Defense of Master Degree Thesis



    Today, on the 23rd of September, a defense of the Master’s degree thesis, titled "One Georgian Translation of Texts Selected from the Ascetic-Homiletic Writings of St. Basil the Great", was held at Tbilisi Theological Academy and Seminary. The author of the thesis is the student of the academy Sulkhan Zarandia. Sulkhan Zarandia's Master’s Degree thesis deals with the Georgian translation of the monument of ascetic genre. The work “Selected from the Teachings of the Holy Basil. Saint Basil Said: “Our Man-loving God Who teaches us the knowledge of understanding…” belongs to Basil of Caesarea. Its oldest Georgian translation is preserved in two manuscripts (A 116 and 57). These manuscripts are collections of ascetic-homiletic writings. Although the manuscripts have been studied in their various aspects, some issues are still worth to be researched. The topic chosen for the thesis represents selected teachings. The merit of the thesis is that Sulkhan Zarandia brought to light the Greek text of St. Basil, from which a Georgian translator compiled his translation. It is “Prologue 34”.

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    The next issue was to establish the identity of the Georgian translator. Based on Georgian translation traditions, in particular, based on the methodology developed in the Theological and Literary School of Mount Athos, which consisted of selection of various texts and compilations, the seeker of the Master’s Degree Diploma conclusively verified that the translation was done in the literary school of Mount Athos and belongs to St. Euthmius the Athonite.
    One of the chapters of this work is devoted to the analysis of the theological teachings in the above-mentioned compilation of St. Euthmius the Athonite.
    According to S.Zarandia’s scientific supervisor, PhD in Philology Maia Rapava, the diploma thesis displays the author’s deep  sense of responsibility, diligence and, most significantly, a talent for scientific research. In Maia Rapava’s opinion, the Theological Academy will have a solid scientist in the future as S. Zarandia. According to the reviewer, PhD in Theology Irakli Orzhonia, the thesis does not contain any flows in respect of the theological angle. PhD of Philology Gvantsa Koplatadze put two questions to S. Zarandia: 1. What references are given in the paper to prove that St Euthmius the Athonite used St. Basil the Great’s writing as his guide while working on the compilation; 2. Whether the student compared biblical citations used in the work with other editions of the Holy Scripture. S. Zarandia gave conclusive answers to the questions. He said that the mentioned issues are analyzed in separate chapters. The thesis gives a thorough comparison of St. Euthimius the Athonite’s compilation with the aforementioned writing of St. Basil the Great, and the parallel readings of the Holy Scripture are referred to in its numerous editions. 
The thesis received a high assessment and the Master’s Degree was conferred on Sulkhan Zarandia.  
 
26.09.2019

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