Byzantine and Georgian Hymnographical Heritage (“Lenten Triodion” under George the Athonite’s Redaction)

Abstract

Most of the numerous translations of the great ecclesiastical figure - George the Athonite were created in Greece, on Mount Athos. The “Lenten Triodion” is one of the collections compiled by George the Athonite (1009-1065). He was thoroughly acquainted with the Byzantine and Georgian theological writings. The main principle of his epochal activity was maximum approach of the earlier Georgian translations to the Greek originals. In collections translated from Greek, he tried to show the modern Byzantine liturgical practice in full. The same principle is used in “Lenten Triodion” under his redaction. This is one of the most important liturgical–hymnographic books in Christian church, containing numerous hymns for Great Lent. “Lenten Triodion” under George the Athonite’s redaction is much more extensive than its contemporary Greek analogues. The significance of this collection for the study of Byzantine hymnography is determined by the work done by George the Athonite for identification of the authors of the hymns preserved in it. This collection preserves translations of the hymns of 14 Byzantine poet-melodists of the 5th - 10th centuries. Most of them are well known in scholarly literature, but a significant part of the hymns of the same authors whose originals are not present in the famous scholarly literature are preserved in this collection. The academic edition of this collection according to the nine ancient Georgian manuscripts is prepared by the group of Georgian scholars and its electronic version will be placed on the Internet. Keywords: Byzantine hymnography, George the Athonite, Lenten Triodion, Georgian hymnography