St. Nerses the Gracious and Church Unity: Armeno-Greek Church Relations 1165-1173, Aram I, Catholicos of Cilicia (softcover)

Because of its unique political, cultural, and ethnic environment, the Cilician period presented the Armenian people with new horizons, perspectives, opportunities, and concerns. The impact of this pluralist environment can be clearly seen in almost all realms of Armenian life, including the church. Church unity became one of the core issues and challenges facing the Armenian Church. The efforts towards unity conducted in 1165-1173 by Catholicos St. Nerses Shnorhali, the Ecumenical Patriarch Michael and Emperor Manuel I of Byzantium are of critical importance within the broader context of the history of the church in the East. In this book, which was written as a dissertation for the degree of Master of Sacred Theology in 1974, His Holiness Catholicos Aram I spells out the complex nature of church unity in its theological, ecclesiological, political, and ecumenical implications. Therefore, this study may significantly help the modern ecumenical movement in its continuous striving for visible unity.