A Collection of Georgian Sermons by a Non-Georgian Preacher

Abstract

Ilia State University recently published a collection of commentaries on the Bible and sermons, written in Georgian, in two volumes. The manuscripts of these texts are currently in the General Archive of the Order of Capuchins, in Rome. These teachings were originally preached by a non-Georgian priest in the second half of the eighteenth century for Georgian Catholic believers. In the preface to the edition, the publishers suggest that the author was likely the Italian missionary Bernardino de Magliano. The article assesses the general significance of this two-volume work and presents the value of the published texts for understanding Biblical or theological knowledge in the Georgian context of the time. Notably, in some sermons, the preacher addresses the believers from Tbilisi, indicating that the church, in which he served, was located in Tbilisi. The preacher considers it necessary to explain theological teachings, such as the concept of Purgatory, which is viewed differently by followers of the Roman-Catholic Church and the Oriental-Byzantine Church. The descriptions of the everyday environment where divine service takes place are valuable for researchers. The preacher sharply assesses the attitude of believers towards being in the temple and participating in rituals. These descriptions will likely prove extremely useful to those studying how religion, culture, and intellectual movements shaped Georgia’s history, making them essential reading for anyone studying that period.