“Jesus in the old testament - Յիսուս Հին Ուխտին մէջ”

Vaհe H Apelian

“Յիսուս Հին Ուխտին մէջ - Jesus in the old testament” is the title of the book the late Rev. Barkev Orchanian wrote.

This past week, the car accident, that took the lives of 32-year-old Arie Orchanian and his 80-year-old paternal aunt, Anie (Orchanian) Manoushagian, reminded me of their father and grandfather Rev. Barkev Orchanian.

 Local news outlets reported that the accident happened on a Watertown busy street where the speed limit is 20 miles per hour.  On Tuesday, December 23 morning, 32-year-old Arie Orchanian and his aunt Anie (Orchanian) Manoushagian, attended a funeral at the Bigelow Avenue Armenian Evangelical church. After the burial, they were headed back to the church for a memorial dinner, but they never made it. Their sedan collided with a Tesla, killing the two.

This tragic accident reminded me of another tragedy the family endured years ago, when Rev. Barkev Orchanian family lost his son Rev. Norayr Hagop, to illness.

I met the Rev. Barkev and his wife Mrs. Arousiag Orchanian and family in Keurkune, Kessab when they spent part of a summer or two at my paternal grandparent’s house. Later on, Ani Orchanian became a student at the American University of Beirut when I was studying there as well. Other than my parents hosting Rev. Orchanian in Beirut, I have no recollection of meeting an Orchanian family member after I came to the U.S. But Rev. Barkev Orchanian and his family has remained etched in my memory because it would not have been possible to have met the reverend and not being impressed by his Christian conviction.

Rev. Barkev Orchanian is also the author of “Յիսուս Հին Ուխտին մէջ - Jesus in the old testament”  book written in 1992. I have retained a copy of the book in my library. The reverend has dedicated the book to his son, Rev. Norayr Hagop Orchanian. I would like to cite in translation Rev. Barkev’s dedication of the book to his son. And, Rev. Dr. Harold A.K. Hasessian’s presentation of the book.

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Dedication: “I dedicate this humble study to the memory of my son, Reverend Norayr Hakop Orchanian, who departed this world prematurely and opened his eyes to eternity, as his tombstone. In a way, to have fulfilled his ardent desire for evangelization and to spread the love of the Lord Jesus Christ.

My son, you were a star that rose and shone in our celestial vault, but like a shooting star, you soon disappeared, wounding all the sensitive hearts that loved you. My son, we are aware that hope does not die, nor is it buried. Although it may become invisible to our eyes for a time, it lives on forever, maintaining its radiant existence, as the Prophet Daniel says, “And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.” KJV 12:3.

You came into this world as a light, illuminating a period, though brief, yet lasting, like a comet. You did what you could do and little more. In your debilitating illness, you did not refuse the offer made to you by your principal, Dr. Rev. H. Fletcher, that you would lead a group of young people to Damascus. You not only did not refuse, but you eagerly accepted it. Those around you had begun to forget your name and call you “the smiling young man.” Now, you are smiling from above.” 

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Rev. Dr. Harold A.K. Hasessian: “Reverend Barkev Orchanian has rendered a fruitful pastoral service in the Armenian Evangelical Church of the Near East. For nearly half a century, he has preached the Gospel of Christ and spread the message of salvation to the remote provinces of Lebanon and Syria, where Armenians are scattered. He has also worked in churches in Istanbul, as well as in U. S. and in Canada. The Reverend is a dedicated, orthodox and faithful clergyman. He has been a visionary, a tireless reader, a persistent worker, and a studious pastor. He has been a serious student of the Bible. He presents to the religious world a unique scholarly work, titled “JESUS ​​IN THE OLD TESTAMENT.”

It is very beneficial to follow the Reverend’s way of thinking in order to understand the art of his interpretations and analyses.

Reverend Barkev Orchanian sees in the characters and the happening of the Old Testament, our Lord Jesus Christ, His holiness and righteousness. He finds Jesus as the promised Messiah, the awaited Savior, the High Priest of the Temple, the Lamb of God and the Sacrificial Lamb on the altar of fire, for the salvation and forgiveness of sins, for the Jewish people and the entire pagan world.

The publication “JESUS ​​IN THE OLD TESTAMENT” invites the reader to delve deeper into pre-Christian revelation. Those who know Jesus and follow in His footsteps will find Him in the works of the kings, the judges, and the prophets of the Old Testament, as well as in the temple, where every symbol points to His majesty, authority, and power as the Son of God. The picture on the book cover reflects that mystery. Jesus, as the light of the world, floods the temple with its surrounding 

I wish and pray that, this meritorious work of the Very Reverend Barkev Orchanian, will illuminate the reader’s mind and the brighten the reader's soul. The author will feel rewarded when he learns that the central figure of the book, Lord Jesus, has been the personal savior of the reader. Spread the message of this beneficial book by sharing it with many”. 

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