The tenth century Armenian monk's Book of Lamentations (also known as The Narek or Book of Prayers or Speaking with God from the depths of the Heart) immediately occupied a pre-eminence in Armenian literature and spirituality which it has never lost. The prayers express the ecstatic distress of the heart, convinced of its sinful and creaturely unworthiness, overwhelmed by God's loving condescension. As a doctor or teacher of the Universal Church,...