DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.43337#0346
CHAPTER ONE.THE HISTORICAL CONTEXT AND DATING OF THE WALL PAINTINGS | 343
A detailed, though semi-legendary, account of this event is given
by the Georgian author of the «History and Eulogy of Sovereigns»78.
A dispute about the true faith at the court of Queen Tamar, in which the
Georgian Catholicos and representatives of the Monophysite Church
took part, was won by the Georgians79:
The agitated ^Armenians went to the palace of the pvtkhargrdzeli broth-
ers. "Ivane, the Court Chamberlain, said to his brother Zakare, the Com-
mander in Chief: «7 have no wish to dispute with them, the Georgians
have a noble faith; what is to stop us from accepting the true faith and
being baptised by the Catholicos of Cjeorgia?» JAnd he replied: «7 know,
brother, that the (jeorgian faith is the true faith, but 7 shall not join the
Georgians even though 7 be punished with those who are judged at the
"Last Judgement». On hearing this 7vane said: «7 am amazed by your
wisdom. You do not wish that which is better. 7 cannot agree with you
and accept baptism into the Cjeorgian faith.» JAnd no sooner said than
done. Jde came and was baptised into our faith by the hand of the Cathol-
icos John. JAnd a large multitude of ^Armenians were baptised with him
and rejoiced, but Zakare remained in his own faith.
The confessionally tendentious assessments by the Bth-century writ-
ers do not conceal the historical importance attached to Ivane’s conver-
sion to the Chalcedonian Creed. It was determined not only by knowl-
edge of the Holy Scriptures or the charms of Queen Tamar, but also had
political causes, the «glory of men» as Kuirakos so aptly put it. One of
the two leaders of the Georgian-Armenian army had to become a Chal-
cedonian who would assume the role of media-
tor between the Georgians and the Armenians
and strive for the unity of the Georgian King-
dom in the face of the enemy. A strengthening
of the Chalcedonian Creed in Armenia helped
this process by removing the last obstacle di-
viding the two Christian nations. That this was
a deliberate policy is shown by the exemption
from taxes granted to Chalcedonians living in
Armenia. Ivane and Zakare, the historian ex-
plains, «especially revered the Georgians, and
[the latter] were free of taxes in their towns»80.
71 See Durnovo, Essays, p. 629; Babaian,
History, pp. 17-18.
72 Collection, Issue VI, pp. 22-24.
73 Collection, Issue I, p. 57.
74Babaian, History, pp. 30-35.
75 Kuirakos, p. 119.
76The life of Tamar Queen, pp. 32-33.
77 Kuirakos, p. 120.
78 Kekelidze K.S. Studies on the History
of Ancient Georgian literature. Vol. XII.
Tbilisi, 1973. pp. 217-221.- In Russian,
see Bibliography.
79 Ibid., p. 218.
80 Kuirakos, p. 120.
A detailed, though semi-legendary, account of this event is given
by the Georgian author of the «History and Eulogy of Sovereigns»78.
A dispute about the true faith at the court of Queen Tamar, in which the
Georgian Catholicos and representatives of the Monophysite Church
took part, was won by the Georgians79:
The agitated ^Armenians went to the palace of the pvtkhargrdzeli broth-
ers. "Ivane, the Court Chamberlain, said to his brother Zakare, the Com-
mander in Chief: «7 have no wish to dispute with them, the Georgians
have a noble faith; what is to stop us from accepting the true faith and
being baptised by the Catholicos of Cjeorgia?» JAnd he replied: «7 know,
brother, that the (jeorgian faith is the true faith, but 7 shall not join the
Georgians even though 7 be punished with those who are judged at the
"Last Judgement». On hearing this 7vane said: «7 am amazed by your
wisdom. You do not wish that which is better. 7 cannot agree with you
and accept baptism into the Cjeorgian faith.» JAnd no sooner said than
done. Jde came and was baptised into our faith by the hand of the Cathol-
icos John. JAnd a large multitude of ^Armenians were baptised with him
and rejoiced, but Zakare remained in his own faith.
The confessionally tendentious assessments by the Bth-century writ-
ers do not conceal the historical importance attached to Ivane’s conver-
sion to the Chalcedonian Creed. It was determined not only by knowl-
edge of the Holy Scriptures or the charms of Queen Tamar, but also had
political causes, the «glory of men» as Kuirakos so aptly put it. One of
the two leaders of the Georgian-Armenian army had to become a Chal-
cedonian who would assume the role of media-
tor between the Georgians and the Armenians
and strive for the unity of the Georgian King-
dom in the face of the enemy. A strengthening
of the Chalcedonian Creed in Armenia helped
this process by removing the last obstacle di-
viding the two Christian nations. That this was
a deliberate policy is shown by the exemption
from taxes granted to Chalcedonians living in
Armenia. Ivane and Zakare, the historian ex-
plains, «especially revered the Georgians, and
[the latter] were free of taxes in their towns»80.
71 See Durnovo, Essays, p. 629; Babaian,
History, pp. 17-18.
72 Collection, Issue VI, pp. 22-24.
73 Collection, Issue I, p. 57.
74Babaian, History, pp. 30-35.
75 Kuirakos, p. 119.
76The life of Tamar Queen, pp. 32-33.
77 Kuirakos, p. 120.
78 Kekelidze K.S. Studies on the History
of Ancient Georgian literature. Vol. XII.
Tbilisi, 1973. pp. 217-221.- In Russian,
see Bibliography.
79 Ibid., p. 218.
80 Kuirakos, p. 120.