Fragmentary Greek inscription possibly referring to a church (hagios oikos) dedicated to a saint whose name is lost. Found at Kfeir Abu Sarbut, near Madaba (Roman province of Arabia). Probably 5th-7th c.
Evidence ID
E02619
Type of Evidence
Inscriptions - Formal inscriptions (stone, mosaic, etc.)
[Κύριε ὁ θεὸ]ς βοή-
[θι τὸν δοῦλ]ον Κυρ-
[ιακὸν διάκο]νον ὡς
[- - - βοή(?)]θησεν
[τὸν ἅγιον οἶ]κον τοῦ
[ἁγίου - - -]ου
'[O Lord, God], help [(your) servant] Kyriakos (?), the deacon (?), who [- - -] supported (?) the church (hagios oikos?) of [Saint - - -].'
Text: I. Jordanie 2, no. 113.
Cult Places
Cult building - independent (church)
Non Liturgical ActivityBequests, donations, gifts and offerings
Protagonists in Cult and NarrativesEcclesiastics - lesser clergy
Source
Fragmentary limestone block. Preserved dimensions: H. 0.59 m; W. 0.42 m; Th. 0.21 m. Broken and lost at the left-hand edge and in the upper left-hand corner. The inscription is framed (H. 0.31 m; W. 0.30 m) and poorly carved. Letter height 0.05 m. The last line is below the lower frame. The stone probably also bore a carving of a cross within a circle to the right of the inscribed field.First published by Pierre-Louis Gatier in 1986 with a photograph. Now in the Museum of Madaba.
Discussion
The inscription is very poorly preserved. Gatier offers a tentative restoration as an invocation of God's help for a certain Kyriakos. The last two lines could possibly suggest that the supplicant made an offering to a church (hagios oikos?) dedicated to a saint whose name is lost.Whereas not entirely implausible, Gatier's restoration is still hypothetical. As the dossier of saints venerated in nearby Madaba is rich, we cannot restore the name of the presumed holy patron in line 5.
Bibliography
Edition:Gatier, P.-L., Inscriptions de la Jordanie, vol. 2: Région centrale (Amman, Hesban, Madaba, Main, Dhiban) (Paris: Librairie orientaliste Paul Geuthner, 1986), no. 113.
For a better photograph, see http://edh-www.adw.uni-heidelberg.de/edh/foto/F002350
Images
)
Photograph. From: http://edh-www.adw.uni-heidelberg.de/edh/foto/F002350
)
Photograph. From: I. Jordanie 2, Pl. XXII.
Record Created By
Paweł Nowakowski
Date of Entry
28/03/2017
| ID | Name | Name in Source | Identity | S01744 | Saints, name lost or very partially preserved | Certain |
|---|
Please quote this record referring to its author, database name, number, and, if possible, stable URL:
Paweł Nowakowski, Cult of Saints, E02619 - http://csla.history.ox.ac.uk/record.php?recid=E02619