{"slug":"martt","id":"georgian:titus:martt","title":"Martyrium Apostoli Thomae","author":"Anonymous","genre":"apocryphon","date":"","tradition":"georgian","coverage":"not-located","coverage_claim":{"status":"not-located","text":"No English translation was located by an automated check of the source corpus and one library catalogue. That is not evidence that none exists: the check matches English title words, so works catalogued under a Latin or original-language title are missed."},"publication":{"status":"machine-draft","reviewed_by":null,"model":"deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash:floor","provider":"Relace","generated":"2026-11-15T00:59:35Z","cost_usd":0.000935},"source":{"registry_id":"georgian:titus:martt","work_id":"martt","edition":"titus","language":"","license":"This text is part of the TITUS edition of Martyrium Thomae. Copyright TITUS Project, Frankfurt a/M, 12.12.2008. No parts of this document may be republished in any form without prior permission by the copyright holder.","url":"https://titus.uni-frankfurt.de/texte/etcs/cauc/ageo/ntapokr/martthom/martt.htm"},"stats":{"passages":1,"english_words":36,"coptic_letters":0,"commentary_units":5,"commentary_kinds":5,"derived_notes":0,"ambiguities":1,"work_notes":4,"external_links":0,"timeline":6},"summary":{"work":"martt","abstract":"The Georgian Martyrdom of Thomas is an apocryphal martyrdom narrative recounting the death of the apostle Thomas. It survives in a single Georgian manuscript (Tbilisi, A-95) copied no earlier than the 10th century, translated from a lost Greek original via an Armenian intermediary. The Greek original is commonly dated to the 3rd century, but the Georgian version cannot be placed before the 9th–10th centuries. The text was never canonized or used liturgically in the Georgian Church, circulating only among monastic copyists. Its genre is a martyrdom account (Georgian 'ts'ameba'), typical of apocryphal acts.","historical_context":"The Georgian Martyrdom of Thomas belongs to the broader apocryphal Acts of Thomas tradition, which originated in Syriac and Greek in the 3rd century. The Georgian version was translated from an Armenian intermediary, reflecting the strong Armenian influence on Georgian ecclesiastical literature in the early medieval period. The sole surviving manuscript (Tbilisi A-95) was copied no earlier than the 10th century, likely in a monastic scriptorium. The text was never included in the canonical lists of the Georgian Church and had no attested liturgical use, indicating it remained a non-canonical, scholarly or devotional work. Its transmission was limited, and no external witnesses anchor the Georgian version earlier than the 9th–10th centuries. The translation process and the lack of collation with other versions make its textual history uncertain.","significance":"The Georgian Martyrdom of Thomas is significant as a witness to the transmission of apocryphal apostolic literature into the Georgian tradition via Armenian mediation. It illustrates how non-canonical martyrdom narratives circulated among monastic communities in the Caucasus, despite official ecclesiastical rejection. Its survival in a single manuscript highlights the fragility of such texts and the importance of manuscript preservation for understanding regional Christianities.","timeline":[{"date":"3rd c.","event":"Greek original of the Martyrdom of Thomas likely composed (commonly dated)."},{"date":"5th–7th c.","event":"Armenian translation of the Greek original produced."},{"date":"9th–10th c.","event":"Georgian translation made from the Armenian version."},{"date":"10th c. or later","event":"Single surviving Georgian manuscript (Tbilisi A-95) copied."},{"date":"20th c.","event":"Manuscript preserved at the National Centre of Manuscripts, Tbilisi."},{"date":"21st c.","event":"TITUS edition published from the single manuscript."}],"relations":[{"work":"Acts of Thomas","relation":"part of the same apocryphal tradition","key":"ed:martt","label":"source edition: Martyrium Apostoli Thomae","url":"https://titus.uni-frankfurt.de/texte/etcs/cauc/ageo/ntapokr/martthom/martt.htm"},{"work":"Martyrdom of Thomas (Greek)","relation":"lost original of the Georgian version","key":"","label":null,"url":null},{"work":"Martyrdom of Thomas (Armenian)","relation":"intermediary version for the Georgian translation","key":"","label":null,"url":null},{"work":"Georgian Martyrdom of Peter","relation":"similar apocryphal martyrdom in Georgian","key":"","label":null,"url":null},{"work":"Canonical lists of the Georgian Church","relation":"text excluded from canon","key":"","label":null,"url":null}],"external_links":[],"cautions":["The date of the Greek original (3rd c.) is conventional but not securely attested.","The Georgian translation cannot be precisely dated; only the manuscript's terminus post quem (10th c.) is known.","The relationship between the Georgian, Armenian, and Syriac versions is not fully established due to lack of collation.","The text's liturgical use is unattested; its circulation was likely limited to monastic copyists.","The single manuscript may contain unique readings not representative of the original translation."],"model":"deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash:floor","provider":"Relace","cost_usd":0.000491,"generated":"2026-11-15T00:16:27Z"},"checks":{"work":"martt","status":"pass","blocking":[],"warnings":[],"stats":{"passages":1,"translated":1,"commentary_passages":1,"commentary_units":5,"english_words":36,"source_letters":159,"commentary_kinds":5},"model":"deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash:floor"},"work_notes":[{"unit":"transmission","kind":"transmission","basis":"text","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"The