The Key of Truth: a Manual of the Paulician Church of Armenia (chapters 23: Solutions of New Testament Sayings, and Sayings about the Virgin Mary–26: On the Consecration of the Flesh and Blood)
The Key of Truth: a Manual of the Paulician Church of Armenia
continued
Chapter 23: Solutions of New Testament Sayings, and Sayings about the Virgin Mary
1 Explanations of important sayings of our Lord Jesus Christ, to which the holy evangelists bear witness. Matt. i. 25. 'And knew her not until she brought forth her firstborn Son …' And after eight days his name was called Jesus, which name the angel Gabriel revealed in the time of her virginity.' See Luke i. 26. For this reason the holy evangelists and the sanctified apostles, yea, and our Lord Jesus Christ, declare Mary, prior to the birth, to be a virgin, but after the birth call her a wife and utterly deny her virginity, as in the aforesaid the Son of God asserts in John ii. 4. In Cana of Galilee, where he made the water wine: 'What have I to do with thee, thou woman, for not yet is my hour come?' When in the hour of the passion he was raised on the cross, he said to his mother: 'Woman, behold thy son.' And to his loved disciple he committed her, saying: 'Behold thy mother.'
2 There are many other testimonies in the holy gospel and testament of the apostles; and we state but a few in order to help the truth, and not out of grudging. For example, that is clear which in the hour of the passion of the Lord Jesus the Evangelists insist upon, saying: 'There were also there women, to whom were come Mary Magdalene, and Mary, mother of Jacob and Josia.' And in another place, namely in the country of Jesus, they give proof by saying in astonishment: 'Is not he the son of the carpenter? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren are John, and José, Simon and Judas, and his sisters are with us.' Again, St. Luke expressly denies blessedness to her, and assigns it to those who have believed in Jesus Christ, ch. xi. 27: 'And whilst he was discoursing to the multitude, a certain woman raised her voice out of the multitude, and said: Blessed is the womb that bore thee, and the paps that gave thee suck.' But Jesus in return took away, in the hearing of the multitude, blessedness from his mother, and gave it to those who do and keep his word.
3 And also John the Evangelist most openly shows their unbelief, when he relates of the brethren of the Lord Jesus (that they said to him), Get thee hence, that thy disciples also may see the works which thou doest, for his brethren also did not yet believe on him. And in particular the vessel of election and member of the universal and apostolic holy church, St. Paul saith of our Lord Jesus: 'He was born of a woman, and came in under the law.' Thus, previously to Mary's bearing the new-created Adam, Gabriel the archangel pronounces her a virgin and greets her; but after the birth the same angel does not call her a virgin. As is clear in the holy Gospel, from what he says in the dream to Joseph: 'Arise, take the child and his mother, and flee into Egypt'; and again, after some time, the angel of the Lord appeared in a dream, and said: 'Arise, take the child and his mother, and depart into thy land.'
Concerning the Creation of Adam and of our Lord Jesus Christ.
4 First, the heavenly Father, the true God, fashioned (or created) the heavens with all that belongs thereto, and the earth with all its kinds; he equipped them. As is clear in the inspiration of God (i.e. in the inspired Scriptures). Again, the benevolent God, seeing that all things were good, was pleased to make a king over all beings; and especially because of the most evil slanderer (i.e. the Devil), as is proved by the sense of the word which says: 'Let us make man in our image and likeness.' Thus in the twinkle of an eye he, by a single word, fashioned heaven and earth. But also by a single word he fashioned (or created) the old Adam, made him king and ruler of all creatures. Wherefore Satan, beholding the paramount kingship of Adam, was envious, as divine writ says in reference to him: 'By the envy of the slanderer death came into the world.' Moreover, St. Paul says that by man came death and by man resurrection.
