Abstract:
The Greek monk Nicon, who flourished in the second half of the
11th century in the region of Antioch and was hence called the Black
or Miraculous Mountain, belongs to the important authors of Melkite
medieval literature. He left three voluminous books which have
not yet been studied thoroughly and systematically. By examining
his treatise “On the beloved Georgian spiritual fathers and brothers”,
which deals with the conversion of the Georgians to the Christian
faith and the history of their church, the present article is intended
as a modest contribution to the further study of Nicon’s works.
Special emphasis is given to the sources Nicon used and the way his
work was perceived by later generations.
A comparison between Nicon’s treatise on the Georgians and
a “Report” on the same subject written by his Georgian contemporary
Ephrem Mcire (the minor) reveals Nicon’s heavy dependence
on Ephrem as there are striking correspondences between the two
works concerning composition and content. Thus the thesis that both
authors worked independently cannot be maintained any longer.
By translation, Nicon’s works became soon available for Arabic
readers too. Mostly forgotten by the end of the Middle Ages, they
owed their rediscovery in the 17th century to Meletius Karma and Macarius ibn az-Za‛īm, two prominent Melkite church leaders and
men of letters. As the latter developed a keen interest in everything
concerning Georgia, Nicon’s treatise became a valuable source
for several tracts in which Macarius touched the issue of Georgian
church history.
