...
to Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
, and, on the way, took part in a synod at Antioch
Antioch on the Orontes (; grc-gre, Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπὶ Ὀρόντου, ''Antiókheia hē epì Oróntou'', Learned ; also Syrian Antioch) grc-koi, Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπὶ Ὀρόντου; or Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπ ...
to examine the behavior of Ralph of Domfront Ralph of Domfront (or Radulph, la, Radulfus; died c. 1146) was the archbishop of Mamistra and second Latin patriarch of Antioch (as Ralph I) from 1135 until 1140. William of Tyre describes him as "a military man, very magnificent and generous, a g ...
, Latin Patriarch of Antioch
Antioch on the Orontes (; grc-gre, Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπὶ Ὀρόντου, ''Antiókheia hē epì Oróntou'', Learned ; also Syrian Antioch) grc-koi, Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπὶ Ὀρόντου; or Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπ ...
. On the conclusion of the synod, Gregory continued on to Jerusalem, sending Nerses back.[
In 1165, hostilities broke out between ]Thoros II, Prince of Armenia
Thoros II, Prince of Armenia, also known as Toros II the Great ( hy, Թորոս Բ) or Thoros II the Great, (unknown – February 6, 1169) was the sixth Lord of Armenian Cilicia from the Rubenid dynasty from 1144/1145–1169. Referred to as the ...
and Oshin of Lampron
Oshin of Lampron ( hy, Օշին Լամբրոնացի - ''Oshin Lambronatsi'') was an Armenian nakharar. Historical sources mentioned that he was a lord of a fortress near the city of Ganja Caucasian Albanian origin (modern-day Azerbaijan), who mig ...
, the two strongest Armenian princes of Cilicia.[ Gregory sent his brother Nerses out to mediate.][
On his way to the mediation, Nerses stopped at ]Mamistra
Mopsuestia and Mopsuhestia ( grc, Μοψουεστία and Μόψου ἑστία, Mopsou(h)estia and Μόψου ''Mopsou'' and Μόψου πόλις and Μόψος; Byzantine Greek: ''Mamista'', ''Manistra'', ''Mampsista''; Arabic: ''al-Maṣ ...
, where he met the Byzantine governor Alexios Axouch and discussed the strained relations between the Armenian and Greek churches since the Greek Orthodox declared the Armenian Church and the Jacobite Church
, native_name_lang = syc
, image = St_George_Syriac_orthodox_church_in_Damascus.jpg
, imagewidth = 250
, alt = Cathedral of Saint George
, caption = Cathedral of Saint George, Damascu ...
heretics
Heresy is any belief or theory that is strongly at variance with established beliefs or customs, in particular the accepted beliefs of a church or religious organization. The term is usually used in reference to violations of important religi ...
in 1140. Axouch was sufficiently impressed with this discussion to urge Nerses to write an exposition of the Armenian faith which Axouch could then forward to the emperor in Constantinople. Nerses did so, stressing in his letter that, as both the Armenian and Greek churches accepted the statements of the First Council of Ephesus
The Council of Ephesus was a council of Christian bishops convened in Ephesus (near present-day Selçuk in Turkey) in AD 431 by the Roman Emperors, Roman Emperor Theodosius II. This third ecumenical council, an effort to attain consensus deci ...
, there was no clear reason for them not to be in agreement, making no polemical statements about the later Council of Chalcedon
The Council of Chalcedon (; la, Concilium Chalcedonense), ''Synodos tēs Chalkēdonos'' was the fourth ecumenical council of the Christian Church. It was convoked by the Roman emperor Marcian. The council convened in the city of Chalcedon, Bith ...
and its Confession.[
On Nerses' return from his successful mediation efforts in the Armenian war, and the death of his brother Gregory shortly thereafter, Nerses was made Catholicos of the Armenian Church.][
]
Catholicos
While in office, he moved the see of the Catholicos from Sis to Hromkla (Rumkale).