5 And he also repeats this, when he says: 'As by Adam all men died, so also by Christ shall they be made alive.' Now at the first we said that the Almighty Father with a single word fashioned (or created) Adam out of clay, and Eva out of his rib, like unto him in … 6 said, Father, into thy hands I commit my spirit. Also he prayed for his enemies: Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. And again he says to Mary Magdalen, his disciple, after his resurrection, I am not yet ascended unto my Father and unto your Father, and to my God and to your God. And again the holy universal Church with one mouth declareth: that Christ died and God raised him from the dead. There are also many other [testimonies], which we have not cited. 7 Concerning the mediation of our Lord Jesus Christ, and not of any other holy ones, either of the dead, or of stones, or of crosses and images. In this matter some have denied the precious mediation and intercession of the beloved Son of God, and have followed after dead [things] and in especial after images, stones, crosses, waters, trees, fountains, and all other vain things; as they admit, and worship them, so they offer incense and candles, and present victims, all of which are contrary to the Godhead. All these things our Lord put under his feet when he said: 'I am the door. If any one shall enter with me, he shall go out and shall go in, and shall find pasture,' and the rest. And again, he saith, I am the way, and the truth, and the life. And he doth furthermore say: I indeed am the resurrection and the life.
8 Again he saith: I am your mediator and intercessor. As he saith to Peter in Luke: And I have prayed to the Father in thy behalf. But he also said to his apostles: And I will pray to the Father, that he may give to you another Comforter. And also to us who believe he saith: Not for them do I pray, but for them also who believe on me through their word. He repeats, saying: Father, not for them do I pray, because thou hast taken them out of the world, but that thou mayest guard them from the evil. First did St. Stephen behold the intercession of our Lord Jesus Christ at the time of his stoning, as St. Luke relates in Acts vii. 55: And he saw the heavens opened, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God. And St. Paul saith: So now who is he that shall condemn? Surely Jesus Christ, who died, yea rather, was raised indeed, and is on the right hand of God, who also is intercessor for us.
9 Again he saith: For there is one God and one mediator also of God and men, the man Jesus Christ. Of whom St. John, in his catholic epistle, speaks: Little children, this I write unto you. Sin not; and if any one sin, we have with God an intercessor Jesus Christ, the righteous and the spotless. And he is the expiation and remission of our sins; and not of ours only, but also for all those who rightly believe in him. Yea, and the Intercessor himself took his holy precious body and his holy unblemished blood, He and no other.
Supplement to the foregoing words.
10 Again I ask you, gainsaying Popes and your followers—you who baptize them that are catechumens still in their mother's wombs by all sorts of means, though they have not yet come into the world, or are born dead; some of them in the womb and some in death, ye baptize conditionally. All these things are devilish, and not divine. For the God of all who bestows such gifts of grace on his loved ones, since he is himself sincere, has also bestowed gifts of grace which are sincere and true. Hence it is clear from your deeds, how ye sometimes are convicted by the truth, and are forced to speak the truth, as when ye say: Let no catechumen, nor any that is wanting in faith, nor any one that is unrepentant or impure. It is not meet that he should draw nigh to the holy divine mysteries. Now if ye do not hearken unto God, Christ, and the universal and apostolic holy Church; ye should anyhow obey your own false testimonies and promises. For there are three divine mysteries, which he proclaimed from above to his only-born Son and to St. John the great prophet. First, repentance. Second, baptism.
11 Third, holy communion. For these three he gave to the adult, and not to catechumens who have not repented, or are unbelieving. And again I ask you, violator of ordinances, about this catechumen of yours, when did he ask or where did he petition the false witness, saying: I ask from thee faith, hope, love, and all other good works, from a false witness? For if your catechumen asks from his tenderest age, then why does he not ask it direct from you, violators of the ordinances? So then your very falsehoods serve to show forth like the sun the truth of our Lord Jesus Christ. And your whole custom is found to be false and mere deceit; of which our Lord Jesus Christ primarily saith: 'And what he speaketh false, he speaketh out of his own, and his father is Satan,' John.
Instruction of a Christian.
12 If any one desire, my little children, to acquire the orthodox faith, it is first necessary for him to learn fully the necessary questions and the confession. And then he shall go and ask for holy baptism; and the precious body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ shall he eat and drink, at a time when he hath believed, and not during his unbelieving time as a catechumen.
