Making, remembering and forgetting the Late Antique Caucasus

<p>The present thesis examines probably the ultimate focal point in the history of the Christian South Caucasian Cultures – the Caucasian Schism that occurred in the early seventh century – a major scandal that ended the ecclesiastical communion between the Georgian and Armenian Churches and g...

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Hovedforfatter: Aleksidze, N
Andre forfattere: van Lint, TM
Format: Thesis
Sprog:English
Udgivet: 2013
Fag:
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author Aleksidze, N
author2 van Lint, TM
author_facet van Lint, TM
Aleksidze, N
author_sort Aleksidze, N
collection OXFORD
description <p>The present thesis examines probably the ultimate focal point in the history of the Christian South Caucasian Cultures – the Caucasian Schism that occurred in the early seventh century – a major scandal that ended the ecclesiastical communion between the Georgian and Armenian Churches and gave impetus to the rise of the so-called national Churches. The schism became the central point of reference in both medieval and modern Caucasian historiographies. Modern scholarship has advanced different claims concerning the nature, reasons and results of the Schism, in many cases arguing that almost all aspects of the respective cultures have been affected by the Schism. As for medieval Armenian historical narratives, they made a good conceptual use of the schism, presenting the schism as a major interpretive schema for the explanation of all aspects of their relations with their northern neighbours.</p> <p>Contrary to such view, I argue that our knowledge of the reasons behind the schism and theological controversies that preceded, accompanied or followed the Schism in the sixth century is in most cases determined by the conceptual framework created in the Middle Ages together with the changes in political state of affairs in the Caucasus. In the period between the tenth to thirteenth centuries, when all major South Caucasian powers were struggling for the unification of the Caucasus under their aegis, the remembrance of the schism became particularly important. The remembrance and indeed forgetting of the Caucasian unity and separation became a rhetorical tool in medieval Armeno-Georgian debates. Therefore instead of taking the Schism at face value, I propose to abandon the traditional liminalist perception of the history of unity and separation in the Caucasus, and adopt a more rewarding approach, that is to say to try to understand when, why and by whom were the crucial events of the Late Antique Caucasian history conceptualized and adapted for contemporary ideological needs.</p>
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spelling oxford-uuid:8a7a37ad-4cdf-482e-abe5-d510676bb7502022-03-26T22:31:48ZMaking, remembering and forgetting the Late Antique CaucasusThesishttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_db06uuid:8a7a37ad-4cdf-482e-abe5-d510676bb750Late antiquity and the Middle AgesNear EastIntellectual HistoryEuropeChurch historyEnglishOxford University Research Archive - Valet2013Aleksidze, Nvan Lint, TM<p>The present thesis examines probably the ultimate focal point in the history of the Christian South Caucasian Cultures – the Caucasian Schism that occurred in the early seventh century – a major scandal that ended the ecclesiastical communion between the Georgian and Armenian Churches and gave impetus to the rise of the so-called national Churches. The schism became the central point of reference in both medieval and modern Caucasian historiographies. Modern scholarship has advanced different claims concerning the nature, reasons and results of the Schism, in many cases arguing that almost all aspects of the respective cultures have been affected by the Schism. As for medieval Armenian historical narratives, they made a good conceptual use of the schism, presenting the schism as a major interpretive schema for the explanation of all aspects of their relations with their northern neighbours.</p> <p>Contrary to such view, I argue that our knowledge of the reasons behind the schism and theological controversies that preceded, accompanied or followed the Schism in the sixth century is in most cases determined by the conceptual framework created in the Middle Ages together with the changes in political state of affairs in the Caucasus. In the period between the tenth to thirteenth centuries, when all major South Caucasian powers were struggling for the unification of the Caucasus under their aegis, the remembrance of the schism became particularly important. The remembrance and indeed forgetting of the Caucasian unity and separation became a rhetorical tool in medieval Armeno-Georgian debates. Therefore instead of taking the Schism at face value, I propose to abandon the traditional liminalist perception of the history of unity and separation in the Caucasus, and adopt a more rewarding approach, that is to say to try to understand when, why and by whom were the crucial events of the Late Antique Caucasian history conceptualized and adapted for contemporary ideological needs.</p>
spellingShingle Late antiquity and the Middle Ages
Near East
Intellectual History
Europe
Church history
Aleksidze, N
Making, remembering and forgetting the Late Antique Caucasus
title Making, remembering and forgetting the Late Antique Caucasus
title_full Making, remembering and forgetting the Late Antique Caucasus
title_fullStr Making, remembering and forgetting the Late Antique Caucasus
title_full_unstemmed Making, remembering and forgetting the Late Antique Caucasus
title_short Making, remembering and forgetting the Late Antique Caucasus
title_sort making remembering and forgetting the late antique caucasus
topic Late antiquity and the Middle Ages
Near East
Intellectual History
Europe
Church history
work_keys_str_mv AT aleksidzen makingrememberingandforgettingthelateantiquecaucasus