38 No wegian Jou nal o de elopmen o he In e na ional Science No 168/2025
HISTORICAL SCIENCES
THE ROLE OF THE GEORGIAN CHURCH IN STATE LAWMAKING ACCORDING TO ANCIENT
LEGAL MONUMENTS
Me opoli an Ananias Japa idze
P o esso a he Geo gian Technical Uni e si y
Madona Leladze
Doc o al s uden in Theology and His o y o he Geo gian Chu ch, Facul y o Enginee ing Economics, Me-
dia Technologies, and Social Sciences, Geo gian Technical Uni e si y
h ps://doi.o g/10.5281/zenodo.17608960
Abs ac
In he 4 h cen u y, when King Mi ian, h ough he e o s o Sain Nino, decla ed Geo gia a Ch is ian s a e,
om ha day o wa d, he Geo gian Chu ch assumed a special and leading ole in s a e a ai s. In addi ion o
sa egua ding he Ch is ian ai h o he na ion, he Geo gian O hodox Chu ch made subs an ial con ibu ions o
he coun y’s educa ion and science. Acco ding o ancien ecclesias ical legisla i e collec ions, he Geo gian
Chu ch was engaged in a wide ange o s a e ac i i ies. A no able example is he Chu ch’s in aluable con ibu ion
o he c ea ion o ancien legal codes, de eloped in coope a ion wi h he kings. These old laws, p ese ed in he
o m o dec ees om ecclesias ical councils, p o ide insigh in o he Chu ch’s ole in he s a e sys em o ha e a.
Keywo ds: Geo gian Chu ch, heology, O hodox
In he IV cen u y, when King Mi ian decla ed
Geo gia a Ch is ian kingdom h ough he e o s o
Sain Nino, he Geo gian Chu ch assumed a p ima y
and excep ional ole in he li e o he S a e. I shaped
he spi i ual, eligious, and e hical no ms o he na ion.
I s s eng h and in luence we e closely linked o he
coun y’s social and cul u al de elopmen . As I ane Ja-
akhish ili no es in his wo k, he Chu ch “was no
me ely a sac ed ecclesias ical ins i u ion, bu also pos-
sessed cha ac e is ics o a s a e body.”
2
The Geo gian O hodox Chu ch, alongside p o-
ec ing Ch is ian ai h, con ibu ed signi ican ly o-
wa ds u he ing p og ess o educa ion and science in
Geo gia. F om he IV cen u y onwa ds, heological-
philosophical and ansla ion schools ope a ed in Geo -
gian monas ic cen e s bo h wi hin Geo gia and ab oad.
3
As he schola Ko neli Kekelidze w i es, “Monas e ies
c ea ed e ile g ound o he de elopmen o li e a u e
and suppo ed i s g ow h. They we e cen e s o cul u al
and li e a y ac i i y.”
4
He adds ha hose who augh a
hese monas e ies we e no only heologians, bu also
philosophe s who b idged eligious hough wi h clas-
sical knowledge, and we e well- e sed in g amma ,
a i hme ic, geome y, as onomy, music, ju isp udence,
and medicine. He also no es ha in hose educa ional
ins i u ions (monas e ies), he ins uc ion was ca ied
ou by philosophe s who unde s ood he na u e o God
and eligious belie . These philosophe s, acco ding o
Ko neli Kekelidze, we e also heologians—meaning
hey we e membe s o he cle gy—who possessed no
only heological expe ise bu we e also highly edu-
ca ed in g amma , a i hme ic, geome y, as onomy,
music, ju isp udence, and medicine.
5
I was p ecisely
his b oad and igo ous educa ion o he cle gy ha
o med he ounda ion o Geo gia’s social and cul u al
2
Ja akhish ili, I ane. Collec ed Wo ks in Twel e Volumes.
Vol. VI, p. 67. Tbilisi: Me snie eba Publishing, 1982.
3
Geo gian O hodox Chu ch Lib a y. His o y o he Geo -
gian Chu ch. A ailable a : h p://lib a y.chu ch.ge
de elopmen . Such a comp ehensi e in ellec ual o -
ma ion among he cle gy laid he ounda ion o Geo -
gia's cul u al and social p og ess.
