Hagiography

Fr. Dr. Andria Saria

This section gives a general overview of Georgian ecclesiastical–historical

literature and its main character. It also discusses the beginning of complex

Georgian hagiographical writing, especially translations. Hagiography developed

in Georgia both before the tenth century and after it.Hagiography comes from the

Greek words “hagios” (holy) and “grapho” (to write). It is a part of Christian

religious literature that describes the lives, works, and sometimes the martyrdom of

saints.

In general, hagiography has two main forms: martyrdom stories, which tell of saints who suffered and died for their faith and the lives of saints, which describe the life, faith, and spiritual struggle of holy

people.

Hagiography first developed in the Roman Empire and later spread to other

Christian countries. One of the earliest examples is the Life of Anthony, written by

Athanasius of Alexandria in the 4th century. During the 9th–10th centuries, hagiography changed and developed. Besides religious themes, writers also began to include ethical and political ideas. An

important figure in this development was the Byzantine writer Symeon the Metaphrast, who created a new style of writing about saints and strongly influenced both Eastern and Western Christian literature.

Hagiographical texts are also important for history and culture. Many authors were priests who wrote about the saints but also described the society and daily life of their time. Because of this, these works are valuable historical sources.

In the 17th century, scholars called the Bollandists began to publish collections of

hagiographical texts. One of their founders was Jean Bolland. Their famous

collection Acta Sanctorum is still an important historical source today.

Georgian Hagiography

Hagiography is one of the most important parts of old Georgian religious

literature. Georgian literature contains many hagiographical works, both original

texts and translations from languages such as Greek, Syriac, Arabic, and Armenian.

The earliest surviving Georgian hagiographical work is Martyrdom of Shushanik,

written around 476–483 by Jacob of Tsurtavi. This work is an original Georgian

text. Its high literary quality shows that earlier literary traditions must have already

existed, even though some older works have been lost.

Many original Georgian hagiographical texts describe the struggle of

Christianity against other religions that influenced the region at different times. For

example: Against Zoroastrianism in works such as the Martyrdom of Shushanik, the

Martyrdom of Eustathius of Mtskheta, and the Martyrdom of Razhden the

Protomartyr. Against Islam in texts such as the Martyrdom of Abo of Tbilisi, the

Martyrdom of Konstantine of Kakheti, and the Martyrdom of Michael-Gobron.

Against local pagan traditions in works like the Martyrdom of the Kolai Children.

Because of Georgia’s historical situation, abandoning Christianity was often seen

as betraying the nation. For this reason, Georgian hagiography helped strengthen

national and cultural identity.

Some important Georgian hagiographical works describe the lives of saints

who played an important role in Georgian spiritual life. For example:

Life of Gregory of Khandzta by George Merchule, Life of Serapion of Zarzma by Basil of Zarzma,

The Lives of the Assyrian Fathers, Life of Euthymius the Athonite by George the Hagiorite

These texts are very valuable historical sources because many of the authors

personally witnessed the events they described.

From the 11th century, a new literary style influenced Georgian hagiography.

This was the metaphrastic style, which replaced the earlier kimenon style. Cultural

exchange between Georgia and neighboring cultures was very active during this

time. For example, Euthymius the Athonite translated the work Wisdom of

Balahvar from Georgian into Greek. Later, it was translated into Latin and spread

throughout Europe, including Slavic countries.

Spiritual and Cultural Importance

Georgian hagiography did more than describe saints. It also helped shape

Georgian literature, culture, and identity. Through these works, Georgian writers developed a refined literary style and new ways to describe spiritual life and human experience. Hagiography also

influenced later secular literature by providing strong narrative models and artistic

techniques.

Most importantly, these texts show how the faith, courage, and sacrifice of

saints helped preserve Christianity and inspire believers for many generations.

There are also original Georgian hagiographical texts and their later

revisions. These can be divided into several groups:

Original works:

The Martyrdom of Eustathius of Mtskheta (with discussion of the Kolai

children), The Life of Constantine of Kakheti, and The Shatberdi Life of St. Nino.

Metaphrastic texts:

The Life of the Thirteen Syrian Fathers, The Martyrdom of David and

Constantine, The Martyrdom of the Protomartyr Razhden, and King Archil.

