ybiberman
A journey in time to the Byzantine empire
in the book 'The Brothers Karamazov' (by Dostoevsky), the Great Inquisitor argues that people want only: "Miracle, Mystery and Authority".
My impression from the very impressive ceremonies of the Armenian church, is that they certainly include these components,
(which, rather, lack in our modern, rational, scientific life)
When Mark Twain visited the holy land, in 1867 he described it as “A Hopeless, Dreary, Heart-Broken Land”. I tell you this to say: In Israel we don't have long traditions that exist for hundreds of years, as you may find in other countries that exist for a long time. Almost everything is new (even if built on very old roots).
The exceptions are some of the ceremonies in some of the churches; especially the Armenian one. The Armenian church exists for about thousand years, and my impression is that some of its ceremonies take you back in a time tunnel to the Byzantine empire. The Armenian community of Jerusalem is small and isolated. You may not enter their quarter at the old city. Until a few years ago, if you would try to take photos at their church, they might have crossed you. But in recent years, things have changed a bit, and currently it is possible to photo at their feasts. The experience is very special and, for me, strange.
A journey in time to the Byzantine empire
in the book 'The Brothers Karamazov' (by Dostoevsky), the Great Inquisitor argues that people want only: "Miracle, Mystery and Authority".
My impression from the very impressive ceremonies of the Armenian church, is that they certainly include these components,
(which, rather, lack in our modern, rational, scientific life)
When Mark Twain visited the holy land, in 1867 he described it as “A Hopeless, Dreary, Heart-Broken Land”. I tell you this to say: In Israel we don't have long traditions that exist for hundreds of years, as you may find in other countries that exist for a long time. Almost everything is new (even if built on very old roots).
The exceptions are some of the ceremonies in some of the churches; especially the Armenian one. The Armenian church exists for about thousand years, and my impression is that some of its ceremonies take you back in a time tunnel to the Byzantine empire. The Armenian community of Jerusalem is small and isolated. You may not enter their quarter at the old city. Until a few years ago, if you would try to take photos at their church, they might have crossed you. But in recent years, things have changed a bit, and currently it is possible to photo at their feasts. The experience is very special and, for me, strange.