Lives of the 13 Syrian Fathers The New Recensions of the

Lives of the 13 Syrian Fathers

The New Recensions of the "Conversion of Georgian and the Lives of the 13 Syrian Fathers" Recently Discovered on Mount Sinai
Zaza Alexidze

Monastic life and practices were introduced to Mt. Sinai in the 4th century. In the 6th century, under Emperor Justinian, all those basic buildings were erected here (the main church and the surrounding wall) which determine the nucleus of the monastic complex on the Holy Mount to this day - St. Catherine's monastery, which posseses the richest and the most ancient collection of manuscripts.

The Georgians appeared on Mt. Sinai as early as the 6th century. It would be hard to say anything definite about earlier times. From the 9th-loth centuries and until the I8th century, there was a Georgian colony here with its chapels, libraries, etc. The most significant period in the history of the Georgian colony on Mt. Sinai is the latter half of the l0th century which saw some outstanding Georgian authors working here.

The fact that there was a collection of ancient Georgian manuscripts on Mount Sinai became known to scholars only in the middle of the 19th century. This collection was inventoried several times over by such renowned karvelologists as Alexander Tsagareli, Nicolas Marr, lvane Djavakhisvili, Robert Blake, Gerare Garitte and specialists of the Institute of manuscripts of The Georgian Academy of Sciences. Today we refer to this collections as the « Old Collection », because, quite unexpectedly, a large batch of manuscripts has been recently discovered in St. Catherine's monastery. These manuscripts were by chance unknown to anyone for over two centuries
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On the 26 of May 1975, a fire broke out in St. George's chapel located in the northern portion of the Emperor Justinian's wall of St. Catherine monastery. When it was put out and the damaged area cleaned, a subsidiary room under the chapel, filled with earth, revealed many hundreds of most ancient manuscripts. This find was acclaimed a sensation of the 20th century right then and there.

How could so many manuscripts have found their way to this subsidiary room? Why did the monks totally forget about their existence? Understandably there are no precise answers to these questions, but the following version appears most plausible.

In 1734, by the order of Archbishop Niciphoros Marthalis (in Georgian « martali » means « righteous »), a special building was constructed on the premises of St. Catherine's monastery to house the library, and this is where the Archbishop had all these manuscripts transported and redeposited. In all probability, the monks left in the old depository manuscripts which contained material they did not need for practical use or which were already severely damaged. In 1761, pilgrim Donati observed that besides those manuscripts which were trea- sured and, therefore, taken perfect care of, there also were in St. Catherine's monastery other manuscripts which were mouldering in neglect and whose very existence was eventually forgotten by the monks.

The New Collection numbers over 1.100 manuscripts all In all. The majority of them are Greek (800 pcb.), others are Arabic, Syriac, Ethiopian, Slavonic and Georgian, one Latin and one Hebrew.

The New Collection dates from the 4th through to the I8th centuries.

The sensational information about the discovery of the large number of Georgian manuscripts reached Georgian scholars only in 1982, after the Patriarch of All Georgia Ilia II visited the Holy Mount. Very soon this was followed by an agreement between the Monastery and the Patriarchate about cooperation in studying the Georgian manuscripts and all Georgian antiquities on Sinai as well.

Naturally enough, the Patriarch of all Georgia invited the staff members of the Institute of manuscripts to take part in putting this agreement into effect. After several failed attempts of the Institute to organize a scientific expedition on Sinai, the end of 1990 turned out to be successful. During the 13 working days, the two members of the expedition had compiled a rather extensive catalogue of 133 Georgian manuscripts. Left undescribed were only fragments (which were shown to us in the very end of our stay there) and manuscripts turned into stone after the fire, which had great need to be recovered by the restorers beforehand. It turned out clear that at least one more visit to the St. Catherine's library was necessary to finish the Catalogue of the New Collection.

In the October and November of 1994 the second expedition of the Institute of Manuscripts verified once more with the New Collection the Catalogue compiled by the previous expedition, put in their place in the Collection and in the Catalogue more or less better preserved fragments, and described those manuscripts which were inaccessible for scholars the first time.

The presence of the restorers of the Institute in the Sinai library turned out to be most effective. During less than one month's working time there, they managed to make accessible 15 manuscripts turned into stone; to find out and return back to the original manuscripts lots of fragments; to clean and make readable hundreds of pages of more then 70 manuscripts, etc.

In the course of the two expeditions we could conclude that we succeeded in discovering a total of 140 unknown Georgian manuscripts. The majority of them are hand- written books and 10 are scrolls. In addition, the New Georgian collection contains a lot of fragments - some on two folio, others on one or on a small portion of a folios. Regrettably, even the second expedition had not enough time even to count these fragments, let alone read them.

