The Unknown Latin Source on the Practice of Indulgence of the Deceased in Georgia
The Unknown Latin Source on the Practice of Indulgence of the Deceased in Georgia

Summary/Abstract: The objective of the presented paper is to study the practice of putting the Deed of the Sins’ Remission in the deceased’s hand before the funeral in Georgia, in the Orthodox Indulgence context. This issue has not been studied in the Georgian scientific literature since. There are not any Georgian sources about it. One Latin source which is available to us, obviously confirms the existence of the deceased’s Indulgence or Greek ‘’ synchōrochartia („συγχωροχαρτια“) in Georgia, which is the equivalence of the Latin ‘’Indulgence’’, in particular, in the Samegrelo Principality in the 60s of the XVIIth century. The author of the mentioned source, Theatine missionary Don Giuseppe Zamp who activated in the Samegrelo Principality in 1652-1679, brought a short text of the Prayer Absolution for the deceased, which analyze gives us the opportunity to conclude that in Georgia a deceased was buried with the Eastern-Orthodox Indulgence in his/her hand which in fact, was the Sins’ Remission Indulgence according to the Catholic analogy. Wealthy people bought it during their lifetime. It was put in a deceased or a mortal’s hand and he/she was buried like this. In the Deed or according to the source language in the ‘’Card’’, the bishop confirmed that its owner always led a Christian’s life, kept the Lent, confessed and was an exemplary of a good behavior. This Deed was tightly held by the deceased and it was the permission to Heaven. The bishops were paid a large amount of money for the Deed of ‘’the Sins’ Remission’’ or the Indulgence in Samegrelo Principality, which was a way of the ecclesiastics’ enrichment. However, it is difficult to say how much it was widespread all over Georgia. According to the provided source, it should have been inaccessible to the lower social circle, as it is mentioned there that only wealthy people could buy it. The analyzes of the context of introducing and practice of the Orthodox Indulgence by the Greek Church (XVXVI cc.), convinces us that the text of the prayer of absolution or the practice of the Indulgence before the funeral, was introduced to Georgia in the 60s of the XVII th century from the Patriarchate of Jerusalem. The Latin unknown source gave us the opportunity to arise the mentioned problem as a fact and provided us with certain knowledge about the Georgian Orthodox Indulgence. This creates a prerequisite for the further studying of the problem.

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