Khachik Grigoryan: Interpretation of pre-Chalcedon fathers' christological passages by the 8th century Armenian theologians Ovan Odznetsi and Khosrovik Targmanich

Christological views have been one of the most debated issues between East and West, and still remain one of them. Considerable part of these views both in East and West is derived from the same works of the same authors, mainly of 4-th and first half of 5-th centuries.But decisive for crystallizing the christological views of the Armenian Church was the beginning of 8th century, which in some features are unique even among Oriental Orthodox Churches. Nevertheless, this clarification, according to Armenian sources, took place not separately inside the Armenian Church but at the united Armenian-Syriac Ecclesiastical Council of Manazkert in 726.The Council reflected upon all important christological issues that were in debate between Eastern Orthodox and Byzantine Churches, especially after the Third Constantinople Council of 680. Those points were: one or two natures and wills, corruptibility or incorruptibility of Christ’s body, natural or unnatural passions etc.For analyzing the christological passages we took most important works of two most prominent authors who wrote at that Council, one of them being the work of the Armenian Patriarch who presided at the Council – catholicos Hovhan III Odznetsi “Against phantasiasts”, and the second being the “Dogmatic Letters” of Khosrovik Targmanich, second chief doctor at the Council. These interpretations were not known widely in international theological literature partly due to terminological problems but they have very important implications for understanding the christology of the Armenian Church. In this paper the way how they ground their position is followed.