Acco ding o ancien ecclesias ical legisla i e col-
lec ions, he Ch is ian Chu ch o Geo gia, beyond i s
educa ional mission, also engaged in signi ican s a e
a ai s. A key example is i s in aluable con ibu ion o
legal codi ica ion in pa ne ship wi h he mona chy, as
e lec ed in he o ma ion o se e al landma k legal
ex s: he “W i ing o he Law Code” (ძეგლის წერა),
a ounda ional legal compila ion p oduced by he Ruis-
U bnisi Council (რუის-ურბნისის საეკლესიო
კრება, 1103–1104), commonly ende ed in English as
“Compila ion o he S a u e”, he “Enac men o he
Code by King Geo ge” (ძეგლის დადება მეთმეფის
გიორგის მიერ), he “Council o Chule i” including
he Laws o Bag a Ku apala es, Beka, and Aghbugha
(ჭულევის საკანონმდებლო კრება, ბაგრატ
კურაპალატის, ბექასა და აღბუღას კანონები), he
“Penal Code” (მცნებაი სასჯულოი), he “Code o he
Ca holicoi” (სამართალი კათალიკოზთა), and he
“Law o Vakh ang VI” (სამართალი ბატონიშვილი
ვახტანგისა), among o he s. These legal monumen s,
p ese ed in he o m o “ecclesias ical synods”, p i-
ma ily o igina ed wi hin he Chu ch. They inco po a ed
bo h canonical law and a ious b anches o secula
law—c iminal, ci il, adminis a i e, and p ocedu al
law. They also p esc ibed ules o judicial appoin -
men s and esponsibili ies. Ancien legal ex s also lis
o enses agains he Chu ch, such as blasphemy, iola-
ion o eligious laws, and he esy—including he de-
s uc ion o sac ed si es o i ems, and denouncing he
4
Kekelidze, Ko neli & Ba amidze, Akaki. His o y o An-
cien Geo gian Li e a u e. Tbilisi: Tbilisi Uni e si y P ess,
1987, p. 35.
5
Ibid., p. 34.
No wegian Jou nal o de elopmen o he In e na ional Science No 168/2025 39
ai h. Punishmen was de e mined by he “G ea Canon
o he Fai h” (დიდი რჯულის კანონი).
In hese legal monumen s, he Ca holicoi a e men-
ioned as equals o he king. Thei supe io i y among
s a e o icials is e iden in he canon laws o he Coun-
cil o Chule i, pa icula ly in he so-called “Laws o
Bag a Ku apala es, Beka, and Aghbugha,” which ep-
esen Geo gia’s legal adi ion om he IX–XIV cen-
u ies and we e la e inco po a ed in o he legal code o
Vakh ang VI. A icles 101, 102, and 103 s a e ha a
bishop, p ies , o nun could no be punished— ega d-
less o hei o ense—by he A abeg. I ane Ja akhish-
ili w i es ha i his law had been au ho ed by A abeg
Aghbugha o by he king o ha ime, i would no ha e
g an ed he cle gy such ex ao dina y p i ileges. The e-
o e, he concludes ha hese h ee a icles mus belong
o a ime when he cle gy held dominan au ho i y in
Geo gia—when ecclesias ical powe s ood abo e secu-
la go e nance.
6
Since he ull ex o he “Laws o
Bag a Ku apala es, Beka, and Aghbugha” has no su -
i ed, Ja akhish ili sugges s ha hese a icles we e
likely ex ac ed om a legal code o iginally composed
o he en i e kingdom and no solely o Sam skhe-
Saa abago.
7
Thus, he legisla ion placed bo h secula and ec-
clesias ical au ho i ies on equal oo ing—meaning ha
he king and he Ca holicos held equi alen au ho i y in
medie al Geo gia. Fo example, he “Code o he Ca-
holicoi” s ongly condemned opposi ion o episcopal
au ho i y by nobles, gen y, o peasan s. A icle 17 o
ha code decla es: “Whoe e opposes o insul s he Ca-
holicos o bishop, o unjus ly de ames a p ies ... shall
be excommunica ed.” In Vakh ang VI’s code, he
Chu ch is likewise desc ibed as omnipo en and in io-
lable: A icle 25 s a es, “One ules o e he body, he
o he o e he soul.”
8
This equali y o powe s helped
enable cle gy o con ibu e di ec ly o oyal lawmaking,
whe e legisla ion was in used wi h high spi i ual and
mo al alues. Fo example, Bag a Ku apala es’ legal
code (IX cen u y), la e inco po a ed by Beka and Agh-
bugha in o hei own (XIII–XIV cen u ies), includes he
ollowing ph ase: “The law was join ly de eloped be-
o e he kings by bishops, nobles, and wise men, c e-
a ed by di ine p o idence.”
