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The Cult of Saints in Late Antiquity


from its origins to circa AD 700, across the entire Christian world


Lamp from Egypt with Greek inscription (6th–7th c.) referring to *Onnophrios (Egyptian Anchorite, 4th c., S00055), exact provenance unknown.

Evidence ID

E00329

Type of Evidence

Images and objects - Lamps, ampullae and tokens

Inscriptions - Inscribed objects

αββα Ὀνούφριος ἀναχωρητής

'Abba Onnophrios, the anchorite'

Translation: G. Schenke

Use of Images

Commissioning/producing an image

Cult Related Objects

Oil lamps/candles

Source

A small lamp of unknown provenance, dated to 500–650, shows a figure and the Greek inscription (LampesMB 12033). The lamp is now housed in the Benaki Museum in Athens.


Discussion

Many lamps with inscriptions to saints were produced in Elephantine, so that this might be a possible provenance. See the moulds for such lamps with an inscription to Onnophrios (E00112).


Bibliography

Edition:
Loverdou-Tsigarida, K., "Ἐνεπίγραφοι κοπτικοὶ λύχνοι τοῦ Μουσείου Μπενάκη," Δελτίον τῆς χριστιανικῆς ἀρχαιολογικῆς ἑταιρείας (1970–1972), 130–145.

Supplementum Epigraphicum Graecum (SEG) 37 (1990), 1624–1632.

Further reading:
Papaconstantinou, A., Le culte des saints en Égypte des Byzantins aux Abbassides (Paris: CNRS, 2001), 161–162.


Record Created By

Gesa Schenke

Date of Entry

4/3/2015

Related Saint Records
IDNameName in SourceIdentity
S00055Onnophrios, Egyptian anchorite, 4th c.αββα ὈνούφριοςCertain


Please quote this record referring to its author, database name, number, and, if possible, stable URL:
Gesa Schenke, Cult of Saints, E00329 - http://csla.history.ox.ac.uk/record.php?recid=E00329