Friday, February 27, 2026

It is the 27th of February 2026. Welcome to the Christian History Almanac, brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org; I’m Dan van Voorhis.

There are doctors, and then there are doctors. Sure, you’ve got the silly kind that tell stories into microphones- you’ve got the kind like Dr. David- he’s an MD who wrote to tell me that I overlooked his fine university- the University of Evansville- the Purple Aces. Apologies, Dr. Dave. And then you’ve got The Doctors. That is, the 38 Doctors recognized by the Catholic Church. 38? Yup, it was 37, but just last year Pope Leo proclaimed the newest Doctor, John Henry Newman. This show is not about Newman.

 

But another “modern” Doctor- the story that made waves in 2015 when Pope Francis named a new doctor, Gregory of Narek.

 

Why did this make waves? Why might he be the least known of all the men and women recognized by the Catholic church as a Universal Doctor?

 

Gregory of Narek is perhaps the most important devotional writer in the Armenian (A-R-M-E-N-I-A-N) tradition. And his dates, 951-1003, are what made the waves. By the 10th century, the ancient Armenian church was not in communion with Rome. The Armenian church is “Non-Chalcedonian”- that is, the church body split with what is sometimes called the “Great Church” and is linked to that small “4th tradition”, the Oriental Orthodox (That is, not Roman Catholic, Orthodox, or Protestant). X But despite being from the minority tradition, his writings, primarily his prayer book, were considered so profound and historically significant that he was made only the 35th person ever designated as a doctor. So, who was he, and what’s the deal with his prayer book?

 

The biography is pretty slim. Gregory was born, the son of Bishop Khosrov Andzevatsi (they do it differently on the banks of Lake Van, just north of Iraq- Bishops can marry and have children!)

 

Born into a family of scholars, he entered the monastery of Narek as a young man and spent the first half of his life in relative monastic solitude- a remarkable time for the Armenian church. They had just repelled the Arab domination that marked the region since the 7th century. The 900s mark the “Armenian Renaissance” in which Gregory could flourish.

 

But it was the tragedies in the second part of his life that were the crucible which helped create the masterpiece that is the prayer book of St. Gregory of Narek- a book sometimes called “the Narek” or “the Lamentations”. He wrote this manual for prayer as he himself was suffering from debilitating illness and was witnessing the Turkic and Mongol invasions that would mark the suffering of that church for centuries.

 

Gregory wrote of this prayer book, “and although I shall die in the way of all mortals, may I be deemed to live through the continued existence of this book. This book will cry out in my place, with my voice, as if it were me”.

 

The prayer book is in modern English translation from Thomas Samuelian, and both Narek’s imagery and Samuelian’s translation are so good, I can’t help but suggest you find it yourself- and hear this striking picture of human frailty from his Prayer 25. Like all of the prayers, they begin “speaking with God from the depths of the heart,” and while lamenting the destruction surrounding him in old age, writes:

 

This image of destruction reminds me of my misery, 
like a captain mourning his ship, 
chin in hand, tears streaming down, 
viewing traces of the wreckage 
bobbing on the crest of the waves.

My slain sanity sobs with pitiful grief. 
I did not stray from the truth 
in selecting these words to mourn 
the shattered ark of my intellect. 
For the Good Captain with his heavenly host 
took pity on the sea of humanity in just this way.

 

If you yourself have been to an Armenian church, you might recognize this from Narek in the liturgy:

 

“We beseech you with outstretched arms, with tears and sobbing prayers. 
Appearing before you, judge who strikes terror in our hearts, 
we approach with great trembling and grave fear, 
presenting first this sacrificial offering of words to your power that is beyond understanding.”

 

Gregory of Narek died in 1003 at just over 50 years old, but his wish to be known through his prayer book has come to fruition- not only in the Armenian church, but universally- St Gregory of Narek is recognized on this, his feast day- the 27th of February.

 

 

 

The Last word for today comes from the daily lectionary and hear this good news from Romans 3:

But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22 This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25 God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— 26 he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.

 

This has been the Christian History Almanac for the 27th of February 2026, brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org.

The show is produced by an Indiana native who knows all about Evansville’s Ace Purple: Riverboat Gambler… he is Christopher Gillespie.

The show is written and read by a man who has far too much space in his head filled with the history and development of college mascots… Dan van Voorhis.

You can catch us here every day- and remember that the rumors of grace, forgiveness, and the redemption of all things are true…. Everything is going to be ok.