Chapter 24: A Catechism for Christians
1 Question. Art thou a Christian? Answer. Yes, I am a Christian by the grace of Christ. Q. How are we to define a Christian? A. Thus—one who knows our Lord Jesus Christ, what he is, and keeps his commandments. Q. What is the command and precept of our Lord Jesus Christ, which we keep? A. That which our Lord prescribed to his disciples and his faithful, saying: 'If ye love me, ye will keep my commandments. As I also have kept the commandments of my Father.' Q. How many are the commandments of our Lord Jesus Christ? A. These. First, Hope. Second, Repentance. Third, Faith. Fourth, Baptism. Fifth, Communion. Sixth, Love, which is chief of all. Q. What is Christ, and as what must we know him and believe him to be? A. Even as the universal and apostolic holy Church believed, so must we also believe. Q. How did the blessed apostles believe? Teach us.
2 A. As St. John the Evangelist showeth, saying: 'We have believed and know that thou art Christ, the Son of God, who wast to come into the world.' Q. So then, as touching those who baptize catechumens, is their baptism true or vain? A. It is vain and a fraud. For catechumens have not repentance, have not hope, neither have they the holy faith. Wherefore their baptism is not true and is not salvation. Q. Then whose baptism and communion is valid? A. Their holy baptism and communion only is valid who have original and operative sin. Q. Surely catechumens who are [newly] born of their mothers have not original and operative sin? A. Yea, my children, they truly have not such sin, these catechumens. Q. Hast thou then firm ground in holy scripture as touching catechumens? A. Yes, venerable father, I have true witness from the holy Gospel, which our Lord enjoined on the holy Church, saying after his resurrection: 'Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to all creatures. He that shall believe and be baptized shall live; and he that believeth not shall be judged.' Behold, my reverent one, first did he enjoin faith, repentance, and then he gave the command of holy baptism.
3 Q. How many, my little children, were there who fasted the forty days and forty nights, until came Christ, the Son of God? A. Four are those who so fasted. Enoch and Elias who, fasting, were raised to Heaven. Secondly, Abraham, who received the promise of Isaac from the angels of God. And thirdly, Moses, fasting, received the ten commandments. Q. Christ our Lord and Intercessor, did he really fast forty days and forty nights like them? A. Yes, he fasted, and from his Almighty Father received the kingship over things in heaven and on earth and under the earth. Q. Wherefore then did not God Almighty make one of the patriarchs king and head of all? Did they not also fast those days? A. Although they fasted, yet they were not …as was our Lord Jesus Christ. But they were conceived in original sin, they had original sin and operative. But our mediator Christ was not conceived in original sin, and had not original sin or operative like them, as St. John the Evangelist made clear saying, ch. i. 13: 'Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the word became flesh, and dwelt among us.'
4 Q. Did then God converse with our Lord Jesus Christ, or not? A. Almighty God conversed with his only-born Son ever and always, as St. John the Evangelist bore witness, saying, It thundereth. But some of them said, An angel hath spoken unto him. But our mediator and intercessor himself confirmed it, that the Father conversed with him, saying: Not for my sake came this voice; but that ye may believe in me. And again he saith: I from myself speak nothing; but what I have heard from my Father, that will I make known unto you. Q. How many are the words of our Lord Jesus Christ which save man? A. Four are they which save man. First, Repentance. Second, Right Faith. Third, Holy Baptism. And fourth, the holy precious body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. Q. (and A.) So then confirmation, the order of priesthood, last unction, and marriage, are not salvation of our souls. But are unnecessary and not obligatory. Even as the holy Church saith: 'If he giveth his virgin in marriage, he doeth well. And if they give her not in marriage, they do still better.' Thus shalt thou regard confirmation, order of priesthood, and last unction, which are not obligatory nor the door of salvation.
