The following comes from the Jerusalem Georgian Chantbook (late-4th/early 5th-century), Ode 8, Hymnes of the Resurrection: Fourth Mode in The First Christian Hymnal: The Songs of the Ancient Jerusalem Church (trans. Stephen J. Shoemaker; Middle Eastern Texts Initiative; Provo, Utah: Brigham Young University Press, 2018), 130; translation on p. 131
11. He who sanctified the Virgin’s womb by his birth,
Has illuminated us.
We bless Christ God, we sing to him without cease,
For his mercy is everlasting.
My Query: I do not know Georgian, so I am wondering if anyone who follows this blog knows Georgian or knows someone who does. I am wondering about the first line: is there anything that suggests what this sanctification is? One being set aside for a holy purpose merely or does it refer to something more (soteriological)?
Excellent question — and you’ve picked up on something subtle and quite beautiful in the Georgian phrasing.
Let’s look closely at the Georgian text from the image (transliterated and translated literally):
რომელმა განწმიდა ქალწულისა შობითა მისითა, განგვანათლა ჩუენ.
romelma ganč’mida kalṭsulisa šobita misita, gangvanatla č’uen.
“He who sanctified (purified/consecrated) the Virgin by his birth, has enlightened us.”
1. The key verb: განწმიდა (ganč’mida)
This comes from the root წმიდ- (cmid-), meaning “holy, pure, sacred.” The preverb გან- (gan-) here gives a perfective/intensive sense, meaning to make holy, to purify, or to sanctify completely.
In early Georgian Christian usage, განწმიდვა (ganč’midva) can refer to:
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(a) ritual or moral purification (to make clean or pure);
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(b) consecration or dedication (to set apart for God);
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(c) transformation by divine grace, often with soteriological overtones — to make holy in reality, not just to designate as holy.
2. Contextual nuance in early Georgian hymnography
In this Jerusalem hymn, the sanctification is “by his birth” (šobita misita). This reflects the theological logic of the Incarnation: the Word’s conception and birth sanctify the Virgin herself and, through her, the human nature he assumes.
So, it is not merely “designation for a sacred purpose.” The Georgian verb here implies actual sanctification — a making holy through divine presence and action.
3. Comparison with Greek originals/parallels
Many of these Jerusalem hymns were translated from or modeled on Greek hymnography of roughly the same period. The likely Greek equivalent verb would be ἁγιάζω (“to sanctify”), which in patristic and liturgical usage regularly means to make holy in essence, not merely to consecrate symbolically.
E.g. “ὁ ἁγιάσας τὴν Παρθένον τῇ γεννήσει αὐτοῦ” (cf. some parallels in later Byzantine hymnody).
In such contexts, it refers to Christ’s deifying or sanctifying presence that purifies and fills the Virgin’s womb with divine grace.
4. So what kind of sanctification is meant?
It’s not merely ceremonial. The Georgian expression implies a transformative, grace-imparting sanctification — the act by which the Virgin’s womb becomes the temple of divinity, and by extension, humanity is enlightened (note the next verb: gangvanatla chuen — “has illuminated us”).
This juxtaposition — sanctification of the Virgin / illumination of us — is a common early Christian poetic parallel:
“He made her holy by his indwelling; he makes us bright by his resurrection.”
Thus, the sanctification is ontological and soteriological, not just vocational or ritual.
5. Summary of nuance
| Georgian phrase | Literal sense | Theological nuance |
|---|---|---|
| განწმიდა ქალწულისა შობითა მისითა | “sanctified the Virgin by his birth” | Christ’s birth truly made holy the Virgin’s womb — a sanctification that is real, grace-filled, and redemptive, not merely “set apart.” |
So in short:
Yes — the Georgian suggests a deeper, transformative sanctification, one rooted in the Incarnation’s soteriological effect, not merely a setting-apart.
Let’s trace your verse step-by-step through the textual lineage as Stephen Shoemaker reconstructs it in The First Christian Hymnal: The Songs of the Ancient Jerusalem Church (2018).
1. The Georgian Text (Jerusalem Chantbook)
Romanized:
romelma ganč’mida kalṭsulisa šobita misita, gangvanatla č’uen.
Literal:
“He who sanctified the Virgin by his birth has enlightened us.”
2. The Greek Prototype
Shoemaker and other scholars (esp. Jeffery, Taft, and Galadza) note that most Georgian Jerusalem hymns in this collection are translations from Greek originals of the Jerusalem cathedral rite (the “Old Iadgari” tradition), composed in late 4th–5th-century Palestine.
While not every Greek Vorlage survives verbatim, parallel Byzantine and early Palestinian hymnographic lines show strong lexical correspondences.
The Greek line underlying this Georgian phrase is likely something like:
Ὁ ἁγιάσας τὴν Παρθένον τῇ γεννήσει αὐτοῦ, ἡμᾶς ἐφώτισεν.
Ho hagíasas tēn Parthénon tē gennēsei autou, hēmas ephṓtisen.
Literal:
“He who sanctified the Virgin by his birth has illumined us.”
