Stepane Mtbevari ( ka, სტეფანე მტბევარი) was a 10th-century hierarch of the
Georgian Orthodox Church
The Apostolic Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Georgia ( ka, საქართველოს სამოციქულო ავტოკეფალური მართლმადიდებელი ეკლესია, tr), commonly ...
, religious writer and
calligrapher. ''Mtbevari'', "of T'beti", is the title indicating his holding of the diocese of
T'beti, centered on the eponymous monastery in
Shavsheti (now in eastern
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...
).
[Antony Eastmond (1998), ''Royal Imagery in Medieval Georgia'', p. 221. Penn State Press, .] He is praised by the contemporary
hagiographer Giorgi Merchule Giorgi Merchule ( ka, გიორგი მერჩულე) was a 10th-century Georgian monk, calligrapher and writer who authored "The Vita of Grigol Khandzteli", a hagiographic novel dealing with the life of the prominent Georgian churchman S ...
as a writer in ''
The Life of Grigol of Khandzta'', but beyond a translation of a commentary to the
Psalms
The Book of Psalms ( or ; he, תְּהִלִּים, , lit. "praises"), also known as the Psalms, or the Psalter, is the first book of the ("Writings"), the third section of the Tanakh, and a book of the Old Testament. The title is derived ...
, the ''
Passion of Gobron'' is his only—and best known—extant work.
Rayfield, Donald
Patrick Donald Rayfield OBE (born 12 February 1942, Oxford) is an English academic and Emeritus Professor of Russian and Georgian at Queen Mary University of London. He is an author of books about Russian and Georgian literature, and about Josep ...
(2000), '' The Literature of Georgia: A History'', pp. 48-9. Routledge
Routledge () is a British multinational publisher. It was founded in 1836 by George Routledge, and specialises in providing academic books, journals and online resources in the fields of the humanities, behavioural science, education, law, and ...
, .
The ''Passion of Gobron'' is a piece of original hagiography, commissioned from the author by the
Georgian Bagratid prince
Ashot Kukhi
Ashot I also known as Ashot Kukhi () (died 918) was a Georgian prince of the Bagratid dynasty of Tao-Klarjeti and hereditary ruler of Tao with the title of ''eristavt-eristavi'', "duke of dukes". He was nicknamed ''kukhi'', meaning "the Immature". ...
(died 918)
and relating
heroic defense of the fort of Q'ueli by Christian Georgian noble Gobron and his eventual death as a
martyr
A martyr (, ''mártys'', "witness", or , ''marturia'', stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an externa ...
at the hands of the
Muslim
Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...
emir
Emir (; ar, أمير ' ), sometimes transliterated amir, amier, or ameer, is a word of Arabic origin that can refer to a male monarch, aristocrat, holder of high-ranking military or political office, or other person possessing actual or cerem ...
Yusuf Ibn Abi'l-Saj (Abu l'Kasim) in 914.
"The Holy Father Stepane Mtbevari" and his work are also mentioned by the 11th-century anonymous ''Chronicle of Kartli'', part of the ''
Georgian Chronicles'', while the 11th-century historian
Sumbat reports Stepane's installment by Ashot Kukhi as the first bishop of T'beti.
[Rapp, Stephen H. (2003), ''Studies in Medieval Georgian Historiography: Early Texts And Eurasian Contexts'', p. 359. Peeters Publishers, ]
The ''Passion of Gobron'' opens with edifying quotations from the
Book of Job
The Book of Job (; hbo, אִיּוֹב, ʾIyyōḇ), or simply Job, is a book found in the Ketuvim ("Writings") section of the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh), and is the first of the Poetic Books in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. Scholars ar ...
and
Saint Paul
Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...
. It then continues, condemning the
Armenians
Armenians ( hy, հայեր, ''hayer'' ) are an ethnic group native to the Armenian highlands of Western Asia. Armenians constitute the main population of Armenia and the ''de facto'' independent Artsakh. There is a wide-ranging diaspora ...
for their "
heresy
Heresy is any belief or theory that is strongly at variance with established beliefs or customs, in particular the accepted beliefs of a church or religious organization. The term is usually used in reference to violations of important religi ...
", a reference to Armenia's rejection of the
Council of Chalcedon
The Council of Chalcedon (; la, Concilium Chalcedonense), ''Synodos tēs Chalkēdonos'' was the fourth ecumenical council of the Christian Church. It was convoked by the Roman emperor Marcian. The council convened in the city of Chalcedon, Bith ...
.
[ Martin-Hisard, Bernadette (1992), "Une hagiographie géorgienne anti-arménienne du début du Xe siècle". '' Revue des Études Arméniennes'' 23: 209-235.] While describing the Muslim invasion and Gobron's defense of Q'ueli, Stepane shows a talent for epic storytelling.
References
External links
* Tsagareishvili, Elene (2010)
სტეფანე მტბევარი(''Stepane Mtbevari''). ქართველი ისტორიული მოღვაწენი (''Georgian Historical Figures'') by
Georgian National Center of Manuscripts
The Georgian National Centre of Manuscripts ( ka, საქართველოს ხელნაწერთა ეროვნული ცენტრი; formerly the ''Institute of Manuscripts''), located in Tbilisi, Georgia, is a repository ...
. Accessed November 29, 2011.
Martyrium GobronisTITUS
Titus Caesar Vespasianus ( ; 30 December 39 – 13 September 81 AD) was Roman emperor from 79 to 81. A member of the Flavian dynasty, Titus succeeded his father Vespasian upon his death.
Before becoming emperor, Titus gained renown as a mili ...
Old Georgian hagiographical and homiletic texts: Part No. 22. Accessed November 29, 2011.
{{authority control
Members of the Georgian Orthodox Church
Male writers from Georgia (country)
Bishops from Georgia (country)
10th-century people from Georgia (country)
Calligraphers from Georgia (country)
Bishops of the Georgian Orthodox Church