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As of 2011, most Armenians in Armenia are Christians (97%) [2] and are members of the Armenian Apostolic Church, which is one of the oldest Christian churches. It was founded in the 1st century AD, and in 301 AD became the first branch of Christianity to become a state religion .
The Kingdom of Armenia was the first state in history to adopt Christianity as its official religion under the rule of King Tiridates III, of the Arsacid dynasty in the early 4th century. [ 7 ] [ 8 ] According to tradition, the church originated in the missions of Apostles Bartholomew and Thaddeus (Jude) in the 1st century.
Periodic forced conversions created a class of crypto-Christian Armenians called Kes-kes (Half-half) who practiced both Christian and Muslim rituals. The Armenians who converted to Islam lost their Armenian identity because they switched millets, but many kept the Armenian language and culture.
A substantial party of Armenian nobles sided with the Sasanian king and renounced Christianity, although the Sasanian efforts to root out Armenian Christianity ultimately failed. [54] Still, many elements of the pre-Christian religion became part of Armenian Christianity, and a small group of Armenians called the ArewordikĘż never converted to ...
Armenia, historically, was the first state to accept Christianity. There are small numbers of Russian Orthodox and Assyrian Christians in Armenia also. Armenian Christians are also to be found in Lebanon, Syria, Iran, Turkey, Iraq, Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Egypt and the Gulf states as expats.
Christianity in Armenia (9 C, ... (3 C, 5 P) I. Islam in Armenia (4 C, 2 P) J. Jews and Judaism in Armenia (4 C, 3 P) L. Armenian religious leaders (5 C, 2 P) M.
Tiridates III of Armenia (238–314) made Christianity the state religion in 301, [67] [68] partly, in defiance of the Sasanian Empire, it seems, [69] becoming the first officially Christian state, ten years before the Roman Empire granted Christianity an official toleration under Galerius, and 36 years before Constantine the Great was baptised ...
The history of the Armenian Church is the basis of this curriculum; many schools teach about world religions in elementary school and the history of the Armenian Church in middle school. Religious groups may not provide religious instruction in schools, although registered groups may do so in private homes to children of their members.