Euthymius the Athonite

The Venerable Euthymius the Athonite, also called Euthymius the Iberian, Euthymius the New or Euthymius the Hagiorite, was a Georgian monk, philosopher and scholar, abbot of the Iviron monastery on Mount Athos. The Church remembers him as one of the greatest theologians and translators of the eleventh century.

He was born around 955 into a noble Georgian family, the son of the commander John Varazvache (later known as John the Iberian) and nephew of the general Tornike Eristavi. The Byzantines called his people Iberians. In childhood he was taken as a political hostage to Constantinople, received a fine education there and was released at his father's request. According to the Athonite Paterikon, in his youth he killed a Jew who had mocked Christ, then fell gravely ill and, taking the illness as divine punishment, became a monk at the Great Lavra founded by Saint Athanasius the Athonite. Later he came to lead the Georgian monastery of Iviron, founded by his father around 978-980, and governed the community for fourteen years, then left the abbacy to devote himself to translation.

He spoke Georgian, Greek and other languages and rendered many religious and philosophical writings, according to his life even the whole of Holy Scripture. Among his great works is the translation of the Wisdom of Balahvari, a Christianised version of episodes from the life of the Buddha, which became very popular in medieval Europe as the story of Barlaam and Josaphat. Equally important are his Georgian translations of Greek philosophical, ecclesiastical and legal treatises. The monks of Iviron called him the new Chrysostom for his work of translation.

He died around 1028 (in some sources, 1024), near Constantinople, when the mule he was riding took fright at a beggar and threw him. His relics are buried in the church of Saint John the Baptist at Iviron, on Athos. His feast is on 13 May.