Translators in the Metaverse
Armodoxy for Today: Translators in the Metaverse
In October the Armenian Church celebrates the feast of the Holy Translators. This a group is unusual in that the members of the group are not contemporaries. They belong and are members of a group heralded, and responsible, for delivering the Armenian Church to the present day. The group is headed by Mesrop Mashdots, a fifth century saint who is credited for the invention of the Armenian alphabet and the translation of scriptures to the Armenian language. The group is closed off by St. Nersess Shnorhali of the 12th century, the author of countless prayers and hymns, and also led the Armenian Church as its chief bishop. In this elite group are philosophers and teachers, all of whom fall under the title of translator. They are regarded as such because they were gifted with the ability to take something that is complex and simplify it for others to grasp and hold. In its most simple expression, a person who translates one language to a second language does so, so that the message of the first language can be understood by people of the second language. Hence, St. Mesrop, took the message of Scripture, namely the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and made it accessible to Armenians via the Armenian Church.
Armodoxy maintains that the reason for these feasts and celebrations of saints is to inspire us to do the same. Opportunities are all around us, to simplify the complex and pass along the blessing of the Gospel to new generations.
This October, on the Feast of the Holy Translators, Epostle.net opened the first-ever virtual Sunday School in the metaverse. It follows in the spirit of the Holy Translators, to take the complex and simplify it for yet another audience.
At the St. James Armenian Church in Los Angeles, Epostle fitted one of the Sunday School classrooms with computers to serve as the electronic hub for a pilot program that will allow students from anywhere in the world to learn about the Faith of the Armenian Church, follow a curriculum for growth in Christian living, and to exchange ideas with other students.
As we launched this next phase of the Epostle.net ministry, I felt the spirit of the Holy Translators electrifying the students as they engaged in this new medium. The Translator saints gave access to a completely new group of people – people who otherwise may have never known the joy and blessing of Jesus Christ in their lives. There was nothing coercive about their methods, they merely facilitated the hungry soul in its desire to seek and find fulfillment.
This is uncharted waters because the technology is so new. Our Epostle Team struggled with different models for presentation because there is no examples to follow in the virtual theater. And so, the model given to us by the Holy Translators was the guiding force behind our decisions. Much like Mesrop Mashtots or Nersess Shnorhali, we want to translate what has been handed down to us to a new audience. Tomorrow, we’ll look at the audience and their reaction. Today, we end with a prayer written by Gail Chalebian, Superintendent of the St. James Sunday School and recited at the opening of the room. I present it here, asking that you join in the wishes and requests made here.
Lord bless this classroom dedicated to the education of young people. Bless all our clergy, students, teachers, parents, and friends. May this school enable all children and Sunday Schools to flourish and be happy, and may it teach the Armenian Apostolic faith in all its richness and fullness for the salvation of souls. May the children enjoy their learning and find joy in their new discoveries. Bless us Father with your wisdom as we begin our new Epostle curriculum and inspire us by your Holy Spirit. Amen.
Continued tomorrow
From The Western Diocese Newsletter (October 11, 2024)
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