(Re)Imagining the Church Through the Ordination Liturgy: Towards an Armenian Ressourcement

Abstract

This case study of the presbyteral ordination service of the Orthodox Church of Armenia aims to uncover some aspects of the Armenian ecclesiological vision that lie buried under the neoscholastically-framed manuals of theology. By analyzing liturgical texts and comparing them with two theology manuals that are still influential, the paper, in the spirit of ressourcement, challenges the unexamined presuppositions of the handbooks through which ordination liturgy is currently understood. Furthermore, by focusing on the earlier and distinct aspects of the ordination liturgy, the paper excavates some neglected ecclesiological perspectives. In particular, the ressourcement approach allows us to rediscover some pneumatological aspects that can be a valuable theological resource for current ecclesiological discussions.