Page:«Armenia og armenierne.» (Bodil Biørn okt. 1944).pdf/4

- 2 - Ararat. It is from the 3rd century and very old and interesting and is located in the Armenian Republic, where I had the opportunity to visit it. A monastery for men is included. As early as in 301 Christianity became a state religion in Armenia, and it is thus the world's oldest Christian state. The Armenian Mesrop gave them their alphabets, and part of the Bible was translated into Old Armenian in 406 and the whole Bible in 433.

Their highest clerical head is called Katolikus. He has his seat in Etschmiadsin. Beneath him stand patriarchs, archbishops and bishops. These are not allowed to marry, only the priests who do not receive a high education are allowed to marry once.

After Grikor, the Armenian Church is called the Gregorian. It is very similar to the Greek Catholic, but they have kept their Bible. Gregoria is supposedly christened by the Armenians.

From 500 - 700, the Armenian church had its heyday, but circa. 700 they came under the Arabs, so they were excluded from spiritual fellowship with other Christian churches. Every time the Armenians had a little respite in their long history of suffering, there were brighter times for Christianity. From 850 - 1070 there was an independent kingdom in Greater Armenia and in the 12th and 13th centuries an independent kingdom in Little Armenia - Cilicia. - But since they came under the yoke of the Turks in the thirteenth century, there has been spiritual darkness. In the 16th century, however, it became better when they came in connection with the Christian lands again. Yet, despite all the darkness, all the ignorance and all the sufferings and oppressions, Christianity has persisted to this day, and they have endured with the utmost heroism the most terrible persecutions.

The Americans were the first to begin to proselytize among the Armenians. Already in 1820, they came to Constantinople and later to Asia Minor. It was the Turks, in particular, who they were to proselytize among, but because of their great fanaticism they did not succeed, and they then turned to the Armenians and hoped through this people later to later win the Turks for Christianity. They worked especially at schools, colleges and priest schools and were a great blessing.

After the murders in 1894 - 96, both Americans and Germans set up orphanages out there for the many homeless children whose parents had been murdered by the Turks. Especially Abdul Hamid, called the Red Sultan, because he let thousands of Christian Armenians be murdererd. It especially effected Sassun, a mountain range in the mountains near Musch where the wild hordes attacked the peaceful population.

All these atrocities against the Christians and also the children's distress called on warm-hearted women here at home in Norway. Chamberlain Anker made an appeal for the homeless children, and K.M.A. began work for the Armenians as early as 1902. Armenian children were supported both in the Danish orphanage "Emaus" in Mesereh and also elsewhere, and a few in Musch. And what deed could be better than helping all these homeless little ones. The orphanages became like bright stars out there in the dark. No Christian people have suffered like the Armenian nationally, culturally, spiritually and physically. We can say that they lost everything, but the faith held for most.

I myself got the call from God at a K.M.A meeting, where there was talk of the plight of the Armenian children. I reported to Mrs. chamb. Ankerr, and she was happy to have a Norwegian sister out there, but they didn't have enough funds to send me. Therefore, for the first years I was accepted by the German "Hülfsbund". Only later could K.M.A. taken over send me out to begin my work.