Greek votive inscription erected by a father, giving thanks to God and an unnamed *Archangel for healing his child. Found near Aizanoi (Phrygia, west central Asia Minor). Probably late antique.
Evidence ID
E00871
Type of Evidence
Inscriptions - Formal inscriptions (stone, mosaic, etc.)
[- - -]
νι εὐχαριστῶν
τῷ θ(ε)ῷ κὲ τῷ
ἀρχανγέλῳ
ἀνέστησεν ὑπὲρ
εὐχῆς κὲ σωτη-
ρίας τῶν τέκνων
αὐτοῦ
μοχθήσαν-
τος Μαγα[λ]ᾶ
τοῦ πεδὸς
αὐτοῦ
'[- - -] giving thanks to God and the archangel (he) set up (this stele) as a vow and for the salvation of his children, when his child, Magalas, was ill.'
Text: MAMA IX, no. 551.
Non Liturgical ActivityPrayer/supplication/invocation
MiraclesOther lay individuals/ people
Prayer/supplication/invocation
Vow
MiraclesHealing diseases and disabilities
Protagonists in Cult and NarrativesOther lay individuals/ people
Children
Source
A grey marble pillar found in a small cemetery at Hacı Mahmut (area of Aizanoi, Phrygia, central Asia Minor). H. 2.20 m, circumference 1.13 m; letter height 0.030-0.035 m. It is partially buried. Its visible part is decorated with a groove, traces of a large cross above the groove are also preserved. The text was cut at the bottom of the pillar.Discussion
The inscription records a vow made by a father of several children. His name was certainly mentioned in one of the missing lines at the beginning of the text. The father gives thanks to God and an unnamed *Archangel (probably Michael, whose sanctuary in Germia was very influential in central Asia Minor) for delivering his children, especially his son Magalas, who was seriously ill. This is a rare case in which miraculous healing is explicitly referred to in an inscribed text.The editors of Monumenta Asiae Minoris Antiqua notice that formulas used in this dedication resemble those characteristic of pagan dedications in Anatolia, which is a possible indication of an early date.
Bibliography
Edition:Monumenta Asiae Minoris Antiqua IX, no. 551.
Inscriptiones Christianae Graecae database, no. 1302: http://www.epigraph.topoi.org/ica/icamainapp/inscription/show/1302
Record Created By
Pawel Nowakowski
Date of Entry
22/11/2015
| ID | Name | Name in Source | Identity | S00191 | Archangels, unnamed or name lost | ἀρχάνγελος | Certain |
|---|
Please quote this record referring to its author, database name, number, and, if possible, stable URL:
Pawel Nowakowski, Cult of Saints, E00871 - http://csla.history.ox.ac.uk/record.php?recid=E00871