[Πέτ]ρον τὸν ἅγηον ἀπόστολον. ἀμήν
'(For?) Peter the holy Apostle. Amen.'
Text: IGC 233(5).
Evidence ID
E00843Saint Name
Peter the Apostle : S00036Saint Name in Source
[Πέτ]ροςType of Evidence
Inscriptions - Formal inscriptions (stone, mosaic, etc.)Evidence not before
400Evidence not after
800Activity not before
400Activity not after
800Place of Evidence - Region
Asia MinorPlace of Evidence - City, village, etc
MyndosPlace of evidence - City name in other Language(s)
Myndos
Nicomedia
Νικομήδεια
Nikomēdeia
Izmit
Πραίνετος
Prainetos
NicomediaCult activities - Non Liturgical Practices and Customs
Prayer/supplication/invocationSource
A fragmentary marble plaque. Broken and lost on the left-hand side. Preserved dimensions: H. 0.35 m; W. 0.72 m (original W. 1.20 m?); Th. 0.09 m. Found in the cemetery of Gheresi, near Myndos. Decorated with a carving of Greek cross within a rectangular frame and a carving of a rosette, framed by a lozenge. It is probable that a similar rosette was once carved on the other side of the cross. In its upper part the plaque has a bevelled edge, and bears small rosettes and other ornaments. The inscription is written on the bevel. The letters are small.
The slab was offered to the collection of Christian antiquities of the Louvre Museum by William Paton, on the request of Théodore Reinach. The offering was recorded in 1902, in the Bulletin de la societe nationale des antiquaires de France.Discussion
The inscription mentions an Apostle, whose name is partly lost, but may be convincingly reconstructed as *Peter. Thus it is of noticeable importance, as Peter the Apostle was rarely invoked in inscriptions from the eastern part of the Empire.
It is supposed that the carving of the cross was positioned in the middle of the plaque, which implies that the preserved right-hand side of the stone bears half of the original inscription. The phrase lacks a verb and the name of the Apostle is given in the accusative. In Late Antiquity the accusative case was gradually taking over the functions of the dative case and our monument may illustrate this trend. Therefore, it is highly probable that the inscription commemorated a dedication to Peter the Apostle. For a similar formula, see E01003.Bibliography
Edition:
Grégoire, H. (ed.), Recueil des inscriptions grecques chrétiennes d'Asie Mineure, vol. 1 (Paris: Leroux, 1922), no. 233(5).
de Villefosse, H., “Séance du 29 Janvier”, Bulletin de la societe nationale des antiquaires de France (1902), 152-153.
Further Reading:
Halkin, F., "Inscriptions grecques relatives à l'hagiographie, IX, Asie Mineure", Analecta Bollandiana 71 (1953), 83.
Kiourtzian, G., "Pietas insulariorum", [in:] Eupsychia: mélanges offerts à Hélène Ahrweiler, vol. 2 (Série Byzantina Sorbonensia 16, Paris: Publications de la Sorbonne, 1998), 376.
