A scientific conference dedicated to the 900th anniversary of the passing away of Saint King David the Restorer was held at Tbilisi Theological Academy and Seminary. The event was organized with the blessing of the Catholicos Patriarch of All Georgia, His Holiness and Beatitude Ilia II.
Before the beginning of the conference, a hymn was performed by the Choir of Tbilisi Theological Seminary, conducted by Lasha Zaalishvili.
The Rector of Tbilisi Theological Academy and Seminary, Doctor of Theology, Philology and Political Sciences, Protopresbyter of the Orthodox Church of Georgia Giorgi Zviadadze opened the conference, addressing the audience with his speech. He noted that the first theological school, Tbilisi Theological Academy and Seminary, founded with the blessing of the Catholicos Patriarch of All Georgia and through his direct contribution and efforts, is a place of the integration of true faith and true knowledge, making this institution a worthy successor to Gelati Academy. The Rector of the Academy also drew the audience’s attention to the great contribution of King David the Restorer to the Georgian nation which he was canonized for as a saint by the Orthodox Church.
The following speakers gave their talks: Metropolitan of Manglisi and Tetritskaro, Doctor of History, Professor Anania (Japaridze), the Head of the Department of Georgian Language and Literature, Doctor of Philology, Professor Lela Khachidze, the Head of the Department of History of Georgia, Doctor of History and Theology, Professor Sergo Vardosanidze, and Doctor of History, Professor, Academician of the Gelati Academy of Sciences, Eldar Bubulashvili.
The topic of Metropolitan Anania’s talk was “Relationship Between the State and the Church During the Reign of King David the Restorer.” He spoke about the complexity of the era in which Saint King David lived. His Eminence particularly noted how important the King’s steadfastness and self-sacrifice were for our country, how he reunited Georgia, which was weakened by internal feudal strife, and how he freed the capital city of Georgia from the 400-year rule of Muslims.
The Head of the Department of Georgian Language and Literature, Doctor of Philology, Professor Lela Khachidze presented to the audience the topic – “David the Restorer’s ‘Hymns of Repentance’”. She briefly reviewed this greatest monument of hymnography, analysed in the works of Georgian researchers, and noted that “Hymns of Repentance” undoubtedly expresses the author’s spirituality and devoutness.
Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor, Academician of Gelati Academy of Sciences, Eldar Bubulashvili presented to the audience the topic - “Sanctities Related to Saint King David the Restorer”. He spoke about the sanctities preserved in the Church and related to the reign of Saint King David the Restorer. Professor Bubulashvili noted that the canonization of King David as a saint must have taken place soon after his death.
The Head of the Department of History of Georgia, Doctor of Historical Sciences and Theology, Professor Sergo Vardosanidze spoke on the topic - “King David the Restorer as a Statesman”.
“The greatest merit of the Holy King was that he never lost faith in the national strength of the Georgian people. There was no more plowing, no more sowing in this country, the Seljuk Turks were occupying Georgian lands, and, naturally, in such a situation, the Georgian man had lost his national dignity and faith in the future. King David began his work by raising this national consciousness and restoring the people’s faith in their future, turning the declining spirit into a great force again and directing it towards the main cause which was the unification of the country. He gathered intelligent people around himself and established a high level of reasoning, inappropriate for a feudal state. The King valued people according to their personal dignity, and this led to the revival of the country in those difficult conditions. 900 years have passed since the death of Saint King David. Since then, there have lived and worked many great figures in our country but no one has attained his height. The fact that we are standing here today is the result of the great King David the Restorer’s merit and contribution,” said the speaker.
The President of the Georgian Rugby Federation, Mr. Ioseb Tkemaladze, was a special guest invited to the conference. Mr. Tkemaladze has provided great support and assistance to Tbilisi Theological Academy and Seminary in terms of the development of its infrastructure. Protopresbyter Giorgi Zviadadze, on behalf of the institution, expressed his gratitude to Mr. him for his cooperation. He awarded him with Certificate of Honour of Tbilisi Theological Academy and Seminary and presented him the book of great ecclesiastical and national importance, recently published by Professor Edisher Chelidze - “The Great Book of Needs”. Mr. Ioseb Tkemaladze expressed his heartfelt gratitude to Father Giorgi and once again expressed his wish to support the Academy and Seminary in the future.
At the end of the conference, Protopresbyter Giorgi Zviadadze thanked the audience and the Head of the Department of Georgian History, Professor Sergo Vardosanidze, who had coordinated the preparations for the conference.
Metropolitan Anania once again emphasized the great contribution of the Rector to the multifaceted progress of this institution.
The event was attended by the members of the Academic Council, teachers, students and invited guests.
A hymn performed by the Choir of the Academy, conducted by Lekso Gremelashvili, concluded the conference.