Most of the recently discovered Georgian manuscripts are written on parchment, and fewer - on paper. All the texts are executed in the so-called « asomtavruli » and « nuskhuri », i. e. uncial and minuscle letters, while some later colophons are in « inkhedruli », or secular script.

A greater part of the New Georgian Collection dates from the 9th-loth centuries, some come from a later time - llth-13th centuries and only one private letter and some colophons were made in the 14-15 centuries. No later manuscripts have been discovered.

I am confident that the numerous palimpsests discovered among the new Georgian manuscripts will attract undivided attention of scholars in different fields of Eastern Antiquity. More often than not, the previous texts in these manuscripts are Greek, Ethiopian, Syriac, Georgian and in few cases Armenian. We can find there manuscripts used three times by the Georgian scribes and in all likelihood every of them after special efforts could be deciphered. Reuse of old manuscripts to write new texts over them on Mt. Sinai in the l0th century was caused by the short supply of parchment, which fact is mentioned in colophons of the newly - discovered Georgian manuscripts. Unfortunately, the expeditions were too pressed for time to discover the identification of these previous texts.

The collection of Georgian manuscripts (both old and new) found on Mt. Sinai is the result of one and the same creative life. The newly-discovered manuscripts and the literary and liturgic materials they carry correspond to and reflect those interests and incentives that determined the intellectual life of the Sinai monastic fraternity.

The New Collection is mostly liturgical codices, the Four Gospels, Psalms, Teaching of the Holy Fathers, ha- giographic collections, lectionaries, etc.

As an example of the especially noteworthy manuscripts I could mention Sin-67 of the New Collection, written and leather-bound into a book in the year 974 by the renowned Georgian author loane-Zosime (i. e. John- Zosimus). It is the « Teachings and miracles of the Holy Fathers from Mt. Sinai ». Even at this stage, prior to special research, it gives us sufficient ground to state that it is an original selection, though some episodes of the narrative may also be read in Paterica in other languages. This text will attract the attention of Caucasologists also because the very first narrator here is the Holy Father Samuel Kartveli (i. e. Samuel the Georgian) who never occurs in any other sources known to us.

Of special importance are the great amount of colophons in the manuscripts from the New Collection. These colophons are, primarily, extremely informative about the activities of Georgian monks on Sinai, particularly In the loth century. One of these colophons merits special attention.

In the colophon of Sin-2 of the New Collection is given a list of Georgian books donated to the Monastery by only one person, namely, by the monk Datua Midznadzoreli (i. e. of Midznadzor) mentioning the number of copies of each book available. The total sum of this donation is impressive: about 45 books. It is not devoid of interest that a similar list was discovered on Mt. Sinai by Nicolas Marr in 1902. Yet these lists differ from each other and we can say with firm belief that our list is the earliest in time testifying to the bibliographic work being done on the Holy Mount. The same colophon also contains a description of its author's activities in some construction work carried out on the premises of St. Catherine monastery. Proceeding from this information, research can be made with a view to identifying from among the buildings still standing there, those which were built by the Georgians.

Two manuscripts of the New Collection from the loth century have proved to be particularly important. One of them (Sin-48) presents a rather long portion of the first Georgian historic composition known as "Moktzevai Kartlisai" («Conversion of Georgia »). This work consists of two main parts: (1) the so-called « Chronicle of the Conversion of Georgia » recording history of Georgia from her inception until the 7th century, with a list of Catholici (Patriarchs) and Erismtavars (Dukes, Rulers) of Georgia (Karth) until the 9th century, and (2) the « Life of St. Nina », the Enlightener of Georgia. The compilation of this work different scholars assign to different periods from the fourth to the ninth century, but mostly agreed among them are the 7th and 9th centuries.

« The Chronicle of the Conversion of Georgia » can be divided into five sections, namely: (1) an account of the would be invasion of Georgia by Alexander the Great and establishment of the first Georgian monarchy; (2) a brief chronicle of the kings of Georgia from the first Georgian king Pharnavaz (turn of the 4th and 3th centuries) to the first Christian king of Georgia Mirian (beginning of the 4th century); (3) the story of the conversion of Georgia; (4) a brief chronicle of the Christian kings of Georgia from Mirian to the end of first half of the 7th century. Main events for this part are the reign of Vaktang Gorgasal, the most eminent king of Georgia of the early medieval centuries and the invasion of Heraclius, the Emperor of Byzantine in Caucasia. Both of these events are represented in the work as the most crucial moments in the history of making of the Georgian National Church; (5) an appendix: the list ofErismtavars and Catholici of Georgia from the second half of the 7th century to the turn of 9th-l0th centuries.

