Shota
Παλαιό Μέλος
I scanned and uploaded this article: A. Kazhdan and S. Gero. Kosmas of Jerusalem: a more critical approach to his biography. Byzantinische Zeitschrift. Vol. 82, pp. 122–132, 1989.
Despite relative abundance of the hagiographical data on St. Kosmas of Jerusalem, his biography remains somewhat confused. A few decades ago Th. Detorakes tried to produce a definitive account. This article by Kazhdan and Gero criticises the conclusions of Detorakes. Although frankly speaking the paper leaves an impression of being overdone at places, some of the points the two authors are trying to make sound valid. I haven't seen Detorakes response to the criticism: in his book on Byzantine philology in the part dealing with Kosmas he just reiterates his old conclusions with no arguments, but in the bibliography together with his old work mentions also the article by Kazhdan and Gero.
As an additional piece of evidence, in the Georgian mss of the New Iadgari (Tropologion) under December 26 there is a kanon dedicated to Sts. David and James, where in each Ode the troparia are attributed in alteration to Kosmas and John Damascene. Based on the incipits in the catalogue, it seems to be the same kanon of Mode 4 that is printed in the modern Menaia (there however it is attributed entirely to Kosmas). I don't know whether this instance presupposes some collaboration between Kosmas and John or is a result of the late editorial intervention. In any case the phenomenon has to be dated to the period prior to the first half of the 10th c., because that's the time from which the Georgian mss in question date from.
Despite relative abundance of the hagiographical data on St. Kosmas of Jerusalem, his biography remains somewhat confused. A few decades ago Th. Detorakes tried to produce a definitive account. This article by Kazhdan and Gero criticises the conclusions of Detorakes. Although frankly speaking the paper leaves an impression of being overdone at places, some of the points the two authors are trying to make sound valid. I haven't seen Detorakes response to the criticism: in his book on Byzantine philology in the part dealing with Kosmas he just reiterates his old conclusions with no arguments, but in the bibliography together with his old work mentions also the article by Kazhdan and Gero.
As an additional piece of evidence, in the Georgian mss of the New Iadgari (Tropologion) under December 26 there is a kanon dedicated to Sts. David and James, where in each Ode the troparia are attributed in alteration to Kosmas and John Damascene. Based on the incipits in the catalogue, it seems to be the same kanon of Mode 4 that is printed in the modern Menaia (there however it is attributed entirely to Kosmas). I don't know whether this instance presupposes some collaboration between Kosmas and John or is a result of the late editorial intervention. In any case the phenomenon has to be dated to the period prior to the first half of the 10th c., because that's the time from which the Georgian mss in question date from.