Carving of an inscribed cross, with an invocation of *Michael (the Archangel, S00181). Found in Ephesos (western Asia Minor). Probably late antique.
E01115
Inscriptions - Inscribed architectural elements
Images and objects - Sculpture/reliefs
Literary - Magical texts and amulets
Inscriptions - Formal inscriptions (stone, mosaic, etc.)
A marble plaque with carving of a cross with inscribed arms. In four sections of the plaque, delimited by the arms of the cross, there are carved grape vines, doves and ivy. Found in a private house; first published by Dieter Knibbe.
Inscriptions:
A (on the upper vertical arm of the cross):
ἅ[γι]|ε [Μι]|χαὴ|λ, βο|ήθη|σον | Μαρ|γαρ|ήτῃ.
B (on the horizontal arm of the cross):
νικᾷ ἡ τύχη τῆς πόληος. | Κ(υρίο)υ καλὰ σημε̣ῖα σ̣οι ̣ἆ̣ρ[ον]
C (on the lower vertical arm of the cross):
κὲ τοῦ|τον | τὸν | ἀ̣γῶ|ναν νικ|ᾷς κὲ | σ|τεφ|ανο|ῦσε· | ἔνβ|α, νίκα, πε|δά|ριν, | θεὸ|ν ̣ἔχ|ις με|τ' ἐσ|ο̣ῦ
σ|τεφ|ανο|ύσε = σ|τεφ|ανο|ῦσαι Engelmann, σ|τεφ|άνο|υς <ε> Knibbe || πέ|δα, | οἴν|οεο|ν σχ|ίς μέ | τέ σ|̣ο̣υ Knibbe || πε|δά|ριν = παιδάριον Engelmann || με|τ' ἐσ|ο̣ῦ Engelmann, μέ|τέ σ|̣ο̣υ Knibbe
'Saint Michael, help Margarites! Long live the city (literally: May the fortune of the city be victorious)! Take up the beautiful signs of the Lord, win this competition and be crowned with wreaths! Come in, win, child, God is with you!'
Text: Engelmann 1973.
Prayer/supplication/invocation
Saint as patron - of an individual
Saint as patron - of a community
Magic
MiraclesMiraculous protection - of communities, towns, armies
Protagonists in Cult and NarrativesOther lay individuals/ people
Source
We are grateful to Denis Feissel for providing us with a photograph of the inscription.Discussion
The inscription is an invocation of Michael the Archangel on behalf of a certain Margarites (and perhaps also on behalf of the whole city of Ephesos). Louis Robert notes that the second part of the invocation may refer to the Christian acclamation: ἐν τούτῳ νίκα, ‘In this conquer!’ (and its Latin equivalent ‘In hoc signo vinces’, ‘In this sign thou shalt conquer!’), originating from the story of Constantineʼs vision before the battle of the Milvian Bridge. The invocation ends with a sequence of short imperatives, which resembles formulas used in charms.Bibliography
Editions:Die Inschriften von Ephesos, no. 1357.
Engelmann, H., "Eine christliche Inschrift", Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik 10 (1973), 86.
Knibbe, D., "Tyche und das Kreuz Christi als antithetische Bezugspunkte menschlichen Lebens in einer frühchristlichen Inschrift aus Ephesos", in: E.G. Braun (ed.), Festschrift für Fritz Eichler zum achtzigsten Geburtstag (Vienna: Selbstverlag [des Österreichischen Archäologischen Instituts], 1967), 96-102.
For a photograph, see: Pillinger, R., Kersten, O., Krinzinger, F., Russo, O. (eds.), Efeso paleocristiana e bizantina = Frühchristliches und byzantinisches Ephesos: Referate des vom 22. bis 24. Februar 1996 im Historischen Institut beim Österreichischen Kulturinstitut in Rom durchgeführten internationalen Kongresses aus Anlass des 100-jährigen Jubiläums der österreichischen Ausgrabungen in Ephesos (Denkschriften: Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften. Philosophisch-Historische Klasse 282, Archäologische Forschungen 3, Vienna: Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, 1999), Tafel 29, Fig. 72.
Reference works:
Bulletin épigraphique (1973), 381.
Images
)
Courtesy of Denis Feissel. Taken in 1998.
)
From: Efeso paleocristiana e bizantina, Tafel 29, Fig. 72.
Pawel Nowakowski
15/02/2016
| ID | Name | Name in Source | Identity | S00181 | Michael, the Archangel | Certain |
|---|
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