ტიპოლოგიური პარალელები (VIII-X საუკუნეების ქრისტიანული პოეზიის ისტორიიდან)

აბსტრაქტი

სტატიიდან აღებული ავტორის ინგლისურენოვანი რეზიუმე:

Key words: Andrew Pyrrhus, hymnography, stichera.

Among „forgotten“ authors of the first period of Byzantine Christian poetry the personal- ity of Andrew Pyrrhus „shrouded in mystery“ attracts special attention. He was a contemporary of the reformers of Byzantine hymnography – John Damascus and Kosmas of Jerusalem and shared their ideas. The period of Andrew Pyrrhus’s creative activity must be referred to the 8th century. To him belong 85 small-sized hymns created for the „Triodion“, all of which are the „Automela“. The hymns by Andrew Pyrrhus are designed for the long period of Lent – from the Apokreos Sunday up to the Palm Friday. These hymns are considered to be the masterpiece of the Byzantine hymnography.

For each day of Lent Andrew Pyrrhus created two small-sized hymns that reflect tradi- tions of the Jerusalemite period. From preparatory period of the Lent he recognizes only the Week of Apokreos. In this case he also follows Jerusalemite tradition because the weeks preceding Lent known as: Sunday of the Publican and Pharisee as well as Sunday of the Prodigal Son germinated in Constantinople and they are not known to Jerusalemite practice. Andrew Pyrrhus knows very well the creative works of his ancestors, namely Andrea of Crete. On his part, he had an impact on the creations of Byzantine hymnologists of the 8th-9th centuries. According to John Mercuropulos who wrote “The Life“ of John Damascus and Kosmas of Jerusalem the whole cycle of stichera intended for the Lent belongs to Kosmas of Jerusalem and it was his first composition.

In contrast to this the collections of small-sized hymns preserved in Greek recognize in one voice Andrew Pyrrhus to be an author of this cycle. In Western and Slavonic „Triodions“ Andrew Pyrrhus’s hymns are often inscribed as „ag- iapolitou“ or „Oriental“. For the research into Andrew Pyrrhus’s creative activity extremely interesting material is preserved in ancient Georgian manuscripts which bear a number of inscriptions of Andrew’s name on the hymns. This is a unique material as yet unknown to the scholars. In Georgian manu- scripts small-sized hymns with the inscription „Anatolian“ are also evidenced. Similar case can be found in the history of Georgian hymnography.

Great Georgian hym- nologist of the 10th century Ioanne Minchkhi created a whole cycle of small-sized hymns for each day of Lent – 88 stichera that produces one of the most important components of Lent liturgy. For each day of Lent usually 2 – 2 stichera are composed and for the weeks of Lent and especially important holidays more than 2 of Minchkhi’s sticheras are added. Ioane Minchkhi also wrote the hymns for the whole Lent period – from Apokreos Sunday including the Great Saturday. These hymns represent the best specimens of the hymnography and define the level and opportunities of the original Georgian hymnography in a new way. Comparative study of Georgian manuscripts has evidenced that Ioanne Minchkhi was a compiler and editor of the first Georgian „Tropologion“ separated from „Iadgari“ as an indepen- dent collection that contained creative works of 4 authors.

To the first of them - Elias of Jerusalem belong Canons for the Sundays of Lent, to Stephanus Sabbaites and Theodore Studites – two cycles of the „Three-Odes“. Stephanus Sabbaites is a less known author in Byzantine hymnogra- phy and it is Georgian translations that give the possibility to reconstruct his creative works. The first Georgian „Tropoligion“ was a base for the new reduction of this collection. Io- anne Minchkhi’s creative work made great impact on the evolution of Georgian poetry for the subsequent period. Both authors - Andrew Pyrrhus and Ioanne Minchkhi, created one of the most important components for the „Troidion“ of ancient type – stichera repertoire.

The hymns of both authors represent a masterpiece of hymnography. It is interesting to note that one of the authors of the first Georgian „Troidion“ - Stephanus Sabbaites knows very well Andrew Pyrrhus’s creativity and experiences his influence. Minchkhi’s small-sized hymns usually exactly correspond to the place given to them in „Troidion” and similar to Andrew Pyrrhus’s stichera reflect Jerusalemite system of readings. A comparison of the hymns belonging to these two authors that are meant for one day of Lent, namely for the Palm Tuesday, gives an interesting picture. According to Jerusalemite system of Gospel readings on the Palm Tuesday the followings readings are established: 1.Luke: 16,19-31 (Parable of the rich man and Lazarus); 2.

Matthew: 23, 1-39 (Jesus rips the scribers and the Pharisees); 3.John: 9, 1-38 (Healing of the blind man); 4.John: 11, 55-57 (the plans of chief priests and the Pharisees). Interestingly, it is just from this system of the readings that both hymnographers reflect the first – Luke 16,19-31. Michkhi’s ode is written completely from this parable. The spirit of the hymn, general plot and phraseology are also similar to the Gospel reading. It is interesting to note the symbolic of “garment” represented in the second Troparion – transformation from rich, luxurious garment into the flame of Hell. The last troparion of Minchkhi’s hymn is devoted to the St.

Virgin, in which the Most Holy is interpreted as a „spiritual Eden“. In the Ode written by Andrew Pyrrhus meant for the same day certain reminiscences from both the Old and New Testaments are reflected with equal force. The first part of the ode where there is mentioning of Lot, as well as Sodom, Gomorrah, pillar of salt – must have been inspired by third ode of „The Great Canon“ of St. Andrew of Crete. Like Psalm 41, St. Andrew addresses his soul that is sunk in a slumber of sin to follow Lot who kept away from sinful life of Sodom and Gomorrah and warns never to become a pillar of salt by turning back to sinful life. In the second part of the Ode the same episode from Luke is reflected as in Minchkhi’s ode – the parable of the rich man and Lazarus.

Here too the author addresses his soul to avoid the danger equivalent to Sodom and Go- morrah – the wealth of a brutal man that results in unquenchable fire. Lazarus’s being in „Abra- ham’s bosom“ described in the Gospel seemed to him salvation of the soul. It can be said that in Andrew Pyrrhus’s hymns the author’s intimate and tough emotions are given in relevant form. Here the emotion seems to be rendered in original form. In this respect this hymn keeps up with the artistic language of the Books of Old Testament. Hence, the multi- plicity of passages from the Old Testament is typical for it. Ioanne Minchkhi’s artistic images, attitudes, emotions do not yield the above mentioned ones but the form of their rendering is equilibrium, sound.

In this regard, it reminds artistic lan- guage of the Vepkhistqaosani. In our view, these hymns meant for one concrete day of Lent give rather clear idea on the style and creative principles of the authors.

გამოქვეყნებულია ჟურნალში „სჯანი“, ტ. 12 (2011), გვ. 135–141. ნაშრომის გახსნა