The Letter of Patriarch John II of Antioch (631–648) to Marutha of Tagrit and Its Significance for the History of the Iberian Church

Abstract

Patriarch John II of Antioch (631–648) was the head of the Syriac Orthodox Church. He was one of the most distinguished figures of the Syriac Orthodox Church, and the faithful venerate him as a saint within this tradition. Of particular interest and importance for the history of the Georgian Church is the letter of John of Antioch to Marutha, Metropolitan of Tagrit (628/629–649) and head of the Syriac Orthodox Church of the East. This epistle holds special significance, as it represents one of the earliest extant sources testifying to the subordination of the Iberian Church to the patriarchal see of Antioch.

Georgian historians have long been aware of this letter and have utilized it in their studies concerning the original canonical status of the Iberian Church, as well as questions of its autocephaly. Unfortunately, however, to this day, the letter has not been subjected to a dedicated and detailed investigation in relation to the history of the Georgian Church.

In the present article, I have sought to fill this scholarly gap. The study examines the time and circumstances in which the letter was composed, its purpose, and its reliability. For the first time in Georgian scholarship, we publish here the complete Georgian translation of the correspondence between Patriarch John II of Antioch and Marutha of Tagrit, accompanied by relevant commentary.