Greek inscription on a boundary stone of a church of *Mary (Mother of Christ, S00033), addressed as the God-Bearer, authorised by the emperor Anastasius. Found near Neoklaudioupolis (Helenopontus, northern Asia Minor). 491-518.
Evidence ID
E00974
Type of Evidence
Inscriptions - Formal inscriptions (stone, mosaic, etc.)
ὅροι παρασχεθέντε-
ς τῷ εὐκτηρίῳ οἴκῳ
τῆς ἁγίας καὶ ἐ<ν>δοξ<ο>-
<τά>της Θεοτόκου καὶ παρ-
θένου Μαρίας παρὰ
τοῦ εὐσεβ(εστάτου) καὶ φιλο-
χρήστου ἡμῶν βασ-
ιλέως Ἀναστασίου
[3-4. ΕΔΟξΩ|ΤΗC lapis]
'Boundaries granted to the oratory of the holy and most glorious Virgin Mary, the God-Bearer by our most pious and Christ-loving emperor Anastasius.'
Text: Kahl 1997.
Cult PlacesAwarding privileges to cult centres
Protagonists in Cult and Narratives
Cult building - independent (church)
Non Liturgical ActivityAwarding privileges to cult centres
Seeking asylum at church/shrine
Protagonists in Cult and NarrativesMonarchs and their family
Source
A fragment of a yellow marble column. H. c. 0.72 m; diameter 0.4 m. Dimensions of the text field: H. 0.62 m; W. 0.36 m. Found at Boruk, to the south-west of Vezirköprü (ancient Neoklaudioupolis, Helenopontus, north-eastern Asia Minor). When recorded, it was reused in a mosque.Discussion
The inscription is on a boundary stone of a church (or an estate belonging to a church) of *Mary, addressed as the Virgin (παρθένος) and the God-Bearer (Θεοτόκος). Interestingly, she is also addressed with the superlative form of the epithet ἔνδοξος (glorious) in lines 3-4, while the positive form was usually chosen by the authors of Anatolian inscriptions. Perhaps the text closely follows the phrasing of a relevant imperial letter, awarding the boundary stones to the discussed sanctuary, as saints were often given superlative epithets in the writings issued by the imperial office.Dating: 491-518, based on the reference to the emperor Anastasius in lines 6-8.
Bibliography
Edition:Kahl, G., "Pontica II. Ein Asyldekret des Kaisers Anastasios", Orbis Terrarum 3 (1997), 203-205.
Reference works:
Chroniques d'épigraphie byzantine, 453.
Supplementum Epigraphicum Graecum 47, 1691.
Record Created By
Pawel Nowakowski
Date of Entry
11/12/2015
| ID | Name | Name in Source | Identity | S00033 | Mary, Mother of Christ | Μαρία | Certain |
|---|
Please quote this record referring to its author, database name, number, and, if possible, stable URL:
Pawel Nowakowski, Cult of Saints, E00974 - http://csla.history.ox.ac.uk/record.php?recid=E00974