St. Gregory the Illuminator of Armenia

St. Gregory the Illuhminator, is one of the most important sides in the Armenian church. He is one of our greatest theologians and answered what he believed on Christology multiple times.

In St. Gregory the Illuminator's teachings, he answers the nature of the union of the incarnation of Christ Jesus, we read thus:

"But although it was for our sake that He came down to dishonour, yet He remains in his own nature. As He Himself says: 'I am the same and have not changed' (Mal 3:6) For although He took the form and flesh of mankind, yet He mingled and united (խառնել) and submerged the flesh in His divinity. And again (scripture) says: 'He is God, our God for ever and ever,' (Ps 45:15) and again: 'You are the same, and your years do not pass.' (Ps 101:28) A similar declaration came also to the greatest of the prophets, Moses.."

[St. Gregory the Illimunator; The Teachings of Saint Gregory the Illuminator, Exposition of the faith: Christology and prophecies concerning Christ, Par. 378]

The word used here is խառնել, which is Armenian and can also mean to mix, in Aristotelian way of thought to mix was similar to the Greek word Henosis, which is a becoming of one. 

We read similar things in other parts of these writings:

"To those who believed in His flesh He made known His divinity; and those who were scandalized by his flesh denied His nature. For He was united to the flesh by nature and joined the flesh to His divinity."

[St. Gregory the Illuminator; The Teachings of Saint Gregory the Illuminator, Exposition of the faith: The birth of Christ, Par. 369]

and again:

"The true faith is this: He humbled Himself and joined His divinity to our humanity and the immortal to the mortal to link all mankind to the immortality of His own divinity."

[St. Gregory the Illimunator; The Teachings of Saint Gregory the Illuminator, Exposition of the faith: Christology and prophecies concerning Christ, Par. 385]

and lastly:

"The Lord Himself in a servant's body fulfilled all righteousness, in order to give the victory to the same body which He had joined and united to the Godhead, that as they were in debt though the one body of Adam, so through the one body of the Lord they might be freed from slavery to sin (I Cor 15:22), by that liberty which is above all liberties (Rom 8:21)."

[St. Gregory the Illimunator; The Teachings of Saint Gregory the Illuminator, Exposition of the faith: The benefits for men of Christ's incarnation, Par. 592.]

All of this in Armenian theology and language is Miaphysite, there is no question about his Orthodoxy. 

(I got tired on this one so sorry for hardly any commentary here, God bless all who read this)