CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2021
| Author | Matitashvili, Shota |
|---|---|
| Title | The Canonical Status of the Iberian (Eastern Georgian) Church during Late Antiquity and Early Middle Ages |
| Summary | The eastern Georgian kingdom of Iberia was converted to Christianity at the beginning of the fourth century. One of the most important questions regarding the Christianization of Georgia was the relation of the Church of Iberia with other neighboring churches. The canonical status of the Georgian church is one of the major problems in this context. What was the canonical status of the eastern Georgian Church of Iberia during late antique and medieval periods? What was the place of the Iberian Church in the ecclesiastical system of the Christian East? There was a great variety of scholarly opinions about this vexed issue. According to one of the most widespread theories, after the conversion to Christianity of Georgia, the Church of Iberia fell under the jurisdiction of Antioch. Another theory claimed that the Iberian Church was under the jurisdiction of the Armenian Church. However, as it appears, both these theories lack any compelling evidence. In my study I argue that the most important ecclesiastical centers for the Church of Iberia were Constantinople and Seleucia-Ctesiphon. Only in the context of the relation with the Byzantine and the Persian churches we can clearly understand the place of the Georgian Church among other eastern Christian communities during late antiquity and early middle ages. |
| Supervisor | István Perczel |
| Department | Medieval Studies MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2021/matitashvili_shota.pdf |
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