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Communication Dans Un Congrès Année : 2016

Sasanian Iran and Georgia: Issues of Cultural-Religious Interrelations in the Light of Old Georgian Hagiography

Helen Giunashvili

Résumé

Emerging of the Sasanian Empire at the beginning of the 3rd c. A.D. was an essential phase in the historical and cultural development of many countries, and particularly of the Eastern Georgian kingdom of Kartli, known from classical sources as Iberia. Sasanian Iran’s impact on the state of Kartli was deep and strong from the very beginning, including all the spheres of social life of the country, affecting therefore diverse sides of Georgian civilization throughout the whole period of Sasanian dominance (3rd -7th cc. A. D.). Archaeological evidences, historical records and literary sources testify the Iranian-Georgian intensive multilateral interrelations of that period. In this respect, V-VI centuries Georgian hagiographical records of Saints (vitae) present the most valuable sources.They contain vivid descriptions of social-religious life of Kartli within the Iranian Commonwolth, giving us insight into the history and aspirations of an important branch of the Eastern Church, and into its relationships with Zoroastrian Persia. “The Life of Abibos Nekreseli (Abibos of Nekresi)” is an autochthonous hagiographical text devoted to one of the Thirteen Syrian Fathers who popularized monasticism throughout the Eastern Georgia in the sixth century. The text was conveyed in later, 10th century manuscript. Abibos was noteworthy because of the combat he waged against Zoroastrianism. Having been consecrated as bishop of Nekresi (East Georgia), Abibos committed himself to battling “paganism”. Having been detained by unspecified Iranians, the holy man was beaten nearly to death. Abibos won considerable fame, his proselytisation activities were attested in other Medieval Georgian sources. The paper presents a survey of the text, with its significance for 6th century Iranian-Georgian historical interrelations.
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hal-04361685 , version 1 (22-12-2023)

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  • HAL Id : hal-04361685 , version 1

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Helen Giunashvili. Sasanian Iran and Georgia: Issues of Cultural-Religious Interrelations in the Light of Old Georgian Hagiography. Holy Hero(in)es: Literary Constructions of Heroism in Late Antique and Early Medieval Hagiography -, Ghent University, Feb 2016, Ghent ( Online ), Belgium. ⟨hal-04361685⟩
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