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E00929: Greek inscription marking boundaries of an estate belonging to a sanctuary of *John (the Baptist, S00020). Found at Çandır Yaylası, to the east of ancient Kana (Lycaonia, central Asia Minor). Probably 6th c.

online resource

posted on 2015-12-03, 00:00 authored by pnowakowski

[+] δύναμις θ(εο)ῦ καὶ χὶρ
βασιλέως·
ὅροι τοