Theophilus the Hieromonk, Teachings and Sayings of the Saint Fathers

This book is the third part of the Georgian translation of Paterikes ((Ἀποφθέγματα τῶν ἁγίων πατέρων and Ἁνδρῶν ἁγίων βιβλός). The first two volumes have been published under the title “The Old Georgian Translation of Medieval Short stories” . The first volume presented Euthymius the Athonite’s translation of the systematic Paterike while the second was the anonymous alphabetical collection of Georgian translations amongst the Sinai and Athos manuscripts.
This volume is Theophilus the Monk’s translation of the collected Paterikes. This is one of the most complete of Georgian translations, and thus the publication of this critical text is important for the study of similar Greek collections and of the evolution of this systematic collection of writings.
It has now been established that the “Teachings of the Fathers” represented the third phase of the development of the Paterikes’s systematic collection. However, the study of the structure and composition of the collection signify that it is the translation of that particular type of text of the Greek Apophthegmata’s systematic collection known amongst scholars as belonging to a specific group of Apophthegmata. It must originate from a regular alphabetical anonymous collection. Such collections are characterized by the following features: 1) a large number of stories in general, and those on each of the Holy Fathers included; 2) additional chapters supplementing the typical 21 of such systematic Paterikes; 3) the inclusion of the Teachings of Zosimus at the end of the first chapter, after the anonymous narrations (in this group of manuscripts); 4) the inclusion of material from the Lemonarion of John Moschos and narrations by Daniel of Scete which are not part of the usual systematic collections of apophthegms.
The study of Theophilus the Monk’s translation reveals that all these features, typical of specific systematic collections and originating from alphabetical anonymous collections, are present.
Several issues with regard to Theophilus the Monk’s translation, such as its title, its structure and content, editing style, etc., are dealt with in the introduction.
Unfortunately, the exact title of the collection is not given in the Georgian manuscripts; however, the study of colophons of the manuscripts containing the text translated by Theophilus often refers to it as the “Paradise”. In terms of its composition and title, the collection echoes the `μεγα λεμοναριον~ discussed in Bibliotheca by Patriarch Photios and this confirms that this collection would have originally been entitled the “Paradise”. In the course of time, due to multiple collections with the same name existing, this collection was renamed “Teachings of the Fathers”.
The Teachings of Zosimus, which follow the anonymous narrations in the second chapter of the “Teachings of the Fathers”, occupy a special place in this study. Comparison of this composition with Euthymius the Athonite’s translation of the same text and the Greek text published in Patrologia Graeca has revealed that there were different Greek manuscripts of the Teachings of Zosimus, namely: 1) the one known as the Greek Text, published in Patrologia Graeca, 2) a relatively complete text representing the source of the translation by Euthymius, 3) the Vorlage edition of the translation by Theophilus, which is both a more complete text than the first and briefer than the second.
This text of Theophilus the Monk’s translation of the “Teachings of the Fathers” is based on the translator’s lacunar autograph (A1105) and the four 13th century manuscripts (A528, A1339, H1342, Qut 40).