Until recently, the « Conversion of Georgia » was known in two redactions: (1) the Shatberdi redaction (close of the loth century), preserved in the so-called Shatberdi Collection and discovered in 1888; (2) the Tche- lishi redaction (approximately dated from the 14-I5th centuries), discovered in 1903. Linguistically speaking both of these redactions are products of one and the same epoch, but at the same time textually they differ seriously from each other and are not in direct connection with each other. Textologically they are so far from each other that we hardly can speak even about one original used by the scribes of the mentioned redactions. At the same time the version of the llth century Georgian historian Leonti Mroveli, preserved in « Kartlis Tzkhovreba » (History of Georgia), testifies to the existence of the archetype redaction of the « Conversion of Georgia », bearing the features of the both - the Shatberdi and Tchelishi redactions. Manuscript Sin-48 has come down to us quite incomplete: it contains only the 3rd and 4th sections (fortunately the greatest part of them) of the « Chronicle of the Conversion of Georgia », which gives the history of Georgia (Karth) from her Christianization (beginning of the 4th century) until the close of the 6th century. The manuscript has no date, but paleographically there is no doubt that it precedes the Shatberdi collection and belongs to the early loth century.

It is evident also that this latter version, textually speaking, precedes both the Shatberdi and Chelishi redactions: it differs considerably from both of them and at the same time shows some affinities with them. In controversial cases Sin-48 offers much better readings than the Shatberdi and Chelishi redactions. These two facts suggest to us the idea that we face the protoredaction of the « Conversion of Georgia » used by Leonti Mroveli in llth century. But there is a serious obstacle: Sin-48 is so small in size and written with such large letters that one can hardly imagine both in one manuscript - the so-called « Chronicle of the Conversion of Georgia » and the « Life of St. Nina ». But it is better now to turn our attention to the other manuscript, which gives more material for possible conclusions.

Sin-50, among the newly discovered manuscripts on Mt. Sinai, is a collection and, in the condition in which it came down to us, it contains beside the above « Conversion of Georgia », the « Lives of the 13 Syrian Fathers ». According to the old Georgian tradition as a result of these thirteen Syrian Father's activity, during the 6th century all Eastern Georgia was covered by a net of monasteries. The collection Sin-50 is incomplete: some folia are missing at the beginning and at the and of the manuscript.

A combination of facts date the manuscript to the very beginning of the loth century. Here I mean the paleogra- phy of the manuscript, testimonies of the colophons, lists of the Catholid of Georgia and the Priors of Zedazeni monastery, events described in the appendixes etc. The donator of the manuscript Sin-50 is a certain loane (John), « former (in secular life) Arshusha », father of Demetri, Norse and Admerse, the same person who donated in the late 9th century to St. Saba the manuscript well-known to specialists, so called Tchil-Etratis ladgari.

Amazingly enough, the text of the « Conversion of Georgia » in this collection begins almost precisely from where it ends in Sin-48. Fortunately during the second expedition we were lucky to discover two fella from each of them corresponding to each other. It proved to be the case that the two texts of the "Conversion of Georgia" preserved in the two Sinai manuscripts are different to each other recensions. At the same time concerning the text of the « Conversion of Georgia » from Sin-50 1 am bound to repeat what I have said about Sin-48: it differs considerably from both the Shatberdi and Tchelishi redactions showing at the same time some affinities again with both of them.

It is not of course my intention to reexamine here the highly complex textual and historical problems that are posed by the recently discovered two redactions of the « Conversion of Georgia », but two of the problems I should touch very briefly.

I think even at this still preliminary stage of the investigation we can not fail to notice the essential significance of the discovery of two more redactions of the « Conversion of Georgia » for solving the most complicated problem of when and how it was compiled. The existence in the l0th century, better to say, from the very beginning of this millennium, of at least four significantly different redactions, severely damaged by the copyists, of the « Conversion of Georgia » (.1 do not take here into account the fifth, the source of Leonti Mroveli, completely different from those four) spread not only in Georgia but also far from her frontiers, force us to support the idea, that the creation of the archetype of the narrative must be put back well before the 9th century.

Another point on which I would like to make a brief comment is the question of the structure of the « Conversion of Georgia », whether it is one whole work, consisting of two distinct parts, written by one and same author simultaneously, or the so-called « Chronicle » and the « Life of St. Nina » are different compositions, written by different authors at different times.