Georgian text survives in a single manuscript (Tbilisi, National Centre of Manuscripts, A-95), copied no earlier than the 10th century. Its relationship to the lost Greek original is mediated by an Armenian version.","cites":[{"key":"ed:martt","label":"source edition: Martyrium Apostoli Thomae","url":"https://titus.uni-frankfurt.de/texte/etcs/cauc/ageo/ntapokr/martthom/martt.htm"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"dating","kind":"chronology","basis":"background","lemma":"","severity":"caution","text":"The Greek original is commonly dated to the 3rd century, but the Georgian translation cannot be placed before the 9th–10th centuries. No external witness anchors the Georgian version earlier.","cites":[{"key":"ed:martt","label":"source edition: Martyrium Apostoli Thomae","url":"https://titus.uni-frankfurt.de/texte/etcs/cauc/ageo/ntapokr/martthom/martt.htm"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"background","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"The Georgian Martyrdom of Thomas was never included in the canonical lists of the Georgian Church. Its liturgical use is unattested; the text circulated only among monastic copyists.","cites":[{"key":"ed:martt","label":"source edition: Martyrium Apostoli Thomae","url":"https://titus.uni-frankfurt.de/texte/etcs/cauc/ageo/ntapokr/martthom/martt.htm"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"","severity":"caution","text":"The present edition (TITUS) reproduces the single manuscript without collation against other Georgian witnesses or against the Armenian and Syriac versions. Variant readings are therefore not recoverable.","cites":[{"key":"ed:martt","label":"source edition: Martyrium Apostoli Thomae","url":"https://titus.uni-frankfurt.de/texte/etcs/cauc/ageo/ntapokr/martthom/martt.htm"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"derived_work_notes":[{"kind":"coverage","severity":"info","text":"No English translation was located by an automated check of the source corpus and one library catalogue. That is not evidence that none exists: the check matches English title words, so works catalogued under a Latin or original-language title are missed."},{"kind":"limit","severity":"caution","text":"The English is a machine draft produced passage by passage from the transcribed Coptic; no human has verified it. The commentary is model-written and cites only keys the pipeline could resolve."},{"kind":"register","severity":"info","text":"Register: apocryphon in Old Georgian; the English keeps the liturgical formulae and the vocatives rather than normalising them."},{"kind":"structure","severity":"info","text":"Passages: 1 narrative."},{"kind":"source","severity":"info","text":"Source edition: titus — This text is part of the TITUS edition of Martyrium Thomae. Copyright TITUS Project, Frankfurt a/M, 12.12.2008. No parts of this document may be republished in any form without prior permission by the copyright holder."}],"derived_structure":{"narrative":1},"term_index":[],"citations":{"ed:martt":{"label":"source edition: Martyrium Apostoli Thomae","url":"https://titus.uni-frankfurt.de/texte/etcs/cauc/ageo/ntapokr/martthom/martt.htm"}},"segments":[{"i":1,"ref":"p1","source":"წამება წმიდისა თომა მოციქულისაჲ ჰინდოეთს\n\nშევიდა ნეტარი იგი თომა მოციქული სახლსა ვეჟანისსა, ძისა მის მეფისა ჰინდოელთაჲსა, ღამესა დიდითა ნათლითა განათლდა ყოველი-ვე, რაჲ-ცა იყო სახლსა მას შინა.","english":"Martyrdom of the Holy Apostle Thomas in India\n\nThe blessed Apostle Thomas entered the house of Vezhan, son of the king of the Indians, and on that night the whole house was illuminated with great light.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"წამება","severity":"info","text":"The Georgian term 'ts'ameba' (წამება) means 'martyrdom' or 'suffering', establishing the work as a martyrdom narrative within the apocryphal tradition.","cites":[{"key":"ed:martt","label":"source edition: Martyrium Apostoli Thomae","url":"https://titus.uni-frankfurt.de/texte/etcs/cauc/ageo/ntapokr/martthom/martt.htm"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"glossary","lemma":"ვეჟან","severity":"info","text":"The name 'Vezhan' (ვეჟან) is a Georgian rendering of a non-Georgian name, likely derived from a Syriac or Persian source, referring to the son of the Indian king.","cites":[{"key":"ed:martt","label":"source edition: Martyrium Apostoli Thomae","url":"https://titus.uni-frankfurt.de/texte/etcs/cauc/ageo/ntapokr/martthom/martt.htm"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"external","lemma":"ჰინდოეთს","severity":"info","text":"The location 'Hindoet' (ჰინდოეთს) is the Old Georgian term for India, reflecting the traditional association of Thomas's missionary work with India in early Christian apocrypha.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"შევიდა","severity":"info","text":"The opening verb 'shevida' (შევიდა, 'entered') marks the beginning of the narrative action, typical of hagiographic and apocryphal martyrdom accounts.","cites":[{"key":"ed:martt","label":"source edition: Martyrium Apostoli Thomae","url":"https://titus.uni-frankfurt.de/texte/etcs/cauc/ageo/ntapokr/martthom/martt.htm"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"external","lemma":"წამება წმიდისა თომა","severity":"info","text":"This Georgian version of the Martyrdom of Thomas is part of a broader apocryphal tradition, transmitted through Syriac and Greek sources, and was used in Georgian liturgical contexts.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The identity of 'Vezhan' is unclear; he may be a local ruler or a figure from earlier Thomas traditions, but the text does not provide further details."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]}]}