Greek inscription with an invocation, probably of *Konon (one of the several homonymous martyrs of Anatolia). Found at Laodikeia/Laodicea Combusta (Pisidia, west central Asia Minor). Probably 6th/8th c. or later.
Evidence ID
E00919
Type of Evidence
Inscriptions - Formal inscriptions (stone, mosaic, etc.)
ὁ ἅγιος Κ̣ό[νων (?)]
Ἀδρόνηκος Ἀθις δ̣ο̣ύ̣λ̣ι
Χ(ριστο)ῦ
1. Κ̣ό[νων (?)] Halkin, Κο[ίριχος] = Κύρικος MAMA
'Saint Konon (?). Andronikos (and) Athis, servants of Christ.'
Non Liturgical Activity
Prayer/supplication/invocation
Protagonists in Cult and NarrativesOther lay individuals/ people
Source
A bluish limestone plaque found in the apse of a church at Laodikeia Katakekaumene/Laodicea Combusta (Pisidia, central Asia Minor). H. 0.42 m; W. 0.35 m; Th. 0.12 m; letter height 0.0125-0.035 m. Decorated with a low relief carving of an elaborate cross. The inscription is written above its horizontal arm.Discussion
The inscription is an invocation of a saint, whose name is mentioned at the end of line 1. William Calder restored the name as Κο[ίριχος], which he understood as a corrupted version of the name Κύρικος. François Halkin suggests a much better completion: Κό[νων].There are three Anatolian saints, who bore the name Konon, and we don't know which one is referred to. *Konon, martyr of Isauria (south-eastern Asia Minor) was said to have lived in the times of the Apostles (1st/2nd c.). He enjoyed the special protection of *Michael the Archangel and led a life of holiness. He was credited with working many miracles. *Konon of Magydos (Pamphylia, southern Asia Minor) was a gardener and martyr under the emperor Decius. It is claimed that he came from Nazareth and was a relative of Christ (if this declaration is to be taken literally, and not as a metaphor for the Christian religion, creating a bond between the followers and the Saviour). *Konon, martyr of Iconium (Lycaonia, central Asia Minor) died under the emperor Aurelian (270-275).
Dating: This kind of invocation with the 'servant-of-saint' formula is usually dated to the 6th/8th c. or later. The formula is certainly common in the middle Byzantine period.
Bibliography
Edition:Monumenta Asiae Minoris Antiqua I, no. 251.
Inscriptiones Christianae Graecae database, no. 394: http://www.epigraph.topoi.org/ica/icamainapp/inscription/show/394
Further reading:
Destephen, S., "Martyrs locaux et cultes civiques en Asie Mineure", in: J.C. Caillet, S. Destephen, B. Dumézil, H. Inglebert, Des dieux civiques aux saints patrons (IVe-VIIe siècle) (Paris: éditions A. & J. Picard, 2015), 93.
Halkin, F., "Inscriptions grecques relatives à l'hagiographie, IX, Asie Mineure", Analecta Bollandiana 71 (1953), 331.
Tabula Imperii Byzantini, vol. 7, 327.
Reference works:
Bulletin épigraphique (1954), 27.
Images
)
From: MAMA 1, no. 251., better image?
Record Created By
Pawel Nowakowski
Date of Entry
01/12/2015
| ID | Name | Name in Source | Identity | S00007 | Kyrikos/Cyricus and Ioulitta/Julitta, child and his mother, martyrs of Tarsus | Κο[ίριχος] | Uncertain | S00177 | Konon, gardener and martyr of Magydos of Pamphylia | Κό[νων] | Uncertain | S00429 | Konon, martyr of Iconium | Κό[νων] | Uncertain | S00430 | Konon, martyr of Isauria | Κό[νων] | Uncertain |
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Please quote this record referring to its author, database name, number, and, if possible, stable URL:
Pawel Nowakowski, Cult of Saints, E00919 - http://csla.history.ox.ac.uk/record.php?recid=E00919