SVS PRESS AUTHOR ABRAHAM TERIAN HONORED
St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary
October 10, 2008
NY
Fr. Haigazoun Najarian, Chancellor, (far left) and Abp. Khajag
Barsamian, (middle) both of the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church
in North America, honor Dr. Abraham Terian, Emeritus Professor of
Armenian Theology and Patristics at St. Nersess Armenian Seminary,
(far right) on the occasion of his retirement. Coincident with the
retirement celebration was the launch of two of Dr. Terian’s new books,
one by SVS Press, Macarius of Jerusalem: Letter to the Armenians,
AD 335. Professor Abraham Terian was honored at a reception in New
York on Friday, October 10, 2008, on the occasion of his retirement
from St. Nersess Armenian Seminary, and in recognition of his manifold
contributions to the Armenian Church and scholarly studies. Coincident
with the retirement celebration was the launch of two of his new
books, one by St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press (SVS Press), Macarius
of Jerusalem: Letter to the Armenians, AD 335, and the other by
Oxford University Press (OUP), The Armenian Gospel of the Infancy:
With Three Early Versions of the Protoevangelion of James.
Macarius of Jerusalem: Letter to the Armenians, AD 335, released by
SVS Press this month, already attracted international attention a
year before its publication. Dr. Terian identifies the author of the
brief letter as the early fourth-century Bishop Macarius of Jerusalem,
making this the oldest surviving writing pertaining to the Armenian
Church, and one of a handful of surviving documents that illuminate
baptismal and eucharistic liturgical practices in the early centuries
of the Christian church.
"There is no doubt in my mind that this work will be Professor Terian’s
most important contribution to Christian scholarship to date," said The
V. Rev. Dr. Daniel Findikyan, Dean and Professor of Liturgical Studies
at St. Nersess Seminary, and a friend and colleague of Dr. Terian. "The
importance of this work not only for Armenian Studies, but for the
early history of the Eucharist and other sacraments of the Church can
hardly be overestimated. It has shaken the foundations of assumptions
about the early church, since it describes liturgical practices in the
fourth century, within a generation of St. Gregory the Illuminator,"
Fr. Daniel added.
The new volume is the fourth book in the AVANT: Treasures of the
Armenian Christian Tradition series, a joint venture of St. Nersess
Armenian Seminary and St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, begun in
2005. Terian is also the author of the second book in the series,
Patriotism and Piety in Armenian Christianity: The Early Panegyrics
on Saint Gregory. All of the books in the AVANT series are available
for purchase from St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press.
The reception was hosted by Archbishop Khajag Barsamian in his
dual roles as Primate of the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church
of America and President of the Board of Directors of St. Nersess
Seminary. The reception took in the Haig and Alice Kavookjian Hall
of the Armenian Diocese.
St. Vladimir’s Seminary Dean, The Rev. Dr. John Behr, delivered
a congratulatory address at the reception. Calling Dr. Terian "a
scholar, churchman, and friend," and noting his prolific and careful
scholarly work in such fields as early church and Intertestamental
studies, and his translation of works by Philo, Fr. John agreed
that Dr. Terian’s translation and commentary on the Letter to the
Armenians had the potential to "radically change our understanding of
this time period, which itself was a crucial turning point" in the
life of the Church. Summing up Dr. Terian’s scholarly life’s work,
Fr. John commented, "He has saved the best wine for last."
Moreover, Dean Behr thanked Dr. Terian for his "stable and experienced
hand as Academic Dean of St. Nersess," which, he said, had immensely
enhanced the cooperative efforts between St. Vladimir’s and St. Nersess
in integrating the curriculum between the two sister schools.
Currently, there are six students studying concurrently on the campuses
of St. Vladimir’s and St. Nersess. One of them, Ryan Tellalian,
honored Dr. Terian by reflecting on his "humility that knows no equal
in academia," and calling him a "living witness and exemplar of the
faith, in word and speech, in action and truth." Seminarian Tellalian
told the gathering that Dr. Terian had taught his class a vital lesson
about theological study: "Our faith informs our intellect."