5 Q. For how many reasons did the God of all send into the world the new Adam his beloved? A. For four necessary things. That is: First, because of original sin. Second, on account of operative sin. Third, for sake of mediation, reconciliation, and intercession, which now is. Fourthly, because of the end of the world, the Father Almighty sent his only-born Son, and appointed him to judge the quick and the dead. Q. O venerable father, is it right for us to have the intercession of saints, or is it not? A. We hold that their intercession is not right or essential. For they need the intercession of the living, not the living theirs. As is clear from the sacramentaries of the heretics and schismatics, who at the hour of mass (lit. oblation) rightly here say: 'Of all whether priests, or deacons, or scribes, that is apostles, saints, prophets, doctors, martyrs, patriarchs, monks, virgins, recluses, and of all saints, let there be, we pray, commemoration in the holy oblations.' Yea, and priests and scribes with one voice say out loud: 'Remember, O Lord, and pity.' Also he that offereth saith: 'Give rest to the souls of the saints,' and the rest.
6 Q. What further reason is there why they cannot make intercession? A. Although they suffered for the love of Christ, still they have not glory, nor release, nor the crown of the kingdom of God. As the holy Church of Christ makes clear when it says: 'The saints received the promise of life eternal, they obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions,' and the rest. Furthermore our Lord Jesus, in giving his promise, spake to his loved ones thus: 'Wheresoever I shall be, there shall also be my worshipper.' Again he also says: 'Ye cannot now come after me; but then ye shall have come after me.' And also he points out the place to them, saying: 'There are many mansions in my Father's house.' See, my reverent children, how hath been made clear the mind of the holy Gospel and of the holy church. Those who are filled with hope, and not with glory and crowns, are all saints, as our mediator and intercessor Jesus directs, saying in his ineffable judgement: 'Come ye blessed ones of my Father, be ye heritors of joy without term or end.' In the same way shalt thou regard the sinners who are tormented in fire unquenchable.
7 Furthermore, my beloved little son, take to thee the word of the great prophet Moses, which tells how Pharaoh was very wrath with Joseph, and took him and put him in prison; and some of the imprisoned saw a dream and were afraid. So then in the middle of the prison they told their dreams to Joseph. But our forefather Joseph by the spirit of God told them their dreams, saying to the one: My good man, behold on the morrow Pharaoh the king crowneth thee with great glory. But to the other he said: Thou also on the morrow shalt be punished by the king. See, my reverent child, that one with the promise of Joseph was crowned, and the other with his words was punished. Of like purport is the parable of our Lord Jesus Christ which tells about Lazarus and Abraham. Furthermore the holy church of Christ tells how he went and preached to the spirits which were in prison, for the preaching of our Lord Jesus Christ signifies this, namely that he gave promises and great hope to the spirits of patriarchs and prophets, saying, My Father will crown you in the end of the world. But to the sinners he preached, saying: The Father Almighty will chastise you with heavy chastisement.
8 Concerning the judgement that is one and not two.
Chapter 25: The Catechism continued: One Judgement and no Purgatory
1 Question. How many judgements of God are there as touching the dead and the living? Answer. There is but one judgement and not two. Q. Then, if there is one judgement of God which he holdeth through Christ; why do some gainsayers say that there are two judgements and not one—the one, they say, private and apart, and the other universal. A. They thus speak lies merely because their father is Satan. Even as our Lord says, that which he speaketh false he speaketh out of his own, and his father is Satan. Q. I pray thee, venerable father, to give us instruction as touching how many judgements there be. A. I tell thee that the universal and apostolic church confesses one only, saying that man dies once and after that is judgement. This is the meaning of the holy church, that as for man death comes once, so also will his resurrection and judgement be one and not two.
