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Georgian · Liturgy ·

John Damascene, De nativitate Domini

Io.Dam. · titus

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machine-draft · no human review 1 passages · 165 words

Work dossier · summary and historical context

Summary

The Old Georgian version of John Damascene's De nativitate Domini is a liturgical homily for the feast of the Nativity, preserved in Georgian Menaia manuscripts. Translated from Greek, likely via Armenian intermediaries, it reflects the 10th–11th-century Georgian translation movement. The text was adapted for local festal use and held authoritative status in the medieval Georgian church. Attribution to John Damascene (8th c.) is traditional but unverified. The edition does not collate all known witnesses, limiting textual-critical analysis.

This work exemplifies the transmission and adaptation of Byzantine liturgical literature in the Georgian tradition, highlighting the role of translation movements in shaping local Christian practice. It also illustrates the complex textual pathways (Greek to Armenian to Georgian) that characterized medieval Caucasian Christianity. The homily's inclusion in the Menaion underscores its authoritative status, while the lack of a critical edition points to ongoing scholarly needs.

Historical context

The Georgian version of De nativitate Domini belongs to the rich translation activity of the Georgian monastic communities, especially on Mount Athos and in Palestine, during the 10th–11th centuries. The text was incorporated into the Georgian Menaion, the liturgical book for fixed feasts, for December 25, the established date of Christmas in Eastern Christianity since the 4th century. The translation likely passed through Armenian intermediaries, reflecting the multilingual and interconnected Christian cultures of the Caucasus. The homily's genre is liturgical, possibly excerpted for lectionary use, as indicated by the term 'sakithavi' (reading). The attribution to John Damascene, a prominent 8th-century theologian, is traditional but not critically verified for this version. The surviving manuscripts show adaptation for local festal use, suggesting the text's authority and flexibility in Georgian worship.

Apparatus · what the pipeline recorded

Annotation and terms

5 commentary units 1 structure1 term1 transmission1 background1 caution 0 derived notes 2 open questions 1 narrative
What the kinds mean

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: liturgy 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 John Damascene, Sermo de nativitate Domini. Copyright TITUS Project, Frankfurt a/M, 10.11.2017. No parts of this document may be republished in any form without prior permission by the copyright holder.

Term index

CopticRenderingCountFirst
no glossary terms recorded
iodammtx-iodam:1 · narrativemedium
Source
(CPG 8067) Manuscript: A = Ath-7 თვესა დეკემბერსა კე დღესა ნეტარისა იოანე ხუცისა და მონაზონისა დამასკელისა საკითხავი, თქმული ყოვლად ქებულისა შობისთვის უფლისა ჩვენისა იესო ქრისტესსა, რომლისა სიტყვა, დასარწმუნებელად წერილ არს უწყებათაგან პირველთა. იესო ქრისტე ადიდე მამა გიორგი მთარგმნელი. --------------------------------- რაჟამს ზაფხული მოიწიოს, ყოვლისა სოფლისა ნივთნი კვალად განახლებად მოიქცევიან და კაცნი წესიერებითა აგებულებისათა შეზავებულნი, სიმრთელესა გვამისასა შეიწყნარებენ; ხოლო ქვეყანა, აყვავებული სიკეთითა თესლთათა ყოველთა თივათა ყვავილითა აღვსებული თვისსა მჭუნვარებასა განიშორბს. ხოლო პირუტყვნი, თივათა და მწვანვილთა პოხნიერებითა განპოხებულნი, მსუქანე და პოხილ ხორცითა იქმნებიან. მაშინ ნათესავიცა ფრინველთა, სიმაღლედ ჰარესა აღფრინვებული, სახედ-სახედთა ხმათა აღუტევებენ და აედონნი და მერცხალნი ოხრიან მთათა და მაღნარნი და ხენი სახარულევანთა ხმათა სიამოვნითა სიტკბოებასა არისასა (არსისასა) ქადაგებენ. მაშინ მწყემსნიცა, ნათესავსა
English
In the month of December, on the 25th day, of the blessed John the monk and hermit of Damascus, a reading, spoken for the all-praised Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ, whose word, for confirmation, is written from the first announcements. Jesus Christ, glory to Father George the translator. --------------------------------- When summer arrives, all the things of the world turn again to renewal, and men, composed with the orderliness of the structure, receive the soundness of the body; while the earth, flourishing with the goodness of all seeds, filled with the flower of all grasses, casts off its own gloom. And the beasts, fattened by the abundance of grasses and greens, become sleek and plump in flesh. Then also the race of birds, soaring high into the air, raise up various voices, and eagles and swallows cry out in the mountains, and the groves and trees, with the delight of joyful sounds, proclaim the sweetness of the air. Then also the shepherds, of the race...
Citation. Tergwame, “John Damascene, De nativitate Domini”, iodammtx-iodam:1, machine-draft, 2026. https://naxiai.com/christian/works/iodammtx-iodam#s1
Colophon. Source: titus · licence: This text is part of the TITUS edition of John Damascene, Sermo de nativitate Domini. Copyright TITUS Project, Frankfurt a/M, 10.11.2017. 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: $0.0010 · generated 2026-11-15.