Books for Bibliophiles. Two Ancient Collections of the Georgian Translations of Gregory of Nazianzus’ Works – NCM S-1696 and NCM A-87

The two Georgian codices containing works by Gregory of Nazianzus examined in this article were not created for monastic needs but according to the specific, bibliophile interests of the commissioner/owner. NCM A-87 was copied for the Georgian Princess Martha-Mariam, who was the wife of the Byzantine Emperors and played an important role in the political life of contemporary Byzantium; NCM S-1696 was copied by Petre the Priest, formerly Petrik Patrikios, for his own personal interest. Petre was an active political figure at the court of the Georgian King Bagrat IV (mid-eleventh century) and a close associate of the contemporary Byzantine Emperors. These collections preserve some rare translations (not found in any other Georgian collection), texts attributed to Gregory and commentaries which are not found in the Greek sources.