Visiting Scholar: Lali Vashakmadze
16.07.2025The Chair of Old Testament at University of Würzburg welcomed Lali Vashakmadze from Tbilisi State University, Georgia, as a visiting scholar.
Lali Vashakmadze is a PhD researcher in the field of Philology of the Georgian Bible at the Faculty of Humanities, Center for Eastern Christian Studies, at Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University in Georgia (supervisor: Prof. Dr. Anna Kharanauli). Her research focuses on the Old Georgian version of the Book of Judith. The Georgian version, which dates back to approximately the 5th century CE, is a translation from a Greek source text. With the support of the Shota Rustaveli National Science Foundation of Georgia, Lali Vashakmadze was guest at Würzburg as a visiting scholar, hosted by the Chair of Old Testament (Prof. Dr. Barbara Schmitz), for three weeks from June 25 to July 16, 2025.
During her visit, both sides had the opportunity to exchange their views on the different versions of Judith. Lali Vashakmadze presented on her research on the Vorlage of Old Georgian Judith and also gave an introduction into the world of Georgian manuscripts. Lucas Brum Teixeira and Barbara Schmitz shared some of their research plans on the textual traditions of Judith, which will be the focus of a DFG-funded research project starting in 2026. With the visit being mutually beneficial, Judith scholars at Würzburg and Tbilisi are hopeful that there will be further opportunities for exchange and collaboration.