A highlight of the evening was the honor bestowed upon Dr. Terian by
Catholicos Karekin II, current head of the Holy Armenian Apostolic
Church and Catholicos of All Armenians at the Mother See of Holy
Etchmiadzin, through an encyclical greeting, read by the Chancellor
of the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church in North America,
Fr. Haigazoun Najarian. Dr. Terian also was given the "Ss. Sahak and
Mesrop" award, in recognition of his outstanding academic and literary
contributions and service to the Armenian Church, by His Holiness,
Karekin II.
Reflecting on the "evening of surprises," Dr. Terian expressed his
gratitude to his friends and colleagues, and attributed his church
and scholarly achievements to "the two most important women in my
life": his mother, who had persuaded him to invest his talents in the
Armenian Church, and his wife, Dr. Sara Karkkainen Terian, a retired
Professor of Sociology, who supported him in his academic career.
Thanking the three deans under whose headship he served, he urged
the seminarians present to continually serve the Armenian people and
the Armenian Church. He ended by noting the lasting historical impact
of well-researched books by Christian scholars, which keep alive the
memory and tradition of the earliest Christian communities.
Dr. Terian had served as Academic Dean and Professor of Armenian
Patristics at St. Nersess for eleven years. He grew up in the Armenian
compound of St. James in Jerusalem, where he received his early
education. For six years he was a professional tour guide throughout
the Holy Land. In addition to a Bachelor’s degree in history and
ancient languages and a Master’s degree in archaeology and history
of antiquity, he holds a Doctorate in Theology from the University
of Basel, Switzerland, specializing in Early Christianity and its
Jewish and Hellenistic backgrounds.
Before coming to St. Nersess in 1997, he was Professor of
Intertestamental and Early Christian Literatures for twenty years
at various universities in the U.S. and abroad, and for four years
a recurring Visiting Professor for both Classical Armenian and
Hellenistic Judaism at the University of Chicago. He has published
six books and more than fifty articles in historical, philological,
and literary periodicals and monographs.
On the occasion of his retirement from full-time teaching, Terian
was granted the title, "Emeritus Professor of Armenian Theology and
Patristics" by the St. Nersess Board of Directors.
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SVS Press author Abraham Terian honored
Professor Abraham Terian was honored at a reception in New York on
Friday, October 10, 2008, on the occasion of his retirement from
St. Nersess Armenian Seminary, and in recognition of his manifold
contributions to the Armenian Church and scholarly studies. Coincident
with the retirement celebration was the launch of two of his new
books, one by St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press (SVS Press), Macarius
of Jerusalem: Letter to the Armenians, AD 335, and the other by
Oxford University Press (OUP), The Armenian Gospel of the Infancy:
With Three Early Versions of the Protoevangelion of James.
Macarius of Jerusalem: Letter to the Armenians, AD 335, released by
SVS Press this month, already attracted international attention a
year before its publication. Dr. Terian identifies the author of the
brief letter as the early fourth-century Bishop Macarius of Jerusalem,
making this the oldest surviving writing pertaining to the Armenian
Church, and one of a handful of surviving documents that illuminate
baptismal and eucharistic liturgical practices in the early centuries
of the Christian church.
"There is no doubt in my mind that this work will be Professor Terian’s
most important contribution to Christian scholarship to date," said The
V. Rev. Dr. Daniel Findikyan, Dean and Professor of Liturgical Studies
at St. Nersess Seminary, and a friend and colleague of Dr. Terian. "The
importance of this work not only for Armenian Studies, but for the
early history of the Eucharist and other sacraments of the Church can
hardly be overestimated. It has shaken the foundations of assumptions
about the early church, since it describes liturgical practices in the
fourth century, within a generation of St. Gregory the Illuminator,"
Fr. Daniel added.
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