Greek fragmentary inscription with an invocation to *Mary (Mother of Christ, S00033) and reference to a church, presumably dedicated to her. Said to be from Cyrene (Cyrenaica, eastern North Africa). Probably 6th c.
Evidence ID
E08474
Type of Evidence
[ἤν τις ἀδικήσῃ τὸν ναόν σου] τῶν ἐνταῦθα θε-
[ομαχούντων κακοπο]ίησον τὸν οἶκον αὐτοῦ
[καὶ τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ μετ]ὰ τῶν θεοκτόνων Ἰουδαίων κα-
[τάθες τῶν δ]ὲ φροντιζόντων τοῦ ναοῦ σου τού-
[του Παρθέ]νε Θεοτόκε μὴ ἐκλείπῃ τὸ γένος ἕ-
[ως τῆς συν]τελείας τοῦ αἰῶνος. ἀμήν.
'... if anyone damages your temple] from among those here who
[Fight with] God, destroy his house
[And put his name] along with the Jews who killed God;
[But] of those who care for your temple,
[Virgin] Mother of God, let not their name fail
[Until} the end of time. Amen. [ivy tendril]
Text: J. Reynolds, in Ward-Perkins and Goodchild 2003, 170-171, with completions suggested by Robinson 1913.
Translation: J. Reynolds.
Cult Places
Cult building - independent (church)
Source
Lower right corner of a white marble slab: H. 0.49 m; W. 0.95 m; Th. c. 0.07 m. Letter height 0.03 m.Bought in Benghazi in 1909, as from Cyrene (though Reynolds suggests this might have been suggested by the seller as a more prestigious origin than Benghazi/Berenice itself). Now set into a wall of the American Academy in Rome.
The letter forms suggest a date in the sixth century.
The completions suggested by Robinson 1913 are, as Reynolds stresses, entirely hypothetical.
Discussion
Although this is far from a conventional dedication-inscription, the surviving text clearly refers to 'your church' (τοῦ ναοῦ σου) followed by an address to the Theotokos. We can therefore be confident that it testifies to a church of Mary.Bibliography
Editions and discussion:Ward-Perkins, J.B. and R. Goodchild, ed. J. Reynolds, Christian Monuments of Cyrenaica (Monograph 4, Society for Libyan Studies 2003), 170-171. [The inscriptions in this volume were published by Reynolds.]
Reynolds, J. "The Christian inscriptions of Cyrenaica," Journal of Theological Studies 11 (1960), 284-94, at 293-4.
Images
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From Ward-Perkins and Goodchild 2003
Record Created By
Bryan Ward-Perkins
Date of Entry
25/07/2023
| ID | Name | Name in Source | Identity | S00033 | Mary, Mother of Christ | Θεωτόκος | Certain |
|---|
Please quote this record referring to its author, database name, number, and, if possible, stable URL:
Bryan Ward-Perkins, Cult of Saints, E08474 - http://csla.history.ox.ac.uk/record.php?recid=E08474