Homilies
Seventy homilies from the "Book of Homilies which Is Called Summer Volume"

The book contains Seventy homilies or sermons by the great Armenian theologian Gregory of Tatev (1344 1409), taken from his work, the Book of Homilies which Is Called Summer Volume. Discussed are, among other topics, the ordinances of the Decalogue, faith, hope, love, and the virtues and the mortal sins.

Gregory of Tatev, the author of these homilies or sermons and a reformist theologian canonized into sainthood by the Armenian Apostolic Church, was the Armenian Apostolic Church’s most celebrated and prolific theologian of the late fourteenth-early fifteenth century. At a time when the Armenian nation was no longer independent and the very foundation of the Armenian Apostolic Church was under threat, his work fortified it against adverse forces and influences.

The homilies were composed with the intent to train apprentices in preaching and rhetorical art, and serve as practical, instructional, and educational tools.
In addition to facilitating the study of Gregory of Tatev’s religio-philosophical thoughts and positions, his homilies shed light on the way of life of Armenians during mediaeval times and their popular traditions and beliefs.