New Georgian University, Scientific Research Archive of Caucasian Philosophy and Theology
Batumi Shota Rustaveli State University
PhD in Philosophy, Professor
Head of the Department of Caucasian Philosophy
Batumi, Georgia
Christian Neoplatonism and Monastic Asceticism: The Question of the Relationship Between David the Invincible and David Gareji in the Context of Caucasian Philosophy
Abstract
This paper aims to provide an in-depth analysis of a distinctive feature of early Christian thought in the Caucasus: its development through the interaction and mutual influence of ascetic-monastic and philosophical traditions. Within this framework, the paper revisits the question of the relationship between David the Invincible and David Gareji from the perspective of Caucasian philosophy. One bold hypothesis, advanced by Leon Melikset-Beg, suggests that the Armenian Neoplatonist philosopher David the Invincible (Anhaght) and the Syrian Father David Gareji may have been the same person. The purpose of this study is neither to prove nor to refute this hypothesis. Rather, reconsidering the question within the framework of Caucasian philosophy casts new light on the broader intellectual and cultural environment of the Gareji Desert, where late antique philosophy was transformed into Christian mysticism.
The paper argues that, in the early Christian and medieval Caucasus—particularly in Georgia and Armenia—philosophy and monastic asceticism were not mutually exclusive; on the contrary, theoretical reflection attained its highest practical expression through the ascetic life. The Neoplatonic concept of the soul’s “ascending path” from the material world toward the divine First Principle may also have found practical realization in the asceticism of the Gareji Desert. In this setting, theoretical and intellectual contemplation was transformed into monastic silence (hesychasm), prayer, and mystical experience.
The sixth-century Caucasus constituted an intellectual crossroads of Byzantine, Syriac, and local traditions. This cultural space was characterized by the convergence of Neoplatonic conceptual frameworks and Christian mysticism. Ioane Petritsi, for example, regarded philosophy as a “divine activity” requiring ascetic discipline. Understood in this way, the proposed “connection” reflects a broader pan-Caucasian paradigm in which Neoplatonic dialectics and the asceticism practised in rock-cut monasteries emerged from the same cultural foundation: theological-philosophical mysticism. Framing the issue in these terms contributes to a deeper understanding of the spiritual and cultural atmosphere of the period. It is also important to note that Georgian and Armenian paradigms of thought during this era drew upon shared classical and Byzantine sources.
Through a comparative analysis of the philosophical writings of David the Invincible and the hagiographical sources concerning David Gareji, the paper seeks to identify underlying traces of Christian Neoplatonism in the ascetic heritage of the Gareji Fathers. This methodological approach demonstrates that the Gareji Desert was not merely a place of seclusion but also an intellectual centre in which late antique philosophy was transformed into Christian mysticism.
In light of the research hypothesis, the paper also examines interpretations advanced in Georgian humanities scholarship concerning the early worldview of the Syrian Fathers. At the same time, it reassesses the theoretical potential of the arguments under consideration, taking into account the dogmatic and historical contexts of the period. The study proposes a methodological framework through which the “topos of the monks’ philosophy” associated with the Gareji Fathers may be understood as a form of “intellectual mysticism”—that is, a mystical practice embodying a highly developed philosophical culture. This interpretation is further supported by the structure and inscriptions of the monasteries’ mural paintings.