Evidence ID
E01691
Type of Evidence
Inscriptions - Formal inscriptions (stone, mosaic, etc.)
+ Ἠλίας. ὁ ἅγ(ιος) Παφνούτις
ἔτους ημω΄
'Elijah. Saint Paphnoutis. The year 848.'
Text: Mouterde & Poidebard 1945, 205, no. 35.
Cult PlacesCult building - dependent (chapel, baptistery, etc.)
Places Named after Saint
Cult building - dependent (chapel, baptistery, etc.)
Cult building - monastic
Places Named after SaintMonastery
Non Liturgical ActivityConstruction of cult buildings
Protagonists in Cult and NarrativesEcclesiastics - monks/nuns/hermits
Source
A stone lintel. There is no description of the object.Found before 1945 in the ruins of a fort at Dreyb al-Wawi (Khirbet al-Wawi) by René Mouterde.
Discussion
Mouterde supposed that the lintel came from an oratory, built in the ruins of the fort, after they had been settled by monks. Though there is no direct evidence to support this theory, it is quite possible, as abandoned and ruined forts, tombs, and other structures were frequently inhabited by monastic groups.The names, mentioned in the inscription, may also suggest that its authors derived from a monastic milieu. The Elijah, appearing in line 1, might be the Old Testament prophet, who was popular among monks, as a figure said to have laid the foundations for the monastic way of life. Paphnoutios is also a name strongly connected to the monastic movement. Mouterde guessed that the Paphnoutios mentioned here might have been the founder of the convent in Herakleia in the Thebaid (Egypt), in c. 380, whose activity is described in the Historia monachorum of Rufinus of Aquileia (chapter 16, PL 21, coll. 435-439). It is, however, possible that another holy monk, bearing this name, may be referred to here: for example Paphnoutios of Thebes, a probably fictional disciple of Anthony, said to have survived the persecutions under Maximinus Daia, and then to have lived the monastic life. He was believed to have participated in the council of Nicaea in 325 and in the council of Tyre 335 as a defender of 'orthodoxy' against the Arians.
Dating: the date, the year 848, is given according to the Seleucid era, which corresponds to AD 535/536.
Bibliography
Edition:Mouterde, R., Poidebard, A., Le limes de Chalcis: organisation de la steppe en haute Syrie romaine: documents aériens et épigraphiques (Paris: P. Geuthner 1945), 205-206, no. 35.
Reference works:
Bulletin épigraphique (1946-1947), 204.
Record Created By
Paweł Nowakowski
Date of Entry
04/07/2016
| ID | Name | Name in Source | Identity | S00217 | Elijah/Elias, Old Testament prophet | Ἠλίας | Uncertain | S00667 | Elijah (unspecified) | Ἠλίας | Certain | S00882 | Paphnoutios, Egyptian saint (precise identity uncertain) | Παφνούτις | Certain |
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Please quote this record referring to its author, database name, number, and, if possible, stable URL:
Paweł Nowakowski, Cult of Saints, E01691 - http://csla.history.ox.ac.uk/record.php?recid=E01691