Gregory of Narek

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Saint Gregory of Narek
Gregor von Narek on an Armenian postage stamp from 2001

Gregory of Narek (also Grigor of Narek or Grigor Narekatsi , Armenian Գրիգոր Նարեկացի * 951 †; 1003 ) was an Armenian monk, mystic and writer from the UK Vaspurakan . Pope Francis made Gregory von Narek the 36th Doctor of the Roman Catholic Church at the commemoration of the Armenian genocide on April 12, 2015 .

Life

Gregory was the son of the future bishop Chosrov Andzevatsi (Chosroes Magnus) and was born around 950 in the small Armenian village of Narek near Lake Van , which is now in Turkey . Having lost his mother at an early age, he was raised by his maternal uncle, Anania von Narek , his teacher. At a young age he entered the Narekawank monastery on Lake Van, where he spent most of his life and used the Van caves , Urartean tombs, for prayer. Like his two brothers, Gregory became a monk at an early age and a priest at the age of 25 . He taught and wrote important works on music , astronomy , geometry , mathematics , literature and theology . After his ordination he took over the office of abbot . Gregory died in 1005 and was buried in his monastery, which existed for another 900 years. In the course of the genocide of the Armenians in 1915, the monastery with the grave of the saint venerated by the Armenians was devastated by the Ottoman army .

Works

Gregory von Narek was an educated monk who knew his way around both Greek sciences and Armenian literature . He wrote religious writings that drew from mystical experience, for example an interpretation of the Song of Songs . He believed that the true goal of life was to merge with God's nature. In addition to Mesrop Maschtoz , Eznik von Kolb , Nerses Schnorhali , Khatschatur von Taron and Nerses von Lambron , Gregor von Narek is one of the fathers of the Armenian liturgy .

His main work, the Book of Lamentations (short name: Narek ), is considered an outstanding work of medieval Armenian poetry. In 1984 the German-Russian composer Alfred Schnittke used it as the basis of the text in his choir concert .

Even today, Gregor's prayer book Narek is widely read by devout Armenians. Because of his importance for theology and piety, Gregory has long been considered a Doctor of the Church in the Armenian Church.

Selected Works

  • Meknowt'iwn ergergoci , around 977
  • Matean olbergowt'ean (= prayer book Narek ), 1002: Grégoire de Narek : Tragedy: Matean olbergut'ean: le livre de lamentation . Ed. by Annie Mahé - Jean-Pierre Mahé (Corpus Scriptorum Christianorum Orientalium. Subsidia 106). Peeters, Leuven 2000.

literature

  • Regina Willi: Gregor von Narek. Doctor of the Church and poet from Armenia . In: Ostkirchliche Studien 64 (2015), pp. 313–334.
  • Gregory von Narek: Book of Prayers . Cape. 12, in: soul of the world. Texts by Christians of the first centuries (translation from Armenian), Edition Taizé, Herder, Freiburg im Breisgau / Basel / Vienna 2001, ISBN 978-3-451-32129-0 , pp. 136f.
  • The Armenian Prayer Book of St. Gregory of Narek . Vem Press, 2002, ISBN 99930-853-2-4 .
  • Lexicon of world literature . Kröner, Stuttgart 1975, ISBN 3-520-80702-5 .
  • Mekhak Ayvazyan: Matean obergut'ean - the "Book of Lamentations". A conception from the monastery school of Narek as a practice of cultural self-positioning in the transforming Armenian cultural area of ​​the 10th and 11th centuries . Diss. Phil. Göttingen 2011 (accepted 2012).
  • Saint Grégoire de Narek et la liturgie de l'église. Colloque international organisé par le Patriarcat Arménien Catholique à l'Université Saint-Esprit de Kaslik (USEK), Liban . Actes publiés par Jean-Pierre Mahé [u. a.]. Kaslik: l'Université Saint-Esprit de Kaslik 2010. 519 p. (Revue Théologique de Kaslik 3-4).

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Outstanding figures. There are 36 Doctors in the Catholic Church as of April 12, 2015
  2. ^ San Gregorio di Narek Dottore della Chiesa Universale. In: Daily Bulletin. Holy See Press Office, February 23, 2015, accessed February 23, 2015 (Italian).
  3. ↑ LITTERAE APOSTOLICAE quibus sanctus Gregorius Narecensis Doctor Ecclesiae universalis renuntiatur.
  4. ↑ James R. Russell, Review by Robert W. Thomson (Ed.): Thomas Artsruni , History of the House of the Artsrunik . In: Middle East Journal , vol. 43 (1989), issue 2, p. 313 f.

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Gregory of Narek
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Grigor of Narek; Grigor Narekatsi; Գրիգոր Նարեկացի (Armenian)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Armenian monk and writer
DATE OF BIRTH 951
DATE OF DEATH 1003