Synaxarion lives:

The Life of Luke of Jerusalem and Nicholas of Dvaleti.

Christian nations that had cultural relations with Georgia created rich ecclesiastical

and historical literature. Because of this, it was natural to expect that Georgians

would also show creativity in this field, as they did in other areas. However, when

we look at the church–historical texts translated into Georgian, the situation is

somewhat different.

Several works are known from early translations:

In the early period, Eusebius of Caesarea’s Ecclesiastical History was translated

into Georgian. This is known from a response by Euthymius the Athonite to a

question about forbidden books sent from Georgia. Unfortunately, this translation

has not survived.

Another work translated before the tenth century is the “Epistle about where

the Apostles preached and the names of the Seventy Apostles.” It is traditionally

attributed to Hippolytus of Rome, though modern scholarship connects it with

Dorotheus of Tyre, a fourth-century author. He wrote a work called a Synopsis

about the Twelve Apostles and the Seventy disciples. This text was translated into

Georgian and later translated again by George the Hagiorite, who included it in his

large Synaxarion.

Another translation from before the tenth century is the work “The Deeds of

the Holy Prophets,” which is attributed to Epiphanius of Salamis, though it was

probably written in the eighth century with the help of Dorotheus’ writings.

From the same period we also have Georgian translations of three historical works

by Cyril of Jerusalem. One of them describes the appearance of the Holy Cross to

Constantine the Great during his battle with Maxentius. This text was read in

church services on May 7, when Georgians celebrated the feast connected with the

Cross of Mtskheta. Another text describes the appearance of the Cross in Jerusalem

during the reign of Emperor Constans. A third work tells about the discovery of the

Cross by Helena. These works later influenced the writings of early Georgian

historians about the establishment of crosses in Mtskheta during the reign of King

Mirian.

In the tenth century, a text was translated from Arabic called “The Capture

of Jerusalem.” It was written by Antiochus Strategos, who described the Persian

conquest of Jerusalem in 614. This work is an important historical source about the

wars between the Byzantine Empire and Persia. The original Greek text is lost, but

an Arabic translation survived and was later translated into Georgian. The

Georgian version was read in church on May 20, the day commemorating the

capture of Jerusalem by the Persians.

Before the tenth century, besides these semi-historical and semihagiographical

works, no purely historical texts are known to have been translated

into Georgian.

In the later period, only a few more translations appeared. Among them are

the story of the siege of Constantinople in 626, which exists in three Georgian

versions, and the Chronography of George Hamartolos, translated by Arsen of

Ikalto. There are also translations of the works of Josephus.

In the eighteenth century, Archil of Imereti and Bagrat Sologashvili translated a

chronography from the creation of the world to the reign of Constantine XI

Palaiologos. Later, Anton I of Georgia translated from Armenian a work about the

Council of Ephesus.Georgian Literature and the Spiritual Meaning of Hagiography

Georgian literature has a very long tradition, dating back many centuries. Before

Christianity, the people of Georgia had folklore stories and myths that shaped their

way of thinking about the world. In ancient times, many people believed in

different gods, such as the gods of the sun and the moon, the god of fire, and heroic

figures with great physical strength. There were also female divine figures in these

stories.

These mythological ideas remained in Georgian culture for a long time. We

can see them not only in folklore but also in later Georgian literature. Often, literary

traditions and the language of literature lived first in oral tradition, where stories

were told from generation to generation.

The earliest Georgian written works show a strong unity between form,

meaning, and language. The first written Georgian texts that we know come from

the fifth century, and they were already written in a clear and well-developed

literary language. This shows that the Georgian literary language had been

developing long before these texts were written.

The development of the Georgian literary language is closely connected with

the development of Georgian literature itself. Scholars believe that the language of

writing already existed before Christianity, and later the Church used and

developed this language to express Christian faith and teaching.

Georgian literature also grew through contact with other cultures. Georgia had

strong cultural and spiritual connections with both Eastern and Western traditions,

especially with the Greek and Byzantine world. Many important works of

Christian literature were translated from Greek into Georgian. Through these

translations, the Georgian Church received theological knowledge, spiritual

teaching, and examples of holy lives.

One important part of Christian literature is hagiography, which means

writings about the lives of saints. These texts were translated, edited, and

sometimes expanded or shortened, but their main spiritual message remained the

same. The purpose of hagiography was not simply to tell history but to teach faith,

courage, and devotion to God.

