The Thirteen Assyrian Fathers ( ka, ათცამმეტი ასურელი მამანი, tr) were, according to Georgian church tradition, a group of

monastic Monasticism (from Ancient Greek , , from , , 'alone'), also referred to as monachism, or monkhood, is a religion, religious way of life in which one renounces world (theology), worldly pursuits to devote oneself fully to spiritual work. Monastic ...

missionaries A missionary is a member of a religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thomas Hale 'On Being a Mi ...

who arrived from

Mesopotamia Mesopotamia ''Mesopotamíā''; ar, بِلَاد ٱلرَّافِدَيْن or ; syc, ܐܪܡ ܢܗܪ̈ܝܢ, or , ) is a historical region of Western Asia situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system, in the northern part of the ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

to strengthen Christianity in the country in the 6th century. They are credited by the Georgian church historians with the foundation of several

monasteries A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which ...

and hermitages and initiation of the

ascetic Asceticism (; from the el, ἄσκησις, áskesis, exercise', 'training) is a lifestyle characterized by abstinence from sensual pleasures, often for the purpose of pursuing spiritual goals. Ascetics may withdraw from the world for their p ...

movement in Georgia.Rapp, Stephen H. (2003), ''Studies in Medieval Georgian Historiography: Early Texts And Eurasian Contexts'', p. 321. Peeters Publishers, Lang, David Marshall (1956), ''Lives and Legends of the Georgian Saints'', pp. 81-83. London: Allen & Unwin The lives of the

Assyrian Assyrian may refer to: * Assyrian people, the indigenous ethnic group of Mesopotamia. * Assyria, a major Mesopotamian kingdom and empire. ** Early Assyrian Period ** Old Assyrian Period ** Middle Assyrian Empire ** Neo-Assyrian Empire * Assyri ...

Fathers are related in a cycle of medieval Georgian hagiographic texts and are unattested beyond these sources. Some of these

vitae ''Vitae'' is a Latin word, meaning or pertaining to life. * Aqua vitae, archaic name for a concentrated aqueous solution of ethanol, distilled spirits * Arbor vitae (disambiguation), "tree of life" * ''De Brevitate Vitae'', work of Roman philo ...

are formalities composed for an 18th-century

synaxary Synaxarion or Synexarion (plurals Synaxaria, Synexaria; el, Συναξάριον, from συνάγειν, ''synagein'', "to bring together"; cf. etymology of '' synaxis'' and ''synagogue''; Latin: ''Synaxarium'', ''Synexarium''; cop, ⲥⲩⲛ� ...

, but four of them exist in original form, as well a metaphrastic version. The dating as well as authorship of these texts is controversial. The Georgian

Catholicoi Catholicos, plural Catholicoi, is a title used for the head of certain churches in some Eastern Christian traditions. The title implies autocephaly and in some cases it is the title of the head of an autonomous church. The word comes from ancient ...

Arsen I (830-87) and Arsen II (955-80) have been suggested as authors of some of the vitae. Other, unattributed, texts may have been composed earlier, in the late 7th century.

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 Jose ...

(2000), '' The Literature of Georgia: A History'', pp. 50-51.

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 ...

, . Many monasteries in modern Georgia are named after the Assyrian Fathers and are said to have been founded and led by them and their numerous disciples. In the Middle Ages, these religious foundations played an important role in forging Georgian Christian identity. Tradition, written and oral, names as many as 19 Assyrian monks active in Georgia in the 6th century and the number "13" seems to be largely symbolic. Modern scholarly opinion is divided as to whether they were Assyrians, Assyrian-educated Georgians, whether missionaries or refugees —

miaphysite Miaphysitism is the Christological doctrine that holds Jesus, the " Incarnate Word, is fully divine and fully human, in one 'nature' ('' physis'')." It is a position held by the Oriental Orthodox Churches and differs from the Chalcedonian posi ...

or diophysite — from Syria, from which miaphysitism had retreated while Georgia was still primarily miaphysite at that time. 13 assyrian fathers' locations in mid-6th

13 assyrian fathers' locations in mid-6th

Chief of the Assyrian Fathers were: # Davit Garejeli (დავით გარეჯელი) / David of

Gareja Gareja (german: Garivorwerk) is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Lubsko, within Żary County, Lubusz Voivodeship, in western Poland. It lies approximately north-west of Lubsko, north-west of Żary, and west of Zielona Góra ...

# Ioane Zedazneli (იოანე ზედაზნელი) / John of

Zedazeni Zedazeni Monastery ( ka, ზედაზნის მონასტერი) is a Georgian Orthodox monastery, located on the Zedazeni mountain the hills of Saguramo, northeast to Mtskheta and to the east side of the Aragvi River. The monastery ...

# Abibos Nekreseli (აბიბოს ნეკრესელი) / Abibos of Nekresi # Shio Mgvimeli (შიო მღვიმელი) / Shio of Mgvime # Ioseb Alaverdeli (იოსებ ალავერდელი) / Joseph of Alaverdi # Anton Martkopeli (ანტონ მარტყოფელი) / Anton of Martkopi # Tadeoz Stepantsmindeli (თადეოზ სტეფანწმინდელი) / Thaddeus of

Stepantsminda Stepantsminda ( ka, სტეფანწმინდა; formerly Kazbegi, ), is a townlet in the Mtskheta-Mtianeti region of north-eastern Georgia. Historically and ethnographically, the town is part of the Khevi province. It is the center of t ...

# Piros Breteli (პიროს ბრეთელი) / Pyrrhus of Breti # Iese Tsilkneli (იესე წილკნელი) / Jesse of Tsilkani # Stepane Khirseli (სტეფანე ხირსელი) / Stephen of Khirsa # Isidore Samtavneli (ისიდორე სამთავნელი) / Isidor of

Samtavisi Samtavisi ( ka, სამთავისი) is an eleventh-century Georgian Orthodox cathedral in eastern Georgia, in the region of Shida Kartli, some 45 km from the nation's capital Tbilisi, near Igoeti village. The cathedral is now one ...

# Mikael Ulumboeli (მიქაელ ულუმბოელი) / Michael of Ulumbo # Zenon Ikaltoeli (ზენონ იყალთოელი) / Zenon of Ikalto

External links

The Yezidi Kurds and Assyrians of Georgia
Journal of the Central Asia & the Caucasus, Iraklii Chikhladze, Giga Chikhladze. (3/21/2003)
Following the way of Assyrian Holy FathersThe Assyrians of Georgia: Ethnic Specifics Should be ReservedDavid Gareji Monasteries and Hermitage from Unesco

References

{{Reflist Saints of Georgia (country) Syriac Christians Christian monks from Georgia (country) Old Georgian literature 6th-century Christian saints 6th-century Christian monks

See also

External links

References