WHAT IS THE FIRST PREREQUISITE FOR APPROACHING THE HOLY SCRIPTURES?

With reverence and proper respect.
To approach Holy Scripture, we must first and foremost understand that the message it contains is not ordinary speech—it possesses the power to give life: “The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life” (John 6:63). Recognizing this divine truth profoundly is why our forefathers showed the utmost reverence and awe toward the Holy Scriptures. A vivid testimony to this is found in our many manuscripts, which have been preserved over centuries—even millennia—with exceptional care and veneration.

Even during catastrophic times like the Armenian Genocide, the faithful children of the Holy Armenian Apostolic Church did not forget the Holy Books; they saved them alongside their own lives. Armenian history is full of such examples, one of the most notable being the rescue of the largest Armenian manuscript—the Msho Charuntir (Homiliary of Mush). To preserve this massive volume, two women tore it in half and, through superhuman effort, carried the parts for hundreds of kilometers to safety. The book weighs approximately 28 kilograms and is now kept in the Matenadaran in Yerevan.

For our people, holy books have always been trusted tools that, when approached with reverence, transform and purify the reader’s thoughts from all evil intentions (St. Grigor Tatevatsi, Winter Volume). Those who disregard or fail to follow the Holy Scriptures are considered “rebels against God” (St. Nerses Shnorhali, General Epistle).

IS IT NECESSARY TO BE SPIRITUALLY PREPARED BEFORE READING HOLY SCRIPTURE?

Absolutely, yes. In our times, very few people take the time to prepare before reading the Holy Scriptures. Sadly, for many of us, the reading of Scripture has become a mere “habit.”

In reality, reading or hearing the living Word of God requires serious spiritual preparation. We see this in the example of the prophet Moses:
To hear God’s voice, Moses prepared himself in advance. When the appointed day arrived, and God spoke from Mount Sinai to the Israelites, Moses alone was able to understand God’s message. The rest, although hearing the same voice, could not comprehend it; to them, it was a terrifying and incomprehensible sound (Exodus 19–20). Similar incidents occur in the New Testament, where God the Father bears witness to the Son, but the people interpret it as thunder or the voice of an angel (John 12:28).

According to St. Grigor Tatevatsi, in order to read the Holy Scriptures, one must first rid oneself of bodily passions through effort, fasting, and prayer. This spiritual cleansing sharpens the vision of the mind, making it holy and light. Only then should one engage in reading, and having read, meditate deeply and retain it in the heart (Winter Volume, Sermon # 61).

Truly, “Blessed is the person who reads the divine books with love and deep longing. For such a person, angels dance around him, apostles and prophets surround him, patriarchs and saints accompany him, and through the Scriptures, he converses with them. Before his eyes, he sees the bliss of the righteous and the kingdom to come”.
(Vardan Aygektsi, Homilies)

To be continued

Haik Madoyan