Greek inscription on a boundary stone commemorating the grant of the privilege of asylum (prosphygion) to a shrine of *'Eias' (perhaps an otherwise unknown martyr, or the Old Testament prophet *Elijah/Elias, S00217), a certain *Andreas (probably the martyr of Antioch, S00883), and a certain *Dometios (probably the monk of Syria, later 4th c., S00414). Found at Kfar 'Aruq near Antioch on the Orontes (north-west Syria). Dated 521/522.
Evidence ID
E01696
Type of Evidence
Inscriptions - Formal inscriptions (stone, mosaic, etc.)
+ ἐπὶ τοῦ δεσ[πότ(ου)] τῶν ο<ἰκ>[ουμ(ένων) Φ]λ(αουίου) Ἰουστίνου Αὐγουστ(οῦ) παρεσχήθη ὑμῖν εἰς προσφύγιον τῶν ἁγίων Εἰᾶ (?) (καὶ) Ἀνδρέου (καὶ) Δομετίου. <ἰ>νδ(ικτιώνος) ιε΄ τοῦ οφ΄ ἔτους +
ὑμῖν = ἡμῖν || perhaps Ἐ<λ>ία
'+ Under the lord of the world Flavius Justinus Augustus (this boundary stone) was granted to us (to mark) the refuge of Saints Eias (?), and Andreas, and Dometios. 15th indiction, the year 570. +'
Text: IGLS 2, no. 589.
Cult PlacesSeeking asylum at church/shrine
Protagonists in Cult and Narratives
Cult building - independent (church)
Non Liturgical ActivitySeeking asylum at church/shrine
Awarding privileges to cult centres
Protagonists in Cult and NarrativesMonarchs and their family
Source
A limestone cylinder. The inscription is displayed as three concentric circles around a carving of an octagon. H. 0.56 m; W. 0.47 m; letter height 0.05 m.Found on the terrace of a house in the west part of the village of Kfar 'Aruq. Seen and copied by Joseph Mattern in 1929 and by René Mouterde before 1939 (a drawing).
Discussion
The inscription was probably carved on a boundary stone, marking the safe zone, protected by the privilege of asylum, awarded by the emperor Justin I to a sanctuary of the saints Eias, Andreas, and Dometios. The identity of these saints has been disputed. Jalabert and Mouterde, the editors of Les inscriptions grecques et latines de la Syrie, suggested that they might have been: 1) a certain Eias or Ias, probably a local martyr, or (which is however much less probable) Ia, female martyr in Persia under Shapur II, venerated on the 4th August (BHG 761); 2) Andrew the Apostle, or Andreas, martyr of Antioch, or Andreas, martyr in Cilicia under the emperor Maximianus, venerated on the 19th August (BHG 118); 3) Dometios, monk of Cyrrhus, supposedly martyred under Julian (see: S00414; Peeters 1939, and the comments in Weitzman 1963, 396, note 40). Halkin suspended judgement on the identity (and the nominative form) of the name of the saint Eias, argued that this Andreas was 'certainly' the martyr of Antioch, and accepted the possibility that Dometios was the one of Cyrrhus. We can add that the first of the saints might actually have been actually Elijah, the Old Testament prophet, as the genitive form of his name, Ἐλία, might have been misspelt here: Εἰα.Dating: the date of the inscription is given according to the era of Antioch. Its year 570 corresponds to AD 521/522. This fits the 15th indiction year, as well as the reign of the emperor Justin I (518-527).
Bibliography
Edition:Jalabert, L., Mouterde, R., Les inscriptions grecques et latines de la Syrie, vol. 2: Chalcidique et Antiochène (BAH 32, Paris: P. Geuthner, 1939), no. 589.
Mattern, J., "A travers les villes mortes de Haute Syrie", Mélanges de l'Université Saint-Joseph (Beyrouth, Lebanon) 17 (1933), 132-133 (just a French translation and comments with no transcription).
Further reading:
Halkin, F., "Inscriptions grecques relatives à l'hagiographie, II, Les deux Phénicies et et les deux Syries", Analecta Bollandiana 67 (1949), 99, note 10.
Jalabert, L., Mouterde, R., Les inscriptions grecques et latines de la Syrie, vol. 3/2: Antioche (suite). Antiochène: nos. 989-1242 (BAH 51, Paris: P. Geuthner, 1953), 684 (addendum).
Peeters, P., "Dometios le martyr and Dometios le médecin", Analecta Bollandiana 57 (1939), 72-104.
Weitzmann, K., Ševčenko, I., “The Moses Cross at Sinai”, Dumbarton Oaks Papers 17 (1963), 396, note 40.
Images
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From: IGLS 2, no. 589.
Record Created By
Paweł Nowakowski
Date of Entry
07/07/2016
| ID | Name | Name in Source | Identity | S00217 | Elijah/Elias, Old Testament prophet | Εἰάς | Uncertain | S00288 | Andrew, the Apostle | Ἀνδρέας | Uncertain | S00414 | Dometios, monk of Syria, later 4th c. | Δομέτιος | Uncertain | S00667 | Elijah (unspecified) | Εἰάς | Uncertain | S00763 | Andreas Stratelates, martyr under Maximian | Ἀνδρέας | Uncertain | S00883 | Andreas, martyr of Antioch on the Orontes | Ἀνδρέας | Uncertain | S00884 | Eias (unspecified) | Εἰάς | Uncertain | S00885 | Ia, female martyr in Persia under Shapur II | Εἰάς | Uncertain |
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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, E01696 - http://csla.history.ox.ac.uk/record.php?recid=E01696