Akeldama - Manifestation of Semantic Transformation of the Biblical Term

Abstract

The article discusses the word აკელდამა/აკლდამა [Akeldama/Akldama], which likely entered Georgian via Greek (Ἀκελδαμά or variant Ἀκελδαμάχ), and its semantic evolution. The term itself originates from the Aramaic phrase חקל דמא (Ḥaqel D'ma), translated as "Field of Blood", as attested in the Gospel of Matthew and the Acts of the Apostles (Gr. χωρίον αἴματος, ἀγρὸς αἴματος; Lat. ager sanguinis). However, this word did not gain wider usage in Greek and remained limited to its specific biblical context. In contrast, in Georgian აკლდამა [Akldama] became a designation of an honorable burial site, despite its association with Judas Iscariot’s sin, as it refers to the land purchased with the thirty pieces of silver. The article explains this transformation in the semantic meaning of აკელდამა [Akeldama] by referencing the burial tradition for pilgrims at the site known by this name in Jerusalem. This tradition would have been well-known to Georgians of the time through their compatriots in Jerusalem’s spiritual centers. In the 12th century, members of the Hospitaller Order, the Knights of St. John, built a large underground vaulted structure, which they called Chaudemar - a distorted form of the French words Champ de Mar (Field of Blood), as Akeldama is referred to in the Acts of the Apostles. This event further influenced the semantic evolution of the word აკელდამა/აკლდამა (Akeldama/Akldama) in Georgian, leading to its complete inversion of meaning—from symbolizing the sin of Judas to representing a prestigious burial structure.