2 Q. Then did Christ, our Lord and intercessor, truly know the wickedness of their minds, who have established false and monstrous laws, or did he not? A. Yes, venerable father, he truly knew, and therefore said: 'Beware of evil workers,' and 'by their fruits ye shall know them' who are disciples of lies and deceit, and not of my truth. As the holy church expressly declareth. Q. Did our Lord Jesus Christ really know the day of judgement or no? A. Since the heavenly Father, true God, did not reveal that day to his beloved Son; as he saith concerning the end of the world: 'No man knoweth it, not the angels in heaven, nor the Son; but the Father alone.' Further he saith: 'Out of my own self I speak nothing; but whatsoever command my Father gave me, that I speak.' Behold, my reverent one, how Christ, the Son of God, of his own self could not say aught, unless his Father revealed it to him.
3 Q. But forasmuch as our Lord Jesus Christ could not by himself without the ordinance of God know the day of judgement, how do some gainsayers declare, in opposition to the truth of the Son of God, that there is a separate judgement and place of expiation for sinners? A. Because, as I at the first told thee, they are the heritors of their father's deceit; and through the spirit of that same evil one they ever and always ordain false laws and false precepts. Behold, my loved one, their teacher, who has disguised himself in the form of a monk and preached unto them the torments of hell, in order to ensnare their souls.
Here End the Questions.
4 Concerning the Consecration of the Flesh and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Intercessor.
Chapter 26: On the Consecration of the Flesh and Blood
1 First he began with the following figure. He opened their minds, saying: 'My flesh is the true food and my blood is the true drink.' And again he said: 'I am the bread of life which came down from heaven. He that eateth this bread shall live for ever.' When our Lord had thus ended these figures, many of the disciples forthwith turned back. Then he again said to his remaining disciples: Do ye go and get ready for us the table of holiness, where I shall presently perform the mystery of salvation, for my own believers and beloved ones. And when it was eventide Jesus went and sat down, and the twelve with him. He took one loaf unleavened in his hands, blessed it, gave thanks, broke it and said: 'Take ye, eat. This is my body which for you many is distributed unto the expiation and remission of sins.' [So also saith he in regard to the cup.]
2 Exposition of the Holy Mystery of our Lord Jesus Christ. That our mediator and intercessor Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, took the bread in his hands and blessed it, this the holy Evangelists declare. That is to say he earnestly besought the almighty Father that he would change the bread into his true precious body. This is why it says: 'He blessed,' that is, he prayed the Lord that he would change the bread truly into his body. And so it was assuredly changed by the spirit of the heavenly Father. And when he saw that the bread was changed into his body, then he thanked the almighty Father for having changed it into his body and blood. Now dost thou understand, my little child, the interpretation of the blessing and thanksgiving? Yes, holy father, I have right well understood it. Humbly I pray thee, venerable father, interpret to us this his use of the word 'mine,' namely: 'This is my body,' as he also said after the resurrection to Peter: 'Feed my sheep.' When he said this, did our mediator and intercessor Jesus Christ know that there would come false popes who would change [it] according to their good pleasure? Who with bread alone cajole all men and make that their own flesh and blood, and not Christ's. For this cause also doth our Lord Jesus Christ say: 'This is my body.' Yea more, this doth he imply: that whosoever shall make any water, any mere bread, or any moistened morsel, and distribute (the same) deceitfully to the simple people, it is their own flesh and blood and not Christ's.
3 To whom glory for ever and ever. Amen. This was written in the province of Taron in the year of the Lord 1782; but according to the Armenian Era 1230.
(Colophon.)
4 …of the all glorious John Vahaguni. For they with great fervour were elected by us. But because of their being elected the love of truth abounded in my heart. Wherefore I could not hide the grace of the Holy Spirit. But I began to write out in order the holy Sacramentary and the Key of Truth for love of those who ask and receive. Moreover, I humbly entreat you with warm love and faith to forgive the shortcomings, the insufficiencies, and the faults of composition or of grammar. And also as touching the syllables, or writing, or verbs or nouns (lit. words) or eight parts of the art, if in regard to them ye find any errors or shortcomings, they are not due to ourselves, but have found their way into it as being (the faults) of unpractised copyists. Glory to the Father truly existent, and to his Son our mediator and intercessor. Now and ever and unto eternity of eternities. Amen.