kartvelologi

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The Kartvelologist

The Kartvelologist” is a bilingual (Georgian and English) peer-reviewed, academic journal, covering all spheres of Kartvelological scholarship. Along with introducing scholarly novelties in Georgian Studies, it aims at popularization of essays of Georgian researchers on the international level and diffusion of foreign Kartvelological scholarship in Georgian scholarly circles.

“The Kartvelologist” issues both in printed and electronic form. In 1993-2009 it came out only in printed form (#1-15). The publisher is the “Centre for Kartvelian Studies” (TSU), financially supported by the “Fund of the Kartvelological School”. In 2011-2013 the journal is financed by Shota Rustaveli National Science Foundation.

Questions about the Origin of the Translation of the Georgian Bible

Georgian Christian culture – literary culture, literary language, conceptual system, literary form, etc. originate from the translation of the Bible. Hence, knowledge of from which language, where, in what circle and when was the Bible translated into Georgian will by itself allow us to shed light on many general and concrete questions in the sphere of religion, culture, history of language and philology.

Study of the Georgian Bible from the philological viewpoint obviously begins with the origin of the translation. Otherwise, it is absolutely impossible to determine the text of the Bible, research into the history of the text, discussion of the character of the translation(s) and exegetic or any other type of commentary.

Identification of the original of the Georgian translation of the Bible is interesting for the study of issues connected with this original itself: to ascertain to what extent did the original of Scripture condition the legitimacy of its translation, which textual form was dominant in the Church at the time when the Georgian translation was made, what was its textual peculiarity, what semantic did it have – vocabulary and phraseology, to what extent were its new and alien elements comprehensible to a nation whose different religious views and whose language differed. Without ascertaining the specific original it will be also impossible to use the Georgian translation for research into the phenomenon of the medieval translation or for studies connected with the emancipation of the language.

Then, from which text was the Bible translated into Georgian? How concretely can we speak of the original of the Georgian translation of Scripture? Before passing on to these questions, let us make clear the concepts which we shall subsequently discuss.

keywords:Georgian Christian culture, he Origin of the Translation of the Georgian Bible, Category: SCHOLARLY STUDIES Authors: Tamar Barbakadze

Questions on the Georgian translation of the Acts of the Apostles

Without claiming to answer the question of knowing from which language, Greek or Armenian, was translated the text of the Acts of the Apostles into Georgian, I would just draw attention to few linguistic events noted during a comparative reading of the Acts in its three variants – Greek, Georgian and Armenian. Three points will be discussed here; the first two involve the Georgian and Armenian versions of the Acts, the third one involve the Georgian and Greek texts.

keywords: Category: SCHOLARLY STUDIES Authors: Tamar Barbakadze

Which langauge has the Georgian Acts of the Apostles been translated from?

The provenance of the Georgian biblical text today too remains one of the cardinal issues of Georgian studies. Many Georgian and foreign researchers have dealt with the question of from which language the oldest Georgian recensions of the biblical books were translated. The research was conducted not in a complex way but involved separate books or recensions. In European Oriental Studies, and partly in Georgian Philological circles the idea became gradually popular which, on the basis of an analysis of concrete sources carried out by N. Marr, I. Molitor, R. Blake and others considers the Armenian trace to be a revision of the subsequent period. This idea is based on the view held in Medieval Georgia, facts of the earliest theological – philosophical terminology, the most recent philological analusis of the khanmeti fragments of biblical texts, the evidence of the historical process of Armenian-Georgian ecclesiastical and cultural relation. Bernard Outtier’s present essay deals with this issue. In particular, it gives a critique of the view on the Armenian provenance of the oldest Georgian recension of the Acts of the Apostles and concludes: “the idea of Prof. Garitte widely agreed upon in Western Europe that the Georgian Acts of the Apostles was translated from the Armenian, does not seen true”.

keywords: Acts of the Apostles, G. Garitte Category: SCHOLARLY STUDIES Authors: Tamar Barbakadze

Georgian Scholar Grigol Peradze – Student of the University of Berlin

Grigol Peradze arrived in Berlin on January 4, 1922 in order to study theology at the Society of Johannes Lepsius. He was sent to Germany by the Georgian church to become a theologian. Similar to nowadays, entering the university was very difficult at the time. However, on May 12, 1922 young Grigol Peradze became a student. Peradze´s admission letter to the University of Berlin in Latin is kept in Berlin. In the archives of the University of Berlin, there is a list of students accompanied with their signatures, including the signature of Peradze. The number of his student card is 5886/112.Grigol Peradze describes himself as ”a priest from Tbilisi - Georgia”.

Peradze was not the first Georgian student at the University of Berlin. The first Georgian started studying there in 1874 and chose chemistry as his major. By 1918, fourteen more Georgian students had been accepted at the University. They studied medicine, philosophy, chemistry, social and political sciences. Among those students were Konstantine Gamsakhurdia and Ivane Javakhishvili. Particularly many Georgian students were accepted at the University of Berlin since 1920/21. The reason of it could be political changes in Georgia.

keywords:Grigol Peradze Category: CHRONICLE OF EVENTS Authors: Tamar Barbakadze

KARTVELOLOGICAL STUDIES IN POLAND (1920-2011)

The review of the development of Polish kartvelology, that I am going to present you in a moment, will not be a full exploitation of the subject. It is simply impossible. In fact, the bibliography of works relating to Georgia is still incomplete. In order to obtain a more comprehensive picture we still need a long-lasting study. Nevertheless, I can present the basic lines of development and achievements of Polish kartvelology, focusing on key issues.

keywords: Category: CHRONICLE OF EVENTS Authors: Tamar Barbakadze