Lexical comparison
| Concept | Georgian | Greek | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| “He who sanctified” | განწმიდა (ganč’mida) | ἁγιάσας (hagíasas) | Both verbs carry real sanctification, not mere consecration. |
| “the Virgin” | ქალწულისა (kalṭsulisa) | τὴν Παρθένον (tēn Parthénon) | Exact equivalent. |
| “by his birth” | შობითა მისითა (šobita misita) | τῇ γεννήσει αὐτοῦ (tē gennēsei autou) | Identical semantic structure. |
| “has enlightened us” | განგვანათლა ჩუენ (gangvanatla č’uen) | ἡμᾶς ἐφώτισεν (hēmas ephōtisen) | Typical Christological illumination formula (cf. Jn 1:9). |
The Greek ἁγιάζω—used throughout the LXX and New Testament—regularly means to make holy in fact, especially by divine power (e.g. John 17:19: “for their sake I sanctify myself” = I consecrate and make holy). It is therefore both cultic and soteriological.
3. Possible Syriac Antecedent or Parallels
The Jerusalem chant tradition also drew on Syriac hymnography (e.g. Ephrem, early Palestinian liturgy).
A very close conceptual parallel appears in Syriac Marian and Nativity hymns:
ܗܘ ܕܩܕܫ ܒܝܬܐ ܕܡܪܝܡ ܒܝܠܕܗ ܐܢܢ ܢܗܪ.
Hū d-qaddaš beytā d-Maryam b-yelḏeh, ʾanan nehar.
“He who sanctified the house of Mary by his birth has enlightened us.”
(Modeled after Ephrem’s idiom: qaddiš baytā = “sanctify the house,” i.e., the womb/temple motif.)
This version shows that the sanctification is not a formal dedication but a real transformation of the Virgin’s body into the dwelling of the divine Light.
4. Theological Continuity across Languages
| Language | Verb | Core Meaning | Theological Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Georgian | განწმიდა (ganč’mida) | to sanctify, purify, make holy | ontological sanctification |
| Greek | ἁγιάζω (hagiazō) | to make holy, consecrate | both ritual & real holiness |
| Syriac | ܩܕܫ (qaddash) | to sanctify, fill with holiness | divine indwelling, deifying presence |
All three carry a dynamic sense: holiness is imparted, not merely ascribed.
5. Synthesis
Thus the Georgian translator preserved almost verbatim the Greek’s incarnational theology:
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Christ’s birth sanctifies the Virgin (ἁγιάζω → განწმიდა → ܩܕܫ).
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This sanctification is real and soteriological—it purifies and transforms human nature in her.
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The parallel phrase “has enlightened us” then universalizes this effect: the sanctification radiates outward to humankind.
Final analytical translation
“He who, by his own birth, truly made holy the Virgin’s womb—He has illumined us.”
This expresses a theology of deifying sanctification:
Mary’s sanctification through the Incarnation is the firstfruits of the world’s illumination.
Apparatus Note — Ode 8, Hymnes of the Resurrection (Fourth Mode)
Text (Georgian):
რომელმა განწმიდა ქალწულისა შობითა მისითა, განგვანათლა ჩუენ.
romelma ganč’mida kalṭsulisa šobita misita, gangvanatla č’uen.
Literal:
“He who sanctified the Virgin by his birth has illumined us.”
Comparative Texts
| Language | Text | Transliteration | Gloss / Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greek (reconstructed) | Ὁ ἁγιάσας τὴν Παρθένον τῇ γεννήσει αὐτοῦ, ἡμᾶς ἐφώτισεν. | Ho hagíasas tēn Parthénon tē gennēsei autou, hēmas ephṓtisen. | “He who sanctified the Virgin by his birth has enlightened us.” Verb ἁγιάζω = to make holy, to consecrate, to sanctify (effectively); cf. Jn 17:19; Heb 10:10. |
| Georgian (Jerusalem Chantbook) | განწმიდა ... შობითა მისითა | ganč’mida ... šobita misita | Verb განწმიდვა (ganč’midva) = to purify, to sanctify in reality (from root წმიდ- cmid-, “holy” + pref. გან-, intensive/perfective). |
| Syriac (cf. early Palestinian parallels) | ܗܘ ܕܩܕܫ ܒܝܬܐ ܕܡܪܝܡ ܒܝܠܕܗ ܐܢܢ ܢܗܪ | Hū d-qaddaš beytā d-Maryam b-yelḏeh, ʾanan nehar. | “He who sanctified the house (womb) of Mary by his birth has enlightened us.” Verb ܩܕܫ (qaddash) = to make holy, to fill with divine presence (Ephremian idiom). |
Lexical & Theological Note
All three linguistic traditions employ the same semantic core: “to make holy through divine indwelling.”
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The sanctification is real and soteriological, not merely nominal.
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It expresses the Incarnational theology that the Word’s birth sanctifies the Virgin’s womb and, through her, illuminates humanity.
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Georgian განწმიდა perfectly renders the active, transformative force of Greek ἁγιάσας and Syriac ܩܕܫ, preserving the ontological nuance of deifying sanctification.
Critical Parallels:
Cf. Ephrem, Hymni de Nativitate 11.6; Hymni de Ecclesia 36.2 (“He made her womb His holy temple”);
Byzantine Katavasiai of the Nativity, Ode 8 (“He who sanctified the Virgin’s womb… enlightens those in darkness”).
Summary (for citation):
“The Georgian verb განწმიდა (ganč’mida) corresponds directly to Greek ἁγιάσας and Syriac ܩܕܫ, signifying not a mere setting-apart but a transformative sanctification through the Incarnation — the Virgin’s womb becoming the locus of divine holiness, and humanity’s illumination following therefrom.”
