Euthymius the Athonite ( ka, ექვთიმე ათონელი ''Ekvtime Atoneli''; 955–1024) was a
Georgian monk,
philosopher
A philosopher is a person who practices or investigates philosophy. The term ''philosopher'' comes from the grc, φιλόσοφος, , translit=philosophos, meaning 'lover of wisdom'. The coining of the term has been attributed to the Greek th ...
and scholar, who is venerated as a
saint
In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of Q-D-Š, holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and Christian denomination, denominat ...
. 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 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 A ...
, Euthymius was taken as a political hostage to
Constantinople but was later released and became a monk joining the
Great Lavra 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 penins ...
. 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 theologians 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 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 that became very popular in Medieval Europe 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