

The church of St Elysee, I- XIII centuries,

Sheki district, Kish village

Caucasian Albania should not to be confused with the country of Albania in the Balkans. The Caucasian Albanian kingdom covered much of present-day Azerbaijan between the 1st and 8th centuries AD.



The origins and formation of the Albanian Church are closely associated with the history of eastern Christianity. As the new Christian faith spread, theology was interpreted creatively to meet uniquely Albanian interests.

Mountain Jews - descendants of lost tribes of Israel? Christianity first spread to the countries where Jews banished from their motherland had settled. Dispersed Jews were amongst the first to spread Christianity. Ancient Jewish settlements in Caucasian Albania were fertile soil for the acceptance of Christianity in the region.



Today there can be no doubt that the Mountain Jews included ancient Israelites who moved from Persia and settled in the territory of historical Azerbaijan. I drew attention to this back in 1987 and believe that there are descendants of the lost Jewish tribes among today’s Tats. I found confirmation of this in sources about the resettlement of Jews-Israelites, who were highly skilled craftsmen, to the Caucasus, in particular to Albania and the Caucasian coast, a resettlement forced by the Persian kings (Parthians and Sasanids). The anthropological character type of the Mountain Jews, their ethnic purity maintained by marrying only within their ethnic group, are further confirmation. This radically distinguishes them from European Jews and has led to them retaining their biblical appearance. I was also convinced by the fact that some Mountain Jews remain true to Judaism. This is no minor factor if we take into account Judaism’s segregation, the fact that the religion is professed by Jews only.



My arguments were shared by Academician Ziya Buniyatov and Hebrew specialist

Khotavanq, IV century, Kalbacar district Christianity first spread to the countries where Jews banished from their motherland had settled. Dispersed Jews were amongst the first to spread Christianity. Ancient Jewish settlements in Caucasian Albania were fertile soil for the acceptance of Christianity in the region.Today there can be no doubt that the Mountain Jews included ancient Israelites who moved from Persia and settled in the territory of historical Azerbaijan. I drew attention to this back in 1987 and believe that there are descendants of the lost Jewish tribes among today’s Tats. I found confirmation of this in sources about the resettlement of Jews-Israelites, who were highly skilled craftsmen, to the Caucasus, in particular to Albania and the Caucasian coast, a resettlement forced by the Persian kings (Parthians and Sasanids). The anthropological character type of the Mountain Jews, their ethnic purity maintained by marrying only within their ethnic group, are further confirmation. This radically distinguishes them from European Jews and has led to them retaining their biblical appearance. I was also convinced by the fact that some Mountain Jews remain true to Judaism. This is no minor factor if we take into account Judaism’s segregation, the fact that the religion is professed by Jews only.My arguments were shared by Academician Ziya Buniyatov and Hebrew specialistProf Filippenko in France

Early Christians in Absheron I have discovered that Nazarenes were in Absheron, alongside Tats and Mountain Jews. It was the Jews who first called the Christian-Jews Nazarenes, which can be seen in the Acts of the Apostles (chapter 24, verse 5). There is a difference between Christians and Nazarenes. Nazarenes recognised Jesus Christ as their Messiah, God, but they considered it necessary to observe the Law of Moses. The Christian Church was lenient towards the Nazarenes and did not consider them to be heretics. Nazareneism is believed to have survived till the 4th century.[1] Traces of Nazarenes have been found in three villages in Absheron - Buzovna, Shagan and Yeni Surakhany. Inscriptions mentioning the Nazarenes have been discovered in these villages. Above the entrance to a mausoleum in Buzovna a two-line Persian inscription in Arabic script says: 1. "This is the grave of Shmavon (Samavarz) Bahram-Nazarene; 2. Muharram 706" (12 August 1306). The inscription was first read by S. Kerim-zade who transliterated it as "Shmavon", while the word "narsa" was reproduced as "Christian". A well-known epigraphist and corresponding member of the National Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan, M.S. Neymatova, read shared by Academician Ziya Buniyatov and Hebrew specialist Prof Filippenko in France "narsa" to mean "Nestorian".[2] We are fully confident that this refers to a Nazarene. Another inscription from the settlement of Shagan, also above an entrance to a mausoleum, reads as follows in M.S. Neymatova’s interpretation: "This is the building of Bulgag-a Bulgarar-a". Commenting on the name, M.S. Neymatova writes that in all probability Bulgag-a and Bulgarar are Jewish names which gave birth to the Arab names Abul-l-Hakk and Abul-l-Karar.[3]



To this day there is a district in Buzovna called Nyazaranly mehellesi, "the Nazarene quarter". The inscriptions containing Jewish names accompanied by the word "narsa", the Nazarene Quarter and Mountain Jews’ permanent residence in Absheron lead us to believe that ancient Jewish Christian communities were once located in the region. Subsequently,

