European Values, Christianity, Georgian Culture

Abstract

Across centuries, the fundamental European values have been the unchanging importance of a human person, a person’s responsibility towards the society and regular self-criticism. These three values are also attuned to the fundamental values of Christianity. The paper analyzes poems by Shota Rustaveli (“The Knight in the Panther’s Skin”) and Vazha-Pshavela (“Aluda Ketelauri”, “Host and Guest”, “The Snake-Eater”) to show how these values correspond to the long tradition of Georgian culture. The main aspiration of the characters of the mentioned poems is to respect others, to undertake an engagement toward the other even if this requires self-sacrifice, and to be able to question their own decisions and actions.