In the appendix of Sin-50 we can find three very interesting lists of books kept in the libraries of Georgian monasteries: Zedazeni, Jvari (the Holy Cross monastery in Mzkheta) and David-Gareja. In the list of the books of Jvari you can find the book mentioned under the title the « [Book] of Nina ». Since we have not in Georgian literature any trace of the other version of the « Life of St. Nina » except the one which is preserved in the « Conversion of Georgia », we have to accept the second opinion: The « Chronicle » and the « Life of St. Nina » are separate compositions, combined with each other thematically later, perhaps in the 9th century. Of no lesser interest for Georgian studies and history of Eastern Christianity generally are the « Lives of the 13 Syrian Fathers » in the manuscript Sin-50. As it was mentioned above, it is the history of those 13 Syrian monks who came over to Georgia back in the 6th century and established monastic life and practices in this country. In fact the text in Sin-50 consists of two separate works: (1) the "Acts of loane (John) Zedazneli" (of Zedazeni' monastery) with a very short account of the activities of some of his 12 disciples, mostly of Shio Mgvimeli (of Mgvime monastery), and (2) the "Martyrdom of Abibos Nekreseli" (Bishop of Nekresi), one of the supposed disciples of Ioane Zedazneli.

The solution to the very complicated textological and historical problems connected with the discovery of the new and earliest recension of the « Lives » can be provided only by a thorough comparative study of it with all of the other numerous old and new, large and small versions known to us, historical data and traditions, etc. Here I shall only mention very briefly some of them.

1. The newly-discovered texts are doubtless much more ancient than the redactions hitherto known to us. There is no mention of any Arseni Catholicos in them as would be author of either of the two texts, neither in the « Acts of loane Zedazneli » nor in the « Martyrdom of Abibos Nekreseli ».

2. The names of the Syrian Fathers, disciples ofloane Zedazneli and the places of their diffusion are considerably different from those known to us from the later redactions and the church tradition.

3. The « Life of loane Zedazneli » in Sin-50 is a shortened version from the large redaction mentioned in the text as a « Great book where are described their (that is loane's and his disciples's - Z.A.) miraculous acts, places where they had been brought up, and where they carried out later on their monastic duties ». One of such books, namely the « Miracles of Tevdosios Mrekheli and Ezeroz Samtavneli » the author has at his hand since he quotes some episodes in his work from it. Another book of loane's miracles, continues the author, was taken away to Siunik (Swmeti) by the mother of Queen Amaspo, a person known from the Armenian sources (Hamaspruhi or Hamaspuhi) at the turn of the 9th-loth centuries.

4. The new text at least partially solves a rather old subject for discussion: whether so-called Syrian Fathers are Georgians by their origin or not. According to the newly-discovered « Acts of Ioane Zedazneli » Ioane himself is undoubtedly Syrian (« natesavit asuri »).

5. The new text of the « Martyrdom of Abibos Nekreseli » supports the idea that the so-called large redaction is the older in comparison with the short redaction and was written in the end of the second half of the 7th century by a certain bishop of Nekresi.

There is no doubt about the value for Georgian studies of the addition (it cannot be qualified as a colophons included directly in the "Acts of Ioane Zedazneli » by the unqualified scribe of Sin-50 or more likely by his predecessor. Here we have a list of the Priors of Zedazeni monastery with the indication of the dates of their services and most significant actions, descriptions, of the libraries and the treasury houses of some well-known Georgian monasteries, mentioning the most eminent donators, burial places and epitaphs of the kings, dukes, members of their families and martyrs of the Early Medieval Georgia, etc. In all likelihood, among these unexpectedly rich data for specialists in Georgian and Caucasian studies, of special interest would be the first mention of Rustaveli's family, many centuries earlier than its greatest representative Shota Rustaveli (of Rustavi), the author of the immortal poem « The Knight in the Panther Skin » and Georgian Bagratids at the beginning of the 7th century as close relatives of the Erismtavars (Dukes) of Georgia. Before concluding this paper I should like to acknowledge here my debt and my sincere thanks to His Eminence Archbishop of Sinai Damianos, Librarian of the St. Catherine monastery. Father Dimitrios and all the monastery brethren for their never failing support and hospitality.

I understand that this short account can not embrace all the problems covering almost the whole Medieval period of Georgian literature and the nine centuries of the history of the Kingdom of Georgia. But I hope it shows the value and importance of the newly-discovered manuscripts not only for the history of Georgia but generally for that of Caucasia and the Christian East.

Zaza Alexidze PHD
Director
Kekelidze Institute of Manuscripts
Academy of Science
Republic of Georgia

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