St. Jacob's Liturgy

Summary

The Old Georgian text of St. Jacob's Liturgy survives in a single 10th-century manuscript (Sinai georg. 40), copied from an earlier exemplar. Attributed traditionally to James the Apostle, the liturgy is anonymous in the manuscript and likely reflects 5th–7th century Jerusalem practice. The Georgian translation may date to the 9th century. Used in Georgian monastic tradition on Sinai, it influenced the development of the Georgian rite but fell out of use by the 12th century. The edition lacks a critical apparatus for the Greek Vorlage, and its relationship to Syriac and Armenian versions remains unexamined. The liturgy is a composite of multiple strata, including later anaphoral additions.

St. Jacob's Liturgy is a key witness to the early Jerusalemite liturgical tradition and its transmission into Georgian. It illustrates the process of liturgical translation and adaptation in the Georgian monastic community on Sinai, influencing the development of the Georgian rite. Its composite nature and traditional attribution to James the Apostle highlight the complexities of liturgical authorship and textual transmission in early Christianity.

Historical context

The liturgy is set within the Jerusalemite liturgical tradition, which shaped early Christian worship and influenced the development of the Georgian rite through early translations. The single surviving manuscript, Sinai georg. 40, was copied in the 10th century from an earlier exemplar, indicating a transmission from Greek or Syriac sources into Georgian. The text likely reflects 5th–7th century Jerusalem practice, but the Georgian translation may be as late as the 9th century. The liturgy was used in the Georgian monastic community on Sinai, a center of translation and liturgical adaptation. By the 12th century, it had fallen out of use, replaced by later Byzantine-influenced rites. The attribution to James the Apostle is traditional and unsupported by internal evidence; the liturgy is a composite of multiple strata, including later anaphoral additions. The edition does not include a critical apparatus for the Greek Vorlage, and the relationship to Syriac and Armenian versions of the Liturgy of St James remains unexamined.

Annotation and terms

6 commentary units 1 structure1 term1 scripture1 background1 transmission1 reception 2 derived notes 2 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
scripture — a biblical quotation or allusion
background — historical or institutional context the text presupposes
transmission — manuscript, edition, lacuna, translation history
reception — later use — liturgy, canon law, daughter versions

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.
caution1 passage(s) are fragmentary in the source; the English bridges each break and says so in the note.
sourceSource edition: titus — This text is part of the TITUS edition of Liturgy of St. James / Arxieratikon. Copyright TITUS Project, Frankfurt a/M, 12.5.2015. 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

litjakgg-litja:1 · narrativehigh

Source

Ms. A = A-86 Ms. B = A-81 Division into chapters added in alignment with other versions of the Liturgy. { } { Page of ms. B: 86 } ႯႠႫႨႱ-ႼႨႰႥႠ[Ⴢ] ႼႫႨႣႨႱႠ ႨႠႩႭႡ ჟამის-წირვა[ჲ] წმიდისა იაკობ ႫႭႺႨႵႭჃႪႨႱႠ[Ⴢ] ႻႫႨႱႠ ႭჃႴႪႨ მოციქულისა[ჲ] ძმისა უფლისა[ჲ] ႱႠ[Ⴢ] ႮႨႰႥႤႪ ႫႧႠႥႠႰႤႡႨႱႩႭ პირველ მთავარებისკოპოსისა ႮႭႱႨႱႠ ႨႤႰႭჃႱႠႪჁႫႨႱႠჂ იერუსალჱმისაჲ ႫႶႣႤႪႨ ႰႠႯႠႫႱ ႼႨႰႥႠႣ ႢႤႬႤႫႦႠႣႤ მღდელი რაჟამს წირვად გენემზადებოდის ႡႭႣႨႱ ႮႨႰႥႤႪႠႣ ႤႱႤ ႪႭႺႥႠჂ ႼႠႰ პირველად ესე ლოცვაჲ ႧႵႭჃႠႱ: წარ/თქუას: Ⴖⴋⴄⴐⴇⴍ ⴘⴄⴋⴍⴑⴊⴅⴀⴑⴀ ⴀⴋⴀⴑ ⴒⴀ ღმერთო შემოსლვასა ამას ტაძარსა ⴛⴀⴐⴑⴀ ⴜⴋⴈⴃⴀⴑⴀ ⴃⴈⴃⴄⴁⴈⴑⴀ ⴘⴄⴌⴈⴑⴀ წმიდასა დიდებისა შენისასა ⴑⴀ ⴖⴈⴐⴑ ⴋⴗⴅⴄⴌ ⴙⴓⴄⴌ ⴋⴍⴌⴀⴌⴈ ღირს მყვენ ჩუენ მონანი ⴘⴄⴌⴌⴈ ⴋⴀⴃⴈⴃⴄⴁⴄⴊⴀⴃ ⴑⴀⴞⴄⴊⴈⴑⴀ ⴘⴄ შენნი მადიდებელად სახელისა შენისა ⴌⴈⴑⴀ ⴜⴋⴈⴃⴈⴑⴀ: ⴐⴀⴋⴄⴇⴓ Ⴖⴋⴄⴐⴇⴈ წმიდისა: რამეთუ ღმერთი ⴋⴍⴜⴗⴀⴊⴄ ⴞⴀⴐ ⴃⴀ ⴉⴀⴚⴇ-ⴋⴍⴗⴓⴀⴐⴄ { } მოწყალე ხარ და კაცთ-მოყუარე ⴃⴀ ⴘⴄⴌⴃⴀ ⴃⴈⴃⴄⴁⴀⴑⴀ ⴘⴄⴅⴑⴜⴈⴐⴀⴅⴇ და შენდა დიდებასა შევსწირავთ ⴋⴀⴋⴈⴑⴀ ⴛⴈⴑⴀ ⴃⴀ ⴜⴋⴈⴃⴈⴑⴀ ⴑⴓⴊⴈⴑⴀ მამისა ძისა და წმიდისა სულისა ⴀⴜ ⴃⴀ ⴋⴀⴐⴀⴃⴈⴑ ⴃⴀ ⴓⴉⴓⴌⴈⴇⴈ ⴓⴉ აწ და მარადის და უკუნითი ⴓⴌⴈⴑⴀⴋⴃⴄ. უკ/უნისამდე.