9
This clea ly e e s o a
wo king g oup composed o ecclesias ical and secula
igu es. I is e iden ha bishops, as pa o he Chu ch
hie a chy, pa icipa ed in de eloping hese laws along-
side nobles. Some a icles pe ained speci ically o ec-
clesias ical ma e s.
10
Some younge schola s a gue ha
he “wise men” men ioned in he code we e legal schol-
a s—ea ly ju is s. Acco ding o his in e p e a ion,
Geo gia al eady had ained legal expe s in he IX cen-
u y. Ja akhish ili a i ms ha hese “wise men” we e
wha he calls “expe s in s a e a ai s”— ha is, ju is s
knowledgeable in he p ac ical applica ion o law.
6
Ja akhish ili, I ane. Collec ed Wo ks in Twel e Volumes.
Vol. VI, p. 88. Tbilisi: Me snie eba Publishing, 1982.
7
Ibid., pp. 88–89.
8
Me opoli an Anania Japa idze. Collec ion o Geo gian Ec-
clesias ical Canons. Tbilisi: Saka elos Ma sne Publishing,
2017, p. 227.
9
Ibid., p. 222.
10
Ibid., p. 221.
A ju is is a legal schola who e alua es he ex en
o which a law esponds o socie y’s needs and chal-
lenges. Based on his, we can easonably in e ha he
“wise men” pa icipa ing in he a o emen ioned law-
making wo king g oups, as men ioned in Bag a Ku-
apala es’ code, we e a ci cle o legally educa ed indi-
iduals who acqui ed knowledge in ci ilized coun ies
o ha pe iod. Such educa ion, om he ea ly eudal e a
onwa d, was p ima ily ecei ed in Geo gia by membe s
o he cle gy. As p e iously ci ed om Ko neli Kekeli-
dze’s wo k, he schola explains ha heologians we e
also philosophe s who, in addi ion o hei b oad edu-
ca ion, had a solid command o ju isp udence. Based
on his, we may con iden ly in e ha he “wise men”
e e ed o in Bag a Ku apala es’ code we e in ac a
dis inc ci cle o legally educa ed cle gy who ook pa
in he legisla i e p ocess. Fo ins ance, he in oduc o y
sec ion o he XIV-cen u y Council o Chule i also e-
e s o cle ical lawmake s: “I, A abeg-Ami spasala
Aghbugha, in o med he hono able bishops and my un-
cles, he a he s o Sa a a, and he bishops and monks
om Tao, Sha she i, and Kla je i— hose en us ed o
God and he Holy Mo he o God.”
11
In mode n e ms,
his means ha A abeg Aghbugha con ened bishops
om he egion o Sam skhe, especially om Tao,
Sha she i, and Kla je i. Special impo ance was placed
on he cle gy o A squ i and Sa a a, along wi h o he
in i ed cle ics. F om he secula side, heads o go e n-
men al households and local senio o icials we e also
in a endance.
12
Ano he no able example is he 16 h-
cen u y Chu ch Council, whose ulings a e known in
Geo gian legal his o y as he “Code o he Ca holicoi.”
In esponse o widesp ead c iminal un es in he coun-
y, his code was compiled solely by ecclesias ical au-
ho i ies. The “Code o he Ca holicoi” had legal o ce
and was binding o Geo gian socie y a he ime.
The Chu ch’s legisla i e in ol emen is u he
exempli ied in he legal compendium o Vakh ang VI,
which he king o de ed o be compiled by he enowned
schola , Ca holicos-Pa ia ch Domen i IV, as well as
A chbishop G igol, o he me opoli ans, bishops, and
cle gy.
13
These cle ics consul ed legal codes om o -
eign adi ions and p esen ed hem o he oyal cou ,
whe e hey we e e iewed oge he wi h he king in an
ad iso y council and ul ima ely app o ed.
His o ically, Geo gia main ained a adi ion in
which ecclesias ical and ci il legal sys ems we e in e -
wined o e he cen u ies. Chu ch- ela ed issues and
canon law we e iewed as in eg al o s a e law. Fo ex-
ample, he Ruis-U bnisi Council add essed ma e s ha
we e eligious, legal, his o ical, and poli ical in na u e.
I deal wi h ules conce ning he cle gy, he mo al con-
duc o he lai y, ma iage, and eligious i es—all o
which we e ega ded as s a e-le el conce ns.
11
Geo gian Na ional Academy o Sciences. Geo gian Ency-
clopedia, edi ed by he Abashidze Scien i ic Edi o ial Boa d.
