The compiler of the,,Conversion of Georgia had worked towards an organic fusion of these genetically differing parts; as the result, the monument represents a unified system rather than a mechanical conglomerate of works. The purpose of the system is to present the fact of conversion of the Georgians to Christianity in relationship to other developments in Georgian history. This historiographic task is attained in the,,Conversion of Georgia“ through a combination of two different-sized redactions of an hagiographic monument with the Chronicle. The short redaction of the Life of St. Nino“ – included in the Chronicle – shows the conversion of the Georgians in the course of historical events, where – as the extended redaction – given at the end of the Chronicle – allows to see the same fact separately – as a close up. As a result, the ev idence on the conversion of the Georgians is perceived in a broad historical context, with due account of the details.
The central idea of the,,Conversion of Georgia“ is to show the fact of the conversion to the Georgians in the historical perspective, which is not characteristic of its component parts taken separately. Therefore, in relation to these parts the,,Conversion“ is a qualitatively new development, and its compiler is not a mere editor of a collection but author of an important historical work.
The origin of the,,Conversion of Georgia“ is linked to the activities of a major political figure – King Vakhtang Gorgasal, in particular to his reorganization of the Georgian church in the second half of the 5th century.
As a work of major significance for Christian Georgia, the,,Conversion“ was repeatedly redacted over the centuries. Traces of these later alterations are visible in the historical Chronicle which was gradually updated to the 9th century.
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