Collectio textuum hagiographicorum, Vol. III

Summary

This anonymous Old Georgian hagiographic collection, preserved in a single 10th-century manuscript with lacunae and corrections, compiles vitae of ascetics and martyrs. Dated palaeographically and linguistically to the 9th–10th centuries, the texts follow a standard threefold title formula (life, conduct, struggle) derived from Greek models. Several pieces were later incorporated into Georgian synaxaria by the 11th century, indicating liturgical use. The edition does not collate the manuscript against other witnesses, leaving variant readings and stemmatic relationships unexamined.

This collection is a key witness to the development of Georgian hagiography and its liturgical use, bridging Byzantine literary models and local Caucasian traditions. It preserves texts foundational for Georgian Christian identity, such as the Life of Nino, and illustrates the transmission of hagiographic material from manuscript to synaxarion. The lack of collation with other witnesses, however, limits understanding of its textual history and variant readings.

Historical context

The collection was produced in the Georgian monastic milieu of the Caucasus, likely in the region of Tao-Klarjeti or the Georgian monasteries of Mount Athos, where Old Georgian hagiography flourished from the 8th to 11th centuries. The language is Old Georgian, and the genre reflects the adaptation of Byzantine hagiographic forms for local saints. The manuscript's survival in a single copy, with marginal corrections, suggests limited but careful transmission within a monastic scriptorium. The inclusion of these texts in later synaxaria points to their integration into the liturgical calendar of the Georgian Church by the 11th century. No colophon or external event provides a precise date, so the 9th–10th century range rests on palaeographic and linguistic evidence.

Annotation and terms

5 commentary units 1 structure1 term1 background1 reception1 caution 0 derived notes 1 open questions 1 narrative

What the kinds mean

structure — the passage's function in the work
term — a Coptic word and the rendering chosen for it
background — historical or institutional context the text presupposes
reception — later use — liturgy, canon law, daughter versions
caution — uncertainty or a contested reading

Pipeline notes

limitThe 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.
registerRegister: hagiography in Old Georgian; the English keeps the liturgical formulae and the vocatives rather than normalising them.
structurePassages: 1 narrative.
sourceSource edition: titus — This text is part of the TITUS edition of Old Georgian Hagiographical Texts, vol. III. Copyright TITUS Project, Frankfurt a/M, 27.4.2014. No parts of this document may be republished in any form without prior permission by the copyright holder.

Term index

Coptic	Rendering	Count	First
no glossary terms recorded

gh3:1 · narrativehigh

Source

ცხოვრებაჲ და მოქალაქობაჲ და ღუაწლი წმიდისა და ღირსისა დედისა ჩუენისა ნინოჲსი, რომელმან ქადაგა ქრისტე, ღმერთი ჩუენი, ქუეყანასა ჩრდილოჲსასა და განანათლა ნათესავი ქართველთაჲ მამაო, გუაკურთხენ!

English

The life, conduct, and struggle of our holy and venerable mother Nino, who preached Christ, our God, in the northern land and enlightened the nation of the Georgians. Father, bless us!

Commentary

structuretextცხოვრებაჲ და მოქალაქობაჲ და ღუაწლი

The threefold title formula (life, conduct, struggle) is a standard hagiographic opening, modeled on Greek βίος, πολιτεία, and ἄθλησις, common in Georgian vitae of ascetics and martyrs.

source edition: Collectio textuum hagiographicorum, Vol. III

termglossaryნინოჲ

Nino is the Georgian name for the female apostle and enlightener of Georgia, traditionally identified with the Cappadocian Christian who converted King Mirian III in the early 4th century. The form is a Georgian adaptation of Greek Νίνα.

source edition: Collectio textuum hagiographicorum, Vol. III

backgroundbackgroundქუეყანასა ჩრდილოჲსასა

The phrase 'northern land' refers to the region of Kartli (Iberia) in the Caucasus, often described in Georgian sources as lying north of the civilized world of the Mediterranean and the Holy Land.

source edition: Collectio textuum hagiographicorum, Vol. III

receptionbackgroundნათესავი ქართველთაჲ

The phrase 'nation of the Georgians' (ქართველთაჲ) reflects the self-designation of the Kartvelian people. The Life of Nino is a foundational text for Georgian Christian identity, widely copied and read in monastic communities.

source edition: Collectio textuum hagiographicorum, Vol. III

cautiontextმამაო, გუაკურთხენ!

The closing invocation 'Father, bless us!' is a liturgical formula addressed to a spiritual father or the reader. It may be a scribal addition or a cue for public reading, not part of the original narrative.

source edition: Collectio textuum hagiographicorum, Vol. III

Open questions · 1

The title's three elements (life, conduct, struggle) may be a later editorial expansion; the exact relationship between this text and the longer Vita Nino cycle is uncertain.

Citation. Tergwame, “Collectio textuum hagiographicorum, Vol. III”, gh3:1, machine-draft, 2026. https://naxiai.com/christian/works/gh3#s1

Colophon. Source: titus · licence: This text is part of the TITUS edition of Old Georgian Hagiographical Texts, vol. III. Copyright TITUS Project, Frankfurt a/M, 27.4.2014. No parts of this document may be republished in any form without prior permission by the copyright holder. · model: deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash:floor · provider: Relace · cost: $0.0008 · generated 2026-11-15.