From Betrothal to Crown: The Armenian Marriage Process as a Case Study in Eastern Liturgiology

This seminar uses the Armenian marriage rites—from betrothal to crowning to post-crowning rites—as a case study in the practice of Eastern liturgiology. The focus is methodological: how to read liturgical texts historically, how to discern ritual stratification across manuscript and printed traditions, and how to integrate textual criticism, comparative analysis, and sacramental theology into a coherent interpretive framework. By examining the Armenian evidence in conversation with broader Eastern Christian sources, we will explore how liturgical study moves from text to theology to ecclesial application. The session aims not only to analyze a rite, but to model a disciplined approach to studying and interpreting ancient liturgical traditions in the service of the Church today.