After the death of his brother Gregory, the letter Nerses wrote to the Byzantine emperor Manuel I Komnenos
Manuel I Komnenos ( el, Μανουήλ Κομνηνός, translit=Manouíl Komnenos, translit-std=ISO; 28 November 1118 – 24 September 1180), Romanization of Greek, Latinized Comnenus, also called Porphyrogennetos (; "born in the purple"), w ...
received a reply from the emperor. In the letter, the emperor invited the then-deceased Catholicos Gregory to come to Constantinople
la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه
, alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis (" ...
. Nerses wrote back to the emperor, informing him of Gregory's death and suggesting that an alternative might be for a discussion in which both the Greek and Armenian churches could present their positions. In 1171, the emperor sent a delegation led by Theorianus, a theologian from Constantinople, and John Atman, an Armenian member of the Orthodox Church and abbot of the monastery at Philippopolis. Although there had been early hope for active participation by the Jacobite Church as well, the patriarch of the Jacobite church, Michael the Syrian, chose to only send an observer with a Jacobite profession of faith to the meeting. The meeting ultimately concluded with an agreement which basically accepted the position of the Greek church. Nerses created a new profession of faith for his church written in a conciliatory tone to be taken back to Constantinople for review by that church. He sent with it a confidential message to the emperor in which he promised to make every effort to reconcile the Armenian and Orthodox churches.[
In December of that year Theorianus and John Atman returned to Hromgla with letters from the emperor and the Orthodox Patriarch Michael III of Constantinople. The letter from the emperor encouraged Nerses to work toward the unity of the two churches, and expressed sympathy for the problems that were expected from the clergy of the Armenian church. The official statement from Constantinople included nine points which the Orthodox established saw as being at odds with the imperial church. These included points of doctrine regarding some of the church councils, including Chalcedon, liturgical questions including use of unleavened bread and undiluted wine in the ]Eucharist
The Eucharist (; from Greek , , ), also known as Holy Communion and the Lord's Supper, is a Christian rite that is considered a sacrament in most churches, and as an ordinance in others. According to the New Testament, the rite was instit ...
, and the disparities between the liturgical calendar
The liturgical year, also called the church year, Christian year or kalendar, consists of the cycle of liturgical seasons in Christian churches that determines when feast days, including celebrations of saints, are to be observed, and whi ...
s of the two churches. The statement also specifically required that the emperor should be given the authority to make the appointments of any further Catholicoi of the Armenian church.[
Nerses was surprised by the severity of several of the proposals, and raised objections to them. In response, the delegates from the emperor produced the confidential letters exchanged by Nerses and the emperor, which served to embarrass Nerses to the Armenians. The revelation served to harden the objections of the Armenian clergy to any attempts at reconciliation. Nerses wrote out a letter to Constantinople in which he thanked the emperor for his interest, and promised that, at the appropriate time, there would be a council in Armenia formed to take up his proposals. Nerses also suggested that the Greeks might consider the possibility that perhaps some of its own traditions could bear some attention and correction.][
Nerses was by this time some 70 years old, and he made arrangements to turn the position of Catholicos to another. Following the tradition of his family, he chose between two relatives who had already achieved the position of bishop in the church. Nerses' own choice was for the younger of the two candidates, but the other one, Gregory, had support from the prince Mleh and ultimately took the position of Catholicos in 1173.][
]
Works
In addition to the letters mentioned above, Nerses wrote a number of musical works, volumes of poetry, and theological works as well.
His major literary achievements include ''Vipasanoutyoun,'' a novel written in poetic form, and ''Voghb Yedesyo'' (Lamentation on Edessa),[ regarding the fall of Edessa.][
''Hisous Vordi'' is a reproduction of the Bible in poetic form, which also contains stories from church history and ends with the events of the ]End Times
Eschatology (; ) concerns expectations of the end of the present age, human history, or of the world itself. The end of the world or end times is predicted by several world religions (both Abrahamic and non-Abrahamic), which teach that nega ...
