The Life of Theodora of Alexandria (BHG 1727–1730) In Greek and Georgian Sources

This study examines the Greek and Georgian textual traditions of the Life of Theodora of Alexandria (BHG 1727–1730), one of the most popular hagiographical narratives of the medieval Christian world and a prominent example of the “disguised saint” motif. Drawing upon papyrological evidence, medieval Greek manuscripts, and Georgian translations, the article offers a comparative analysis of both the pre-metaphrastic (Cimenic) and metaphrastic recensions of the text. The earliest Greek witness – a 7th-century papyrus from Fayyum –confirms the early circulation of the Life, while complete Greek manuscripts of the pre-metaphrastic recension date from the 10^th–11^th  centuries. The metaphrastic Greek tradition, associated with Symeon Metaphrastes, is first preserved in Greek in a 14th-century manuscript.

In contrast, the Georgian tradition preserves both recensions in significantly earlier witnesses. The pre-metaphrastic version survives in 11th-century manuscripts, most notably Bodl. Georg. 1 (1038–1040), copied at the Monastery of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem by St. Prochorus the Georgian. Even more significant is the Georgian metaphrastic translation of 1081 (Ivir. georg. 20), which predates the earliest extant Greek metaphrastic manuscript by approximately three centuries.

The chronological priority and textual value of the Georgian evidence demonstrate that the Georgian tradition constitutes an essential and independent witness for reconstructing the textual history of the Life. The study underscores the broader importance of Georgian translated hagiography for understanding the development and transmission of Byzantine literary models.