On November 15, 2023, at Tbilisi
Theological Academy and Seminary, Tsotne Gigiberia, a student
enrolled in the Master’s degree program of the Academy, defended
his thesis. The title of the work was: “The Canonical Heritage of
Saint Anthimos the Iberian”. The supervisor of the thesis was
Doctor of Theology, Professor, Archpriest Aleksi Kshutashvili, the
reviewer - Doctor of Theology, Professor, Archdeacon Demetre
Davitashvili. The Dean of the Academy, Archpriest Ioane Kvanchiani
addressed the audience with his welcome speech and introduced the
agenda. The session was chaired by the Rector of Tbilisi
Theological Academy and Seminary, Doctor of Theology, Philology and
Political Sciences, Professor, Protopresbyter Giorgi
Zviadadze.
The student introduced his main
observations discussed in his thesis to the commission and the
audience, noting that Saint Anthimos the Iberian is well known as
one of the founders of the printing office and the Romanian
literary language, humanist and thinker, preacher, orator and
founder of the Romanian-language Liturgy. However, his contribution
as a canonist and the author of original monuments created in
Ecclesiastical Law have been little studied. This gap determined
the student’s decision to study the remarkable monuments of the
beginning of the 18th century – The Typicon of the All-Saints
Monastery, The Ecclesiastical Teaching and Canon Chapters, based on
the sources and the closest scientific literature.
Tsotne Gigiberia concluded that
the Canons of Saint Anthimos the Iberian are absolutely consistent
with the Holy Scriptures, the Canon Law, the monastic typicons of
different periods, and the interpretations of the Holy Fathers. The
study of the mentioned sources made information about the life and
activities of Saint Anthimos the Iberian and also about the
ecclesiastical and canonical thought and monastic life of that
period, in general, more complete.
The supervisor of the Master’s
degree thesis, Archpriest Aleksi Kshutashvili, evaluated the thesis
positively. The reviewer, Archdeacon Demetre Davitashvili spoke
about the merits of the work and gave significant advice to the
student for his further research.
Tsotne Gigiberia comprehensively
answered the questions posed by the Chairman of the commission,
Protopresbyter Giorgi Zviadadze. Doctor of Philology and Theology,
Professor, Archpriest Bidzina Gunia, Archpriest Longinoz
Suarishvili, Doctor of History, Professor Sergo Vardosanidze,
Doctor of Philology, Professor Gvantsa Koplatadze expressed their
noteworthy opinions on the Master’s degree thesis and gave their
evaluations.
The commission for the defense of
the thesis, under the Chairmanship of the Rector of TTAS,
Protopresbyter Giorgi Zviadadze, assessed Tsotne Gigiberia’s
research with the highest score and unanimously awarded him the
degree of Master of Theology.