«Հայրերիս հավատը» - Ալեքսանդր ԿԱՆԱՆՅԱՆ

Alexander Kananyan's article "The Faith of Our Fathers" is devoted to a critical analysis of the substitution of Christian Revelation by secular-humanist ideologies and to a justification of the traditional doctrine of just war as applied to the fate of the Armenian people and state.

Introduction and Methodology

The author points out that the twentieth century introduced into the perception of Christianity a multitude of "innovations" alien to its spirit, which present humanistic ethics as a pseudo-religious alternative to the Divine world order. Discussion of this theme, in the author's view, requires directness rather than diplomatic deference to public opinion, since the substitution of Revelation with "humanistic revelations" leads not to the ennoblement of humanity but to legalized hypocrisy.

Key Thesis

The article's central thesis is the indivisibility and transcendence of Divine Revelation, definitively fixed in the canonical "Treasury of Faith" (Depositum fidei) confirmed by the Council of Nicaea. All Christian teaching is regarded as theological deduction from this treasury, interpreted by the infallible magisterium of the Church and admitting no relativism.

Theological Foundations of Just War

Refuting the widespread thesis of Christ's "pacifism," the author argues that Jesus's personal refusal of the sword does not signify a total prohibition on the use of force, and that the sacrifice of the Cross is a model of meaningful, not "meaningless," self-sacrifice. In support of this, he cites:

• the teaching of Clement of Alexandria, Eusebius of Caesarea, Ambrose of Milan, and Augustine on the sacred right to just war;
• the theological system of Thomas Aquinas ("Summa Theologiae," III:40), who regards participation in a just war as a form of love for God and neighbor;
• examples from the Armenian patristic tradition — the blessing of Gregory the Illuminator for the defense of the fatherland, the deeds of Nerses the Great, and the military path of Mesrop Mashtots.

The author contrasts this tradition with contemporary liberal-humanist discourse, tracing back to Erasmus of Rotterdam and the Enlightenment, which treats war as "unworthy of civilization" and thereby deprives Christian peoples of the right to self-defense.

The Armenian World: A Pole of Strength and Historical Mission

Turning to national issues, the author asserts that Armenianness occupies a unique "polar" position in world history, one that has remained misunderstood by the majority of bearers of Armenian identity. He sharply criticizes Father Levon Boghos Zekiyan's theory of the Armenians' mission as a "bridge" between civilizations, which he sees as eroding the priority of building a viable statehood on the Highland. The revival of the Armenian essence of the Highland is regarded as the non-negotiable condition for the realization of Armenia's civilizational mission, while the diaspora is treated as an instrumental and temporary phenomenon, whose viability depends on the existence of a strong state in the historical homeland.

Conclusion

The article's key conclusion is that genuine fidelity to the "faith of our fathers" requires rejecting both secular pseudo-humanism, which denies a people's right to self-defense, and diasporic concepts that erode the state-forming mission of the Highland — only a combination of the theological tradition of just war and restored Armenian statehood can ensure the fulfillment of the Armenian people's historical destiny.