THE CHOSEN OF GOD: The Election of the Catholicos of All Armenians from the Fourth Century to the Present

By Fr. Krikor Maksoudian

The present work draws information from the original sources about the traditions, rules, and procedures governing the election of the catholicos of Greater Armenia - an office which, in the course of the eleventh and twelfth centuries, took on the title "Catholicos of All Armenians," a designation which has been in use ever since.

Fr. Maksoudian charts the history of the office from St. Gregory the Illuminator - who converted Armenia to Christianity and established the line of catholicoi in the fourth century - through the political and doctrinal complexities of the medieval period, up to the present day. Special attention is given to elections which introduced a new process or demonstrated an existing pattern. Intended for the general public, as well as for students and scholars, Chosen of God provides the reader with an understanding of the historical developments that serve as a background to the present-day electoral process. 

St. Vartan Press (1995)