The Holy Mystery of the Coronation

So they are no longer two, but one
Matthew 19:6

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What is the significance of the mystery of the coronation?

Through the mystery of the coronation, husband and wife, who pledge fidelity and love to one another before the ecclesial communion, are united by the grace of God so that they are no longer two but become one. This is the mystery of the couple's love and willingness to give life and to become fruitful in the procreation of new life. Through this mystery the Church blesses the marriage covenant, the union of man and woman: "Therefore a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will be one flesh. So they are no longer two, but one" (Matthew 19:5-6).

The Armenian Church expects its members to also get married in a church after the civil marriage, because a marriage is only valid from a church point of view if the mystery of the coronation or marriage ceremony has taken place in the church. The civil marriage and the church coronation must not be equated.

The Church Fathers called the family the “little church”. Like the church, it is a community founded on the foundation of mutual love and common unanimous faith in the triune God. In this sense, the family is in itself a Christian mystery, endured by the grace of the Lord and drawing strength from that grace. Mutual love and faith make husband and wife allies in spirit, inspiring their works, minds and thoughts, leading them to a common goal - union with God in eternal life. “Wonderful is the yoke of two believers,” wrote the Christian writer Tertullian, “having the same hope, living by the same rules, serving the one Lord. They pray together, they fast together, they teach and admonish one another. They are together in church, together at the Lord's supper, together in mourning and persecution, in repentance and joy. They please Christ, and He sends His peace to them. And where there are two in His name, there is no place for evil".

In principle, marriage in the Armenian Church is indissoluble: “But what God has joined, that man must not separate” (Matthew 19:5-6). The promise of the spouses' unconditional love throughout their life together (until death do us part), to help one another and to remain faithful, was also carried over into the marriage service of the Armenian Church. Nonetheless, for pastoral reasons, there are certain strict exceptions that allow remarriage. While the church wedding of remarriages is also a mystery, the wedding service for remarriages is somewhat different than the first wedding. The overriding thought here is repentance.

What is the significance of the mystery of the coronation?

Through the mystery of the coronation, husband and wife, who pledge fidelity and love to one another before the ecclesial communion, are united by the grace of God so that they are no longer two but become one. This is the mystery of the couple's love and willingness to give life and to become fruitful in the procreation of new life. Through this mystery the Church blesses the marriage covenant, the union of man and woman: "Therefore a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will be one flesh. So they are no longer two, but one" (Matthew 19:5-6).

The Armenian Church expects its members to also get married in a church after the civil marriage, because a marriage is only valid from a church point of view if the mystery of the coronation or marriage ceremony has taken place in the church. The civil marriage and the church coronation must not be equated.

The Church Fathers called the family the “little church”. Like the church, it is a community founded on the foundation of mutual love and common unanimous faith in the triune God. In this sense, the family is in itself a Christian mystery, endured by the grace of the Lord and drawing strength from that grace. Mutual love and faith make husband and wife allies in spirit, quickening their works, minds and thoughts, and leading them toward a common goal—union with God in eternal life. “Wonderful is the yoke of two believers,” wrote the Christian writer Tertullian, “having the same hope, living by the same rules, serving the one Lord. They pray together, they fast together, they teach and admonish one another. They are together in church, together at the Lord's supper, together in mourning and persecution, in repentance and joy. They please Christ, and He sends His peace to them. And where there are two in His name, there is no place for evil".

In principle, marriage in the Armenian Church is indissoluble: “But what God has joined, that man must not separate” (Matthew 19:5-6). The promise of the spouses' unconditional love throughout their life together (until death do us part), to help one another and to remain faithful, was also carried over into the marriage service of the Armenian Church. Nonetheless, for pastoral reasons, there are certain strict exceptions that allow remarriage. While the church wedding of remarriages is also a mystery, the wedding service for remarriages is somewhat different than the first marriage. The overriding thought here is repentance.

THE MARRIAGE

Marriage consists of two parts: engagement and coronation. The mystery of the coronation takes place in a church, before the assembled congregation and in the presence of witnesses. The wedding ceremony may only take place on permitted days. The Mystery will be celebrated by an ordained minister of the Armenian Church. There is no so-called “ecumenical wedding ceremony” in our practice. Mixing the wedding services of the respective churches or double marriages is also not permitted. In the case of a marriage of different denominations (mixed marriage), the participation of a non-Armenian (Roman Catholic, Protestant or Byzantine Orthodox) clergyman is possible after consultation with the bishop.

