Ephrem Mtsire

Ephrem Mtsire (the Lesser) — a cleric, theologian, philologist, philosopher, and translator active in the second half of the 11th century. In 1091 he was elected abbot of the Kastana Monastery in the Georgian colony of the Black Mountain (near Antioch). He likely died there, as the acts of the Church Council of Ruisi–Urbnisi (1104) already list him among the deceased.

The Georgian scholars of the Black Mountain, who were dedicated to the development of Georgian literature, fully recognized Ephrem’s exceptional talent and erudition, entrusting him with the translation of Greek works. Ephrem Mtsire occupies a special place in the history of Georgian writing for his profound erudition and deep knowledge of Greek literature.

At the beginning of his translation activity, Ephrem followed the principles of his Georgian predecessors—especially those of the Athonite translators—and regarded himself as their disciple. Gradually, however, he developed his own translation theory and laid the foundation for the Hellenophile movement in Georgian literature.

Hellenophilia, as a cultural orientation, sought a precise understanding of Byzantine theological literature not only in content but also in linguistic, stylistic, and terminological form. This approach, unlike earlier translation traditions, led to renderings almost fully equivalent to the Greek originals. Ephrem compiled and translated collections that rivaled the finest Byzantine anthologies, sometimes even surpassing them in completeness. Through these collections, he provided his compatriots with comprehensive knowledge of Byzantine ecclesiastical writings.

Ephrem was the first to systematize Georgian theological terminology and developed specialized vocabularies for philology, palaeography, grammar, and metrics—many of which are still in use. He is considered the first Georgian theorist of versification and, more broadly, of literature. He also formulated stylistic and poetic theories and various literary-theoretical concepts.

Ephrem is the author of the first Georgian dictionary — a figurative dictionary explaining the Psalms. He translated works from nearly every branch of ecclesiastical literature. Among his contributions are a new recension of the Apostolos, a catena compilation on the Apostolos by Cyril of Alexandria, and an independent recension of the catena on the Psalms. He translated the Readings of Gregory the Theologian, the Epistles of Basil of Caesarea and Gregory of Nazianzus, John of Damascus’ Exposition of the Orthodox Faith, ascetic and mystical writings by Basil of Caesarea, Ephrem the Syrian, Cassian the Roman, Palladius of Helenopolis, and Theodoret of Cyrrhus; the Corpus Areopagiticum with commentaries attributed to Maximus the Confessor and Patriarch Germanus; sixteen festal orations of Gregory the Theologian with commentaries by Basil the Minimus (a retranslation following a new principle after Euthymius the Athonite’s version); and numerous metaphrastic Lives and homiletic works.

Ephrem’s contribution to both liturgical and non-liturgical translation, as well as to original hymnography (including the Cycle of the Fasts), was immense. He effectively founded the Georgian tradition of original and translated non-liturgical hymnography, which later flourished in the Gelati School—most notably in Gregory the Theologian’s One Hundred Iambics and in original iambic and sixteen-syllable hymns.

He also authored original historical-hagiographical works such as Utsqebai (“Accounts”) and several colophons. One autograph manuscript has survived—a homiletic collection consisting largely of his own translations.

Ephrem’s major philosophical contribution was the introduction of the Areopagitic (Pseudo-Dionysian) doctrine into medieval Georgian thought. His intellectual legacy was continued by Arsen Ikaltoeli and the so-called Petritsi, or Gelati, School—especially by Ioane Petritsi.

For his service to the Church and nation, the Georgian Apostolic Autocephalous Orthodox Church canonized him as Venerable Ephrem the Minor. His feast day is celebrated on January 18 (January 31 in the modern calendar).

Literary works: მოსაჴსენებელი მცირე სჳმეონისთჳს ლოღოთეტისა [და] თხრობაჲ მიზეზთა ამათ საკითხავთა თარგმანისათა, წგ.: კეკელიძე კ., ეტიუდები ძველი ქართული ლიტერატურის ისტორიიდან, [ტ.] 5, თბ., 1957; უწყებაჲ მიზეზსა ქართველთა მოქცეჳსასა, თუ რომელთა წიგნთა შინა მოიჵსენების, თ. ბრეგაძის გამოც., თბ., 1959; შანიძე მ., შესავალი ეფრემ მცირის ფსალმუნთა თარგმანებისა (ტექსტი და შენიშვნები), თბ., 1968 (თსუ. ძველი ქართული ენის კათედრის შრომები, 11).

Literature: ბეზარაშვილი ქ., ეფრემ მცირე, ელინოფილები და ბერძნულ-ქართული ლექსთწყობის საკითხები, კრ.: ფილოლოგიური ძიებანი, [ტ.] 2, თბ., 1995; ბრეგაძე თ., ეფრემ მცირის მიერ ნათარგმნი ძეგლები, კრ.: მრავალთავი, [ტ.] 1, თბ., 1971; თვალთვაძე დ., ეფრემ მცირის ერთი უცნობი ანდერძი, თბ., 1988 (თსუ. ძველი ქართული ენის კათედრის შრომები, 27); კეკელიძე კ., ქართული ლიტერატურის ისტორია, ტ.1, თბ., 1960; მეტრეველი ე., ეფრემ მცირის ავტოგრაფი, «ხელნაწერთა ინ-ტის მოამბე», 1969, [ტ.] 1; ოთხმეზური თ., ფსევდონონეს მითოლოგიურ კომენტართა ქართული თარგმანები, თბ., 1989; სარჯველაძე ზ., ქართული სალიტერატურო ენის ისტორიის შესავალი, თბ., 1984; სირაძე რ., ძველი ქართული თეორიულ-ლიტერატურული აზროვნების საკითხები, თბ., 1975.

V. Baakashvili

K. Bezarashvili