. It has been translated into English as ''Jesus Son.''[
Another of his works, ''Toukht Enthanrakan'' is an exhortation on ]pastoral theology
Pastoral theology is the branch of practical theology concerned with the application of the study of religion in the context of regular church ministry. This approach to theology seeks to give practical expression to theology. Normally viewed as a ...
and how Christians should behave. The work also includes information on the hierarchy of the Armenian Apostolic Church and of society, and matters of daily life in that era of Cilician Armenian history. It has been translated into English and modern Armenian.[
A collection of his daily prayers, ''Twenty-four Hour Prayers,'' has been translated into 32 languages,][
] and one prayer in particular, ''Havatov Khosdovaneem'' (I Confess with Faith) is currently available in 36 languages.[ Several of Nerses' poems have been adopted for use in the Armenian Hymnal and Divine Liturgy.] His poetry has been said to emphasize "the imagery of fire and light in a manner at once redolent of Hesychasm and consonant with the Zoroastrian substrate of Armenian Christian culture."[
One work of Nerses which has since been lost is a commentary on the ]Book of Genesis
The Book of Genesis (from Greek ; Hebrew: בְּרֵאשִׁית ''Bəreʾšīt'', "In hebeginning") is the first book of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Old Testament. Its Hebrew name is the same as its first word, ( "In the beginning") ...
. In that work, he related the story he received from some Armenian monks
A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedicat ...
who came to visit him during his time as Catholicos to tell him of how they were able to see the Garden of Eden
In Abrahamic religions, the Garden of Eden ( he, גַּן־עֵדֶן, ) or Garden of God (, and גַן־אֱלֹהִים ''gan-Elohim''), also called the Terrestrial Paradise, is the Bible, biblical paradise described in Book of Genesis, Genes ...
from a distance.[ In one painting of the scene, the vegetation of the Garden appear as colored gemstones. Unfortunately, the angel with a sword appointed to guard the garden would not allow the monks to take one of the blossoms with them.][
]
Canonization
In the Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
he is venerated as St. Nerses Glaietsi, Nerses Clayatsi alongside his nephew, St. Nerses of Lambron
Saint Nerses of Lambron (, Nerses Lambronatsi) (1153–1198) was the Archbishop of Tarsus in the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia who is remembered as one of the most significant figures in Armenian literature and ecclesiastical history.
Life
Nerses ...
, both being considered champions of Church unity.
References
Bibliography
* Nikoghos Tahmizian, ''Nerses Shnorhali – Composer and Musician'' (in Armenian), 1973, Armenian Academy of Sciences, Yerevan, Armenia.
Aravot Louso
- "Առաւօտ Լուսոյ"
Saint Nerses IV the Gracious “Shnorhali” - I Confess with Faith "ՀԱՎԱՏՈՎ ԽՈՍՏՈՎԱՆԻՄ” ( Havadov Khosdovanim )
- Saint Nerses IV the Gracious – Shnorhali (1102 – 1173) Ս. ՆԵՐՍԵՍ ՇՆՈՐՀԱԼԻ. Bibliography related to Saint Nerses Shnorhali and his most prominent prayer "I Confess With Faith”. A prayer translated in more than 38 languages - Ս. ՆԵՐՍԵՍ ՇՆՈՐՀԱԼԻ “ՀԱՎԱՏՈՎ ԽՈՍՏՈՎԱՆԻՄ”.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nerses 04 The Gracious
Nerses IV the Gracious
Nerses IV the Gracious (; also Nerses Shnorhali, Nerses of Kla or Saint Nerses the Graceful; 1102 – 13 August 1173) was Catholicos of Armenia from 1166 to 1173. A more precise translation of his epithet ''Shnorhali'' is "filled with Grace". He ...
Nerses IV the Gracious
Nerses IV the Gracious (; also Nerses Shnorhali, Nerses of Kla or Saint Nerses the Graceful; 1102 – 13 August 1173) was Catholicos of Armenia from 1166 to 1173. A more precise translation of his epithet ''Shnorhali'' is "filled with Grace". He ...
Pahlavuni family
Armenian saints
Armenian composers
Nerses IV the Gracious
Nerses IV the Gracious (; also Nerses Shnorhali, Nerses of Kla or Saint Nerses the Graceful; 1102 – 13 August 1173) was Catholicos of Armenia from 1166 to 1173. A more precise translation of his epithet ''Shnorhali'' is "filled with Grace". He ...
12th-century Christian saints
Saints of the Armenian Apostolic Church
12th-century Oriental Orthodox archbishops
Armenian hymnwriters