CHAPTER XII
THE ARMENIAN CHURCH IN THE PAST
This chapter contains a summary outline of political Armenian history, with some account of the people, the story of their conversion to Christianity, the organization of their Church in the past, their schism from the rest of Christendom, their acceptance of Monophysism, and so an outline of the history of their Church down to our own time.
1. Political History
Although we now know the Armenians as scattered through Turkey, Persia, Russia, having outlying colonies in India, America, almost all over the world, there is, or was, a country Armenia, the original home, still the nucleus of their nation. Armenia lies west of the Caspian Sea towards (but south of) the Black Sea. In its widest extent it stretches from the Caucasus mountains on the north to the mountains of Kurdistan on the south. West of Armenia come Pontus and Cappadocia. The Euphrates runs through the land, dividing it into a much larger portion east and a small part west of the river. Following the later Roman geographers, we thus divide it into Greater Armenia, east of the Euphrates, and Lesser Armenia,[1] west. It is a high mountain-land, divided into two main river-courses, of which one slopes down to the Caspian Sea, the other southwards, with the Euphrates, towards Mesopotamia, and eventually to the Persian Gulf.
383
- ↑ Divided into two provinces, Armenia prima north, and secunda south.
