Site logo

The Cult of Saints in Late Antiquity


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


Greek epitaph for the wife of a deacon of the church of *John the Apostle and Evangelist (S00042) in Ephesos. Found at the site of the church of *Mary (Mother of Christ, S00033) in Ephesos (western Asia Minor). Probably middle Byzantine.

Evidence ID

E00784

Type of Evidence

Inscriptions - Funerary inscriptions

+ ἐκυμήθ[η ἡ δούλ]η τοῦ θ(ε)οῦ Γεοργήα
σύ(μ)βηος Μ[. . . δι]ακόνου τοῦ τημήου
θεωλόγου [μηνὶ Σεπ]τεμβρίῳ ἰς τὰ κ΄ ἠν(δικτιῶνος) ι΄

'+ Georgia the servant of God and wife of M[- - - , de]acon (of the church) of the reverend Theologian, fell asleep in the [month of Sep]tember, on the 20th day, the 10th indiction.'

Text:
I. Ephesos, no. 4144.

Cult Places

Cult building - independent (church)

Protagonists in Cult and Narratives

Women
Ecclesiastics - lesser clergy

Source

A grey marble plaque, broken into two pieces. Found close to the western arch in the southern part of the church of *Mary in Ephesos. Part A: H. 0.45 m; W. 0.4 m; Th. 0.065m. Part B: H. 0.36 m; W. 0.53 m; Th. 0.065 m. Revisited and photographed by Denis Feissel.

Discussion

The inscription gives us the epitaph of a deacon's wife. Though the deacon served in the church of *John the Evangelist, the epitaph was found at the site of the episcopal church of *Mary. The deceased is called the servant of God which suggests a date in the 6th or 7th c.

Dating: Denis Feissel (in a letter dated 17.05.2018) kindly pointed to us that the epitaph is surely of a middle Byzantine date. This is hinted by the phrase denoting the day of death (ἰς τὰ κ΄) given in the dating formula, and the lettering.


Bibliography

Edition:
Die Inschriften von Ephesοs, no. 4144.

Keil, J., Reisch, E., Knoll, F. (eds.),
Forschungen in Ephesos, vol. 4/1: Die Marienkirche in Ephesos (Vienna: Selbstverlag des ÖAI Wien, 1932), no. 44.

Further Reading:
Halkin, F., "Inscriptions grecques relatives à l'hagiographie, IX, Asie Mineure", Analecta Bollandiana 71 (1953), 78.


Record Created By

Pawel Nowakowski

Date of Entry

15/10/2015

Related Saint Records
IDNameName in SourceIdentity
S00042John, the Apostle and EvangelistθεοωλόγοςCertain


Please quote this record referring to its author, database name, number, and, if possible, stable URL:
Pawel Nowakowski, Cult of Saints, E00784 - http://csla.history.ox.ac.uk/record.php?recid=E00784