The first Georgian literary texts are already complete works with clear

structure and meaning. Hagiographical texts follow certain patterns. The language

and style are often standardized so that the message of faith can be clear and

strong. At the same time, each writer can still express the story in a unique and

beautiful way.

Many scholars have studied Georgian hagiography and its meaning.

According to the famous scholar Korneli Kekelidze, early Georgian hagiography

was strongly connected with the spiritual traditions of Palestine and Jerusalem.

This shows how closely Georgian Christianity was connected to the early centers

of the Christian world.

In hagiography, the main focus is not the personal individuality of the hero,

but the spiritual ideal of a Christian life. The saint becomes an example of faith,

humility, courage, and love for God.

Sometimes the hero of a hagiographical story is a Christian from childhood

who fears God and lives a holy life. In other cases, the hero may first belong to

another religion and even oppose Christianity. But later this person accepts Christ,

suffers persecution for the faith, and finally becomes a martyr and a saint of the

Church.

For this reason, Georgian hagiography usually has two main types of texts:

Martyrdom stories that tell of people who suffered and died for Christ.

Lives of saints, which describe the holy life, virtues, and spiritual struggle of a

saint.

These stories follow a spiritual pattern that begins with the earliest Christian

martyrs and is inspired by the life and sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Through these

stories, believers learn what it means to live faithfully and to remain strong in faith

even in difficult times.

In this way, Georgian hagiography is not only literature. It is also a spiritual

guide that teaches Christians how to live with faith, courage, and love for God.

Ethnic, Religious, and Gender Aspects in Georgian Hagiography.

When we study the model of Georgian hagiography, it is important to look at

ethnic, religious, and gender questions. Hagiography includes both “Lives of

Saints” and “Martyrdom stories.” In these texts, the main heroes can be both

Georgians and foreigners.

Among Georgian saints, we can mention Hilarion the Georgian, Gregory of

Khandzta, John the Iberian, Euthymius the Athonite, and George the Hagiorite.

Among foreign saints who became important in Georgian Christianity we can

name Saint Nino, Eustathius of Mtskheta, the Thirteen Assyrian Fathers, and Abo

of Tbilisi.

Men and Women in Hagiography

Georgian hagiography also describes both male and female saints and martyrs.

Their stories show how different people—men and women, Georgians and

foreigners—lived lives of faith and courage.

These stories teach believers that holiness is not limited by nationality or

gender. Anyone who follows Christ with faith, humility, and courage can become a

witness of God.

Martyrs and Converts

In martyrdom stories we can also see another important theme: conversion to

Christianity. Some saints were Christians from birth. Others came from different religions

and accepted the Christian faith later in life. These converts are sometimes called

proselytes. For example:

Razhden the Protomartyr was Persian.

Eustathius of Mtskheta was also Persian.

Abo of Tbilisi was Arab.

These saints accepted Christianity even though it was dangerous for them.

Because of their faith, they suffered persecution and death. The authors of these hagiographical texts wanted to show two important things: From a Christian point of view, the life of a martyr is a powerful example of faith and love for Christ.

From a national point of view, the faith of these foreign converts also shows the spiritual strength of Christianity in Georgia.

Historical Background

The stories of these martyrs are connected to the political history of Georgia.

In ancient times, the region was influenced by powerful empires such as the Roman Empire and the Sasanian Empire. Later, Georgia also experienced the rule of Arab governors. During this time Christianity was already established in the country. Churches and monasteries were active, and people were free to be baptized. However, when people from the ruling nations—such as Persians or Arabs— converted to Christianity, they could be punished by their own authorities. Because of this, some converts became martyrs.

For the writers of hagiography, these events became stories that showed great courage and faith.

The Spiritual Meaning of These Stories

The purpose of these texts is not only historical. Their deeper goal is

spiritual teaching.

In hagiography, we often see a simple structure: The Saint, who remains faithful to God

the opponent, who persecutes the Christian.

This structure helps readers understand the spiritual struggle between faith and

persecution. Martyrdom stories usually describe two main types of heroes:

Christians who were believers from birth and converts who accepted Christianity later and suffered for their faith. Both types show the same message: faith in Christ is stronger than fear, power, or

death.