Euthymius the Athonite ( ka, ექვთიმე ათონელი ''Ekvtime Atoneli''; 955–1024) was a Georgian monk, philosopher and scholar, who is venerated as a saint. His feast day in the Orthodox Church is May 13. Euthymius was a Georgian, the ethnonym used by the Byzantines as ''Iberian'', that came from the

Kingdom of the Iberians The Kingdom of the Iberians ( ka, ქართველთა სამეფო, tr) was a medieval Georgian monarchy under the Bagrationi dynasty which emerged circa 888 AD, succeeding the Principality of Iberia, in historical region of Tao- ...

. The son of John the Iberian and nephew of the

Tornike Eristavi Tornike Eristavi () also known as John Tornikios; el, Ιωάννης Τορνίκιος) (died in 985) was a retired Georgian general and monk who came to be better known as a founder of the formerly Georgian Orthodox Iviron Monastery on Mount Ath ...

, Euthymius was taken as a political hostage to

Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth ( Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis ( ...

but was later released and became a monk joining the

Great Lavra The Monastery of Great Lavra ( el, Μονή Μεγίστης Λαύρας) is the first monastery built on Mount Athos. It is located on the southeastern foot of the Mount at an elevation of . The founding of the monastery in AD 963 by Athanasi ...

of Athanasios on

Mount Athos Mount Athos (; el, Ἄθως, ) is a mountain in the distal part of the eponymous Athos peninsula and site of an important centre of Eastern Orthodox monasticism in northeastern Greece. The mountain along with the respective part of the peni ...

. He subsequently became the leader of the Georgian

Iviron monastery The Monastery of Iviron ( ka, ქართველთა მონასტერი, tr; el, Μονή Ιβήρων, Monḗ Ivirōn) is an Eastern Orthodox monastery in the monastic community of Mount Athos in northern Greece. History The mo ...

, which had been founded by his father, and emerged as one of the finest

Eastern Christian Eastern Christianity comprises Christian traditions and church families that originally developed during classical and late antiquity in Eastern Europe, Southeastern Europe, Asia Minor, the Caucasus, Northeast Africa, the Fertile Crescent and ...

theologians Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the s ...

and scholars of his age. Euthymius labored as abbot of the Iviron Monastery on Mt. Athos for fourteen years before stepping aside to concentrate on his translations."St. Euthymius of Athos the translator", Orthodox Church in America
/ref> Fluent in Georgian,

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

and other languages, he translated many religious treatises and philosophical works. Among his major works was the translation of ''sibrdzne balavarisa'' (Wisdom of Balahvari), which some believe to be a Christianized version of episodes from the life of

Gautama Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist tradition, he was born in ...

that became very popular in

Medieval Europe In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

as the story of Barlaam and Josaphat. Of equal importance was Euthymius’ work to prepare Georgian translations of various Greek philosophical, ecclesiastical and legal discourses. He died near Byzantium, when a mule on which he was riding, startled by the approach of a beggar made to bolt and Euthymius fell. His relics are buried in the Church of Saint John the Baptist at the Iveron Monastery on Mt. Athos.

References

Sources

* Theodor Dowling
Sketches of Georgian Church History
Adamant Media Corporation (October 9, 2003), {{DEFAULTSORT:Euthymius Of Athos 11th-century people from Georgia (country) 10th-century people from Georgia (country) 11th-century Byzantine monks 11th-century Christian saints 10th-century Byzantine monks Calligraphers from Georgia (country) Athonite Fathers Nobility of Georgia (country) Saints of Georgia (country) Philosophers from Georgia (country) Eastern Orthodox theologians Translators from Greek Translators to Georgian Byzantine people of Georgian descent 950s births 1020s deaths 11th-century philosophers People associated with Great Lavra People associated with Iviron Monastery