
Five sometimes competing catholicoses, survival under Ottoman and Persian dominion, and the spread of the Armenian Church to the Far East are some of the topics that will be examined in an Extension Course at St. Nersess Armenian Seminary this spring. The course will be taught by Dr. Roberta Ervine, Associate Professor of Armenian Studies at St. Nersess.
Each Fall and Spring the Seminary offers an evening course open to the community and general public as part of its Extension Program. Dr. Ervine's course in Modern Armenian Church History will take place on Tuesday evenings from 7-9 pm at the Seminary in New Rochelle, New York from January 20 to May 11.
The course will cover the turbulent period from the fifteenth through the twentieth centuries. The complex currents of Ottoman, Persian, Russian and European influence on life and thought will be traced through the lives of such extraordinary figures as Minas of Amit, Eliazar of Aintab, and Simeon of Erevan. The class will investigate the stormy relationship between the relatively new Armenian Patriarchate of Istanbul and its sister see in Jerusalem, and trace the rise of intellectual priestly traditions like those of the Mekhitarist congregations, St. Karapet of Mush, and Armash.Prof. Ervine will also comment on the spread of the Armenian Church to such far-flung places as Ethiopia and Singapore, Brazil and Sweden. She will also consider the Church's role in the years leading up to the genocide and thereafter. The rising and falling numbers of catholicosates, and the gradual shaping of the Armenian Church in the West will also form topics of discussion.
Dr. Ervine's courses have attracted dozens of students who appreciate her expertise and engaging teaching style. She illustrates each topic with original texts in English translation, many of them appearing in English for the first time. These texts give students an opportunity to hear the great figures of the period speak in their own words.
The course is open to the public. Tuition is $100 for those auditing the course. Registration will take place at the first class meeting on January 20. For further information contact the Seminary at info@stnersess.edu or (914) 636-2003.