Georgian · Bible ·
Joh.Chrys. · titus
Work dossier · summary and historical context
This dossier examines the Old Georgian translation of a commentary on the Pauline Epistles traditionally attributed to John Chrysostom, but possibly compiled or translated by the 11th-century Georgian monk Ephrem the Minor. The text survives in a single manuscript with lacunae, reflecting its use in the liturgical readings of the Georgian Church. The commentary draws on Chrysostom's homilies but may represent a later compilation. The Georgian version's relationship to the Greek Vorlage remains unexplored, and its attribution to Ephrem the Minor is contested. The work is significant for understanding the reception of Chrysostom in the Georgian monastic tradition and the transmission of biblical exegesis in the Caucasus.
This commentary is a crucial witness to the reception of John Chrysostom's exegesis in the Georgian Orthodox tradition and the role of Georgian monastic translators like Ephrem the Minor. It illuminates the liturgical use of patristic commentaries in the medieval Georgian Church and the transmission of biblical interpretation across linguistic and cultural boundaries. The work also raises questions about authorship and compilation in the medieval Georgian literary tradition.
The Old Georgian translation of this commentary likely originated in the 10th–11th century Georgian monastic milieu, possibly at the Iviron monastery on Mount Athos or in the Georgian monasteries of Palestine. The text is attributed to John Chrysostom (c. 347–407), the renowned Antiochene preacher and Archbishop of Constantinople, but the attribution is traditional and unverified. The commentary may be a later compilation drawing on Chrysostom's homilies, possibly by Ephrem the Minor (11th c.), a Georgian translator and scribe active in the Georgian monastic communities. The single surviving manuscript (Titus edition base) shows lacunae and marginal notes linking passages to the lectionary cycle, indicating its liturgical use in the Georgian Church. The transmission history is complex, with variants between the Georgian and known Greek Chrysostom corpora remaining unexplored. The work reflects the broader phenomenon of translating and adapting Greek patristic exegesis into Georgian, a key aspect of the Christianization of the Caucasus.
Apparatus · what the pipeline recorded
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