Translating the Dialogues of Gregory the Great: Linguistic and Cultural Mediation between East and West in the 8th Century

Gregory the Great’s Dialogues (590–604), a four-book collection of stories on the lives and miracles of holy men known to the author during his experience as deacon, monk, and pope, constitute a key work for understanding the dynamics of Late Antique spirituality. Although rooted in Western tradition, the text draws extensively on Eastern hagiographical models, offering a spiritual synthesis that provided fertile ground for encounters between Western Christianity and Eastern monasticism. This dual background made the Dialogues particularly suited to intercultural circulation, culminating in the Greek translation by Pope Zacharias (741–752). Far from being a mere linguistic transposition, this translation was conceived as a political and pastoral project aimed at strengthening ties between Rome and Greek-speaking communities in a time of deep tensions between East and West. The historical context of the translation is closely connected to the iconoclastic crises and the resulting migrations that brought Byzantine monks and intellectuals to Italy. These exiles fostered cultural and theological exchanges, finding in Zacharias - last of the Greek, Syriac, and Sicilian popes of the 7th–8th century - an ideal mediator. Translating and circulating a work that celebrated Western spiritual fervor while also engaging with Eastern heritage reflected the intent to consolidate the bonds between two Christian worlds united by a shared legacy of faith and ascetic models. The linguistic analysis of the second book of the Dialogues, devoted to the Vita Benedicti, shows that Zacharias produced an autonomous text adapted to the cultural and linguistic needs of the Greek readership. His translation techniques diverge markedly from the literalism of contemporary Greek-to-Latin renderings, privileging a more fluid style attentive to the audience’s sensibilities. Praised by Photius in codex 252 of the Bibliotheca, the Greek Dialogues helped establish Gregory in the East under the title ὁ Διάλογος and became the basis for later Arabic and Georgian versions. This study situates the Greek Dialogues within the broader context of cultural and multilingual exchanges between East and West, highlighting their role as a bridge between distinct yet interconnected Christian traditions.