The Armenian Tradition on Gifts Given to the Church

Pious gifts enable the Armenian Church to pursue and extend the limits of her mission.  It is easy to say that the Armenian Church, in addition to her liturgical and pastoral duties, must also do spiritual, social, charitable and other kinds of works that please God.  This remains only wishful thinking if our parishes and/or the Diocese do not have the necessary funds for such matters.  In the past, dues such as the tithe, the ptghi, the has and other kinds of gifts made it possible for the Armenian Church in the homeland and the older communities to tend to the spiritual, social and educational needs of the Armenian people. 

Tithe

In many Western and American churches, it is an accepted custom for every member of a parish to provide one tenth of his or her annual earnings to God.   The amounts raised from such dues make it possible to maintain a parish sanctuary, church school, rectory and support a pastor as well as various church related causes such as charity, evangelical missions and so on.  This traditional institution is known as the tithe.

Ptghi

Ptghi or ptugh was a tax in kind given to the church.  It most often included a portion of a crop or a part of an animal herd given to the Church.  It was common until the early twentieth century.

Has

Another ancient ecclesiastical tax is called has.  This tax corresponds closely to a "land tax."  Landowners paid a tax that was different from the ptghi.  It is not clear whether this was in addition to the above two taxes or instead of them. 

Special Gifts Given to the Church

Armenian historical sources mention other kinds of gifts given to the Church.  Kings and nobility gave extensive lands and built churches, monasteries, and hermitages for the Church.   The first known church built with modest contributions from the masses was erected in the late Middle Ages.  Thereafter it became a tradition for the common people to contribute money or labour towards the construction of new edifices.  Even in the nineteenth century it was not unusual to see peasant men and women participating in the construction of a local church or a monastery.

Hogebazhin

The patrons of our most ancient churches and monasteries did not build the magnificent architectural monuments merely as memorials for their deceased family members.  Their generous contributions were made as hogetsatur.  At a later date, this word became synonymous with hogebazhin, which is a gift given to the church for prayer for the souls of the deceased and is the same as the gift we give today in request for a Requiem Service.  Hogetsatur is different.  It is a gift given by a living person for prayers for the salvation of his and his family members' souls. 

Of all the charitable traditions of our ancestors listed above we still retain that of giving memorial gifts in memory of our deceased.  In our communities here in America and in other lands, it is a common practice to perpetuate the memory of a deceased family member by having buildings erected, by establishing funds, founding schools and supporting hospitals. 

In our times, we work hard in order to build sanctuaries and cultural centers, but forget that funds are also necessary for the spiritual and charitable structure of the church.  We all know that a dedicated priest and devout lay leaders can make a great difference in the life of a parish. But they cannot run programs for the benefit of the poor, the jobless, the elderly, young children, the bereaved, the sick and so on with limited funds generated from the fixed annual dues of a small number of parishioners.  Like our ancestors, we must learn to give to God a share of what He gas given us.

To learn more about the Armenian historical tradition of giving to the Church, read the excellent essay prepared by the Very Reverend Father Krikor Maksoudian.