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Important rules for the wedding ceremony

But at the beginning of creation God made them male and female. Therefore the man will leave his father and mother and the two will become one flesh. So they are no longer two, but one flesh. But what God has joined, man must not separate. Mark 10:6-9

A fundamental prerequisite for marriage is that the partners see each other before the wedding ceremony and that there is mutual affection, love and unity between them. The marriage ceremony should be carried out without coercion and with the consent of those concerned. The Patriarch St. Sahak teaches us: “Advise them (the populace) because they should not promise a boy a girl in marriage and carry out this marriage without the parties having seen each other and without their mutual consent. And you priests, do not bless a boy until he has come of age. And do not perform a marriage ceremony without examining and asking them (those involved) themselves, perhaps they were brought into marriage by parental coercion and against their will; do not be willing to perform such a marriage, for much harm has been done to this day, both mental and physical, by such abuse” (canon 27. This instruction is also found in canon 24 of the Synod of Dwin).

A marriage performed under duress is invalid because the Church teaches that only a relationship built on mutual genuine love can be a lasting committed relationship. The Maschtoz teaches "to become one flesh, spiritually united in humility... holy, pure, united in breath and thought."

The applicable minimum age for marriage depends on the laws of the country and the climatic conditions. Those who are therefore considered to be underage may not enter into marriage. Marriage maturity is at the age of 18.

The bride and groom must be baptized and confirmed. Denominational and national affiliation are important for a harmonious family life.

This means the degree of relationship between the people to be married. The more distant the blood relationship between them, the more canon law is satisfied. This part of the church order was established for reasons of health. As can be read in the 23rd canon of George IV, "because according to physical conditions it (marriage between blood relatives and relatives) is to be considered very injurious to the health of children and their descendants." According to the old Armenian church ordinance, the man must sift degrees of kinship from the woman with whom he intends to marry.

Over the centuries, the church order changed in the question of the degree of blood relationship. In the 1st century, marriages within close relatives, especially among the nobility, were common. This was mainly practiced to keep possessions in the family. In the Synod of Ashtishat, the Patriarch Nerses the Great banned such marriages, although the Synod had not determined the permitted degree of kinship. Only Pavstos of Byzantium mentions the prohibition of marriages between relatives. Nowadays, faced with the new pressures of life, the catholicos George V has reduced the degree of consanguinity from eight to five, between relatives by marriage to four and abolished spiritual kinship.

“We hereby determine and authorize, through our pastoral letter, the conduct of marriages between relatives of the fifth degree and upwards, and between relatives by marriage of the fourth degree and upwards. And in the case of spiritual kinship, such as kinship through sponsorship, we remove every obstacle by allowing the marriage ceremony to be performed between such.” According to the provisions of this pastoral letter of November 11, 1922, the marriage was between relatives by marriage, in other words, one by Relationships created through marriage, not blood relationships, allowed from the fourth degree upwards, and the restriction on spiritual relationships created through godparenthood and the myron oil has been lifted.

The sacrament of marriage must be performed by a clergyman, in the church, and in the presence of the congregation. A marriage performed in secret is invalid. The presence of the officiating minister is essential because, according to the teaching of the Armenian Church, the minister is the mediator through whom grace is bestowed in the administration of all sacraments. The marriage ceremony also requires the execution by a clergyman. A marriage ceremony may also take place at another location if there is no local church or if one of the parties has a serious valid reason for not being able to come or be taken to the church.

  • Weddings are not permitted on any Sunday of the year. Sunday is holy as the Lord's day because the church commemorates the resurrection of Christ. Therefore the Church considers it inappropriate to celebrate a wedding on such a holy day. Nowadays, if a wedding ceremony is to be performed on a Sunday, given the professional circumstances, this must take place in the late afternoon hours, since for the church the new day begins after the daily evening prayer (Vespers).
  • Every Wednesday and Friday is not married, as these are considered days of fasting. Exceptions to this are the Wednesdays and Fridays between New Sunday (the first Sunday after Easter) and Ascension Day. According to the provisions of the Catholicos George V, these are not days of fasting, and therefore marriage ceremonies can be performed on these days.
  • Weddings are not celebrated on Christmas Day, Jesus' Name Day, the Presentation of Christ in the Temple, the Day of the Annunciation to Mary, and the Ascension Day.
  • It is inappropriate to hold weddings and celebrations throughout Great Lent and the first eight days after Easter, as these days are considered days of penance and mourning. St. Nerses Schnorhali writes in his "General Epistle": "For the forty days of fasting are days of mourning and gloom and commemoration of the passion of Christ, - and not days of drunkenness and nuptial joy". This time frame, which originally lasted until Pentecost, was shortened by the Catholicos George V to the above-mentioned time frame of Great Lent to New Sunday (see canon of the 5th Synod of Dwin and "General Epistle").

MARRIAGE PREPARATION

How does one become part of the Church, who can be baptized in the Armenian Apostolic Church, what does conversion from another Christian community mean and what is re-entry? You can find answers to these questions in this section.

The Holy Mysteries of the Church

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