Former Retracing Connections members Marijana Vuković’ and Sandro Nikolaishvili have produced an exciting video and podcast series about their new project Retrieving a Forgotten Byzantine Hagiography Collection from Georgian: John Xiphilinos’ Saints’ Lives, affiliated with the University of Southern Denmark and funded by Gerda Henkel Foundation.
John Xiphilinos was an 11th-century Byzantine monk and scholar, best known for his epitomes of Cassius Dio’s Roman History. In addition to his historiographical work, he also wrote theological treatises, including a collection of saints’ lives. Marijana’s and Sandro’s aim is to analyze these saints’ lives, which were likely transmitted at the Gelati Monastery in Georgia, and to explore their significance for Byzantine and Georgian liturgy, as well as how they reflect the political and cultural geography of the time. Particular attention is given to Xiphilinos’ methodology of “metaphrasis,” the sources he used, and his selection of saints and their placement in the liturgical calendar.
Now you can follow their steps into the world of medieval monasteries and manuscripts. Watch the series Xiphilinos’ Saints on Gerda Henkel Foundation’s Website.