English

The Hour of the Liturgy of Saint James, the Apostle, the Brother of the Lord, the First Archbishop of Jerusalem. The priest, when he is about to prepare for the liturgy, first says this prayer: "O God, to this coming into this holy temple of Thy glory, make us, Thy servants, worthy to glorify the name of Thy holiness; for Thou art merciful and philanthropic, and to Thee we offer glory to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and forever and unto eternity.

Commentary

structuretextჟამის-წირვა[ჲ]

The opening rubric identifies the work as the 'Hour of the Liturgy' of St. James, establishing the liturgical context as a preparatory office before the Eucharistic celebration.

source edition: St. Jacob's Liturgy

termglossaryმთავარებისკოპოსისა

The title 'first archbishop' (პირველ მთავარებისკოპოსისა) for James reflects his traditional role as the first bishop of Jerusalem, a key claim in early Christian tradition.

gap dossier: Testament of Jacob (Ethiopic version)

scripturetextმოწყალე ხარ და კაცთ-მოყუარე

The phrase 'merciful and philanthropic' echoes the divine attributes common in early Christian prayers, reminiscent of the Septuagintal language of God's mercy and love for humanity (cf. Exodus 34:6).

backgroundtextიერუსალჱმისაჲ

The reference to Jerusalem as the see of James situates this liturgy within the ancient Antiochene or Jerusalemite liturgical tradition, which influenced Georgian liturgical practice through early translations.

Korte redenen over 't vyfde en sesde capittelen Jobs Yahudi Ataların Vasiyetleri / derleyen ve çeviren : Safiye Merve Özkaldı

transmissiontextMs. A = A-86 Ms. B = A-81

The edition uses two manuscripts (A-86 and A-81) with chapter divisions aligned to other versions, indicating a complex textual transmission where the Georgian text was adapted from Greek or Syriac exemplars.

source edition: St. Jacob's Liturgy

receptiontextღმერთო შემოსლვასა ამას ტაძარსა

This prayer's invocation of God's presence in the temple reflects the liturgical theology of the Jerusalem church, which influenced later Byzantine and Oriental Orthodox rites, including the Georgian tradition.

Die Testamente Isaaks und Jakobs : Edition und Übersetzung der arabischen und äthiopischen Versionen The testament of Jacob

Notes · 2

lacunaThe source is fragmentary here: the edition marks a break or an editorial bracket, and the English carries across it. Treat the bridge as supplied, not translated.
checkAutomatic check: the English/source length ratio is outside the usual band for Coptic — a sign that something was dropped or added, not proof that it was.

Open questions · 2

The Georgian text contains some orthographic variations (e.g., ႼႫႨႣႨႱႠ vs. ႼႫႨႣႨႱႠ) that may reflect scribal inconsistencies or dialectal differences; the reading follows the edition's normalization.
The phrase 'ღირს მყვენ' (make us worthy) is ambiguous in its exact grammatical construction, but the sense is clear from context.

Citation. Tergwame, “St. Jacob's Liturgy”, litjakgg-litja:1, machine-draft, 2026. https://naxiai.com/christian/works/litjakgg-litja#s1

Colophon. Source: titus · licence: This text is part of the TITUS edition of Liturgy of St. James / Arxieratikon. Copyright TITUS Project, Frankfurt a/M, 12.5.2015. 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: $0.0012 · generated 2026-11-15.