Fragmentary Syriac graffito, mentioning a martyr (whose name is lost), and possibly the construction of a church dedicated to him. Found at Burdaqli in Jabal Ḥalqa, to the west of Beroia/Aleppo (central Syria). Probably late antique.
Evidence ID
E01973
Type of Evidence
Inscriptions - Graffiti
... ܣܐܗܕܐ
... ܠܐ ܩܕܡ
... ܒܫܡܝܐ
... ܒܢܐ
'Martyr [- - -] not before [- - -] in heaven [- - -] built [- - -].'
Text: Jarry 1967, no. 9.
Translation: S. Minov.
Cult PlacesConstruction of cult buildings
Cult building - independent (church)
Non Liturgical ActivityConstruction of cult buildings
Prayer/supplication/invocation
Source
A graffito on the north wall of a church (the editor does not specify which of two possible churches is in question). Dimensions of the inscribed field: H. 0.46 m; W. 0.70 m. Letter height 0.05-0.10 m.Seen and copied (transcription, photograph, squeeze) by Jacques Jarry in 1963 (while he was a member of the 1963 expedition led by Georges Tchalenko), and published in 1967.
Discussion
As reported by the editor, the inscription is not a proper building inscription, but rather a graffito. Its poor state of preservation allows for only conjectural interpretation, but it is plausible that the text referred to a martyr who enjoyed in Heaven the reward for his suffering. It is also possible that the church on which the text was written was dedicated to this saint.Bibliography
Edition:Jarry, J., “Inscriptions arabes, syriaques et grecques du massif du Bélus en Syrie du nord”, Annales islamologiques 7 (1967), 145, no. 9.
Further reading:
For a description of the site and the two late antique churches, see:
Butler, H.C., Smith E.B., Early churches in Syria: fourth to seventh centuries (Amsterdam: Hakkert, 1969), 129.
Milson, W.D., Art and architecture of the synagogue in late antique Palestine: in the shadow of the church (Leiden; Boston: Brill, 2007), 254-256.
Images
)
Photograph of the graffito. From: Jarry 1967, plate XXXV.
)
Photograph of the squeeze. From: Jarry 1967, plate XXXV.
Record Created By
Paweł Nowakowski, Sergey Minov
Date of Entry
29/10/2016
| ID | Name | Name in Source | Identity | S00060 | Martyrs, unnamed or name lost | Certain |
|---|
Please quote this record referring to its author, database name, number, and, if possible, stable URL:
Paweł Nowakowski, Sergey Minov, Cult of Saints, E01973 - http://csla.history.ox.ac.uk/record.php?recid=E01973