vardapet

A vardapet (Armenian: վարդապետ, Eastern Armenian: [vaɾtʰa'pεt]; Western Armenian: vartabed, [vɑɾtʰɑˈbɛd]) is a title given to highly educated hieromonks in the Armenian Apostolic Church. It has been variously translated as 'doctor', 'doctor-monk', 'archimandrite', or 'doctor of theology'. The term originated from vardbad, a Middle Persian term, while the Parthian variant, varžapet, is retained in Armenian for "teacher". James R. Russell said that the Middle Persian form indicates that the Christian Armenian title was adopted on the model of a Sasanian Zoroastrian office. The term vardapet, which in Classical Armenian had the primary meaning of 'teacher' or 'head teacher', has been used in the Armenian Church from its earliest days. Mesrop Mashtots, the creator of the Armenian alphabet, is ...