A ailable a : h ps://geo gianencyclopedia.com
12
Me opoli an Ananias Japa idze. Collec ion o Geo gian
Ecclesias ical Canons. Tbilisi: Saka elos Ma sne Publish-
ing, 2017, p. 180.
13
Ibid., p. 217.
40 No wegian Jou nal o de elopmen o he In e na ional Science No 168/2025
Today, Geo gia’s legisla i e body is he Pa lia-
men , consis ing o 150 depu ies. A legal commi ee is
esponsible o d a ing bills, which a e hen p esen ed
a pa liamen a y sessions and, i adop ed by majo i y
o e, enac ed in o law. Medie al Geo gia’s oyal
cou — he da abazi—played a simila legisla i e ole.
Acco ding o I ane Ja akhish ili, he da abazi
was he highes o gan o go e nmen in i s ime. I was
composed o a “Council o Fou Cle ics”: The Ca holi-
cos-Pa ia ch o All Geo gia, he Ca holicos o Abkha-
zia, he Chqondideli-M signoba ukhu sesi (chie
sc ibe and chancello ), and he chie con esso . These
ou senio chu ch leade s had excep ional au ho i y
wi hin he oyal council. All o his is eco ded in he
“Regula ions o he Royal Cou ,” which desc ibes he
s uc u e o he Geo gian mona chy and he du ies o i s
o icials. These high- anking cle ics, much like he le-
gal commi ee o a mode n pa liamen , would p esen
d a legisla ion o he da abazi, whe e i would be de-
libe a ed alongside s a e ep esen a i es and app o ed
i deemed accep able.
The go e ning legal Council was composed o he
highes ecclesias ical hie a chy, while he da abazi was
made up o in luen ial igu es om bo h he Chu ch and
he s a e. I s membe s, known as da baiselebi— ha is,
“depu ies”—included abbo s o monas e ies, izie s
se ing unde he chie sc ibe, p o incial go e no s
(E is a i), and legal schola s desc ibed as “expe s in
s a e a ai s.” This hie a chical assembly held he au-
ho i y o c ea e binding law. The p oceedings o he
council we e o e seen by he king, who issued di ec-
i es on how i should be conduc ed.
14
To d aw a clea e compa ison, one could liken he
da abazi o a mode n legisla i e body (pa liamen ) and
he ecclesias ical lawmake s o oday’s pa liamen a y
legal commi ee composed o depu ies.
The abo e examples ep esen jus a small pa o
a as his o ical eco d, bu hey a e enough o demon-
s a e ha he ancien Geo gian legal adi ion—p e-
se ed in he esolu ions o Chu ch councils—o e s a
clea pic u e o he Chu ch’s ole wi hin he s a e sys-
em o ha ime.
Re e ences:
1. Ja akhish ili, I ane. Collec ed Wo ks in
Twel e Volumes. Vol. VI, p. 67. Tbilisi: Me snie eba
Publishing, 1982.
2. Geo gian O hodox Chu ch Lib a y. His o y
o he Geo gian Chu ch. A ailable a :
h p://lib a y.chu ch.ge
3. Kekelidze, Ko neli & Ba amidze, Akaki. His-
o y o Ancien Geo gian Li e a u e. Tbilisi: Tbilisi
Uni e si y P ess, 1987, p. 35.
4. Ibid., p. 34.
5. Ja akhish ili, I ane. Collec ed Wo ks in
Twel e Volumes. Vol. VI, p. 88. Tbilisi: Me snie eba
Publishing, 1982.
6. Ibid., pp. 88–89.
7. Me opoli an Anania Japa idze. Collec ion o
Geo gian Ecclesias ical Canons. Tbilisi: Geo gian
Messenge Publishing, 2017, p. 227.
8. Ibid., p. 222.
9. Ibid., p. 221.
10. Geo gian Na ional Academy o Sciences.
Geo gian Encyclopedia, edi ed by he Abashidze Sci-
en i ic Edi o ial Boa d. A ailable a :
h ps://geo gianencyclopedia.com
11. Me opoli an Anania Japa idze. Collec ion o
Geo gian Ecclesias ical Canons. Tbilisi: Geo gian
Messenge Publishing, 2017, p. 180.
12. Ibid., p. 217.
13. “The Essence and Signi icance o he Da bazi
in he Wo ks o I ane Ja akhish ili.” A ailable a :
h ps://achija axa.wixsi e.com
14
“The Essence and Signi icance o he Da bazi in he
Wo ks o I ane Ja akhish ili.” A ailable a :
h ps://achija axa.wixsi e.com
