Fragmentary Greek inscription asking *Mary (Mother of Christ, S00033), to accept an offering. Found at Gerasa/Jerash (Roman province of Arabia). Probably 6th c.
Evidence ID
E02380
Type of Evidence
Inscriptions - Formal inscriptions (stone, mosaic, etc.)
[ἁγ]ία Μαρ̣ί[α]
[πρ]όσδεξε τὴ̣ν
[π]ρο[σ]̣φ̣ο̣ρ̣α̣ν ̣τ[ο]̣ῦ
[- - -]
'O Holy Mary, accept the offering of [- - -]'
Text: I. Gerasa, no. 339.
Non Liturgical ActivityPrayer/supplication/invocation
Prayer/supplication/invocation
Bequests, donations, gifts and offerings
Source
Fragmentary stone block. Preserved dimensions: H. c. 0.40 m; W. c. 0.75 m. Description of the find-spot as reported by Charles Welles: 'found near the mill by the Chrysorhoas, east of "Camp Hill" (Plan I, area G-H 9)'. Letter height 0.06-0.08 m.First published in 1938 by Welles, with a photograph, from a copy by Chester McCown.
Discussion
The inscription commemorates an offering, probably made to a church, but the character of the offering and the location of the presumed sanctuary are not clear. It could be one of the known churches of Jerash, or another, not yet discovered one. For evidence of the veneration of Mary in the 'episcopal complex' of the city, see E02341; but there is no direct link between that place and our inscription. For a similar dedication, see E02379 (church of bishop Genesios, Inscription 2).Welles dated the text approximately to the 6th c. as most of the Christian dedicatory inscriptions from Jerash belong to this century.
Bibliography
Edition:Welles, C.B., 'The inscriptions', in: Kraeling, C.H. (ed.), Gerasa, city of the Decapolis (New Haven: American School of Oriental Research, 1938), no. 339 and Pl. CXXXIIIg.
Images
)
Photograph. From: Kraeling 1938, Pl. CXXXIIIg.
Record Created By
Paweł Nowakowski
Date of Entry
15/02/2017
| 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:
Paweł Nowakowski, Cult of Saints, E02380 - http://csla.history.ox.ac.uk/record.php?recid=E02380