Lekit, V-VI century, Qakh district



Recent studies dealing with the Mountain Jews of Azerbaijan point out that contemporary Tats-Jews, these descendants of ancient Jews who migrated to the Caucasus as far back as the Achaemenid era (648-330 BC), descend from the tribes of Judah and Levy and partly from Benjamin.[4] The main linguistic vocabulary of the Tats-Jews goes back to Hebrew but with a great number of Iranianisms, research has shown. I have discovered that Nazarenes were in Absheron, alongside Tats and Mountain Jews. It was the Jews who first called the Christian-Jews Nazarenes, which can be seen in the Acts of the Apostles (chapter 24, verse 5). There is a difference between Christians and Nazarenes. Nazarenes recognised Jesus Christ as their Messiah, God, but they considered it necessary to observe the Law of Moses. The Christian Church was lenient towards the Nazarenes and did not consider them to be heretics. Nazareneism is believed to have survived till the 4th century.Traces of Nazarenes have been found in three villages in Absheron - Buzovna, Shagan and Yeni Surakhany. Inscriptions mentioning the Nazarenes have been discovered in these villages. Above the entrance to a mausoleum in Buzovna a two-line Persian inscription in Arabic script says: 1. "This is the grave of Shmavon (Samavarz) Bahram-Nazarene; 2. Muharram 706" (12 August 1306). The inscription was first read by S. Kerim-zade who transliterated it as "Shmavon", while the word "narsa" was reproduced as "Christian". A well-known epigraphist and corresponding member of the National Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan, M.S. Neymatova, read shared by Academician Ziya Buniyatov and Hebrew specialist Prof Filippenko in France "narsa" to mean "Nestorian".We are fully confident that this refers to a Nazarene. Another inscription from the settlement of Shagan, also above an entrance to a mausoleum, reads as follows in M.S. Neymatova’s interpretation: "This is the building of Bulgag-a Bulgarar-a". Commenting on the name, M.S. Neymatova writes that in all probability Bulgag-a and Bulgarar are Jewish names which gave birth to the Arab names Abul-l-Hakk and Abul-l-Karar.To this day there is a district in Buzovna called Nyazaranly mehellesi, "the Nazarene quarter". The inscriptions containing Jewish names accompanied by the word "narsa", the Nazarene Quarter and Mountain Jews’ permanent residence in Absheron lead us to believe that ancient Jewish Christian communities were once located in the region. Subsequently,Nazarenes from these villages adopted another belief - Islam - and changed.Recent studies dealing with the Mountain Jews of Azerbaijan point out that contemporary Tats-Jews, these descendants of ancient Jews who migrated to the Caucasus as far back as the Achaemenid era (648-330 BC), descend from the tribes of Judah and Levy and partly from Benjamin.The main linguistic vocabulary of the Tats-Jews goes back to Hebrew but with a great number of Iranianisms, research has shown.

Albania adopts Christianity as state religion Just as the Roman and Antioch churches were created first by the preaching of the apostles, by their disciples and members of the Jerusalem Church, then by Jews driven out from Rome, including Christian Jews, the Albanian Church was created by the apostle Bartholomew and a pupil of the apostle Thaddeus, Eliseus. The Albanian Church was created also with the blessing and consecration of the patriarch of the Jerusalem Church, Jacob, the Lord’s brother. This is the first apostolic period of Christianity in Albania.[5] We call this the Syrophile period. It dates from the 1st to the 4th centuries and is associated with the names of the apostles Thaddeus, Bartholomew, Thaddeus’ disciple Eliseus and the Nazarenes. 33



The next stage in the formation of the Albanian Church is the proclamation of Christianity as the state religion at the beginning of the 4th century. This second period in the development of Christianity is associated with Gregory the Illuminator, a Parthian by origin who was educated in Caesarea in Cappadocia. The period is also associated with the Albanian king, Urnair. While the foundations of the first Albanian Church, the "mother of churches" on the left bank of the River Kura in Kish, were laid during the first apostolic period, during the second period Gregory the Illuminator laid the foundations of the church in the town of Amaras on the right bank in Albania.[6]



In the 4th century, when Christianity became the state religion in the Eastern Roman Empire, in the Caucasus, in Arshakids and their successors, the Mihranid grand princes, tried to unite and consolidate the diverse ethnic groups and polytheism on the basis of a common religion. Despite their Persian origin and kinship with the kings of Iran, once the Albanian kings and grand princes had become the rulers of

Amarass, IV century, Garabagh, Khojavand district



From the 4th century to the fall of the Albanian kingdom in 705, Christianity was the dominating ideology in the Albanian state, inculcated both by the Albanian Arshakid kings and the Mihranid grand princes. Just as the Roman and Antioch churches were created first by the preaching of the apostles, by their disciples and members of the Jerusalem Church, then by Jews driven out from Rome, including Christian Jews, the Albanian Church was created by the apostle Bartholomew and a pupil of the apostle Thaddeus, Eliseus. The Albanian Church was created also with the blessing and consecration of the patriarch of the Jerusalem Church, Jacob, the Lord’s brother. This is the first apostolic period of Christianity in Albania.We call this the Syrophile period. It dates from the 1st to the 4th centuries and is associated with the names of the apostles Thaddeus, Bartholomew, Thaddeus’ disciple Eliseus and the Nazarenes. 33The next stage in the formation of the Albanian Church is the proclamation of Christianity as the state religion at the beginning of the 4th century. This second period in the development of Christianity is associated with Gregory the Illuminator, a Parthian by origin who was educated in Caesarea in Cappadocia. The period is also associated with the Albanian king, Urnair. While the foundations of the first Albanian Church, the "mother of churches" on the left bank of the River Kura in Kish, were laid during the first apostolic period, during the second period Gregory the Illuminator laid the foundations of the church in the town of Amaras on the right bank in Albania.In the 4th century, when Christianity became the state religion in the Eastern Roman Empire, in the Caucasus, in Arshakids and their successors, the Mihranid grand princes, tried to unite and consolidate the diverse ethnic groups and polytheism on the basis of a common religion. Despite their Persian origin and kinship with the kings of Iran, once the Albanian kings and grand princes had become the rulers ofAlbania, they assessed its strategic location (there were routes via Derbent through which the steppe nomads were constantly breaking through into the region and threatening two empires - the Roman and Persian) and decided to rule independently. For this to happen, it was essential to profess a common religious ideology within the whole country to oppose the Zoroastrianizm-Mazdaism of Iran. Only in this way was it possible to preserve both the state and Albanian identity.From the 4th century to the fall of the Albanian kingdom in 705, Christianity was the dominating ideology in the Albanian state, inculcated both by the Albanian Arshakid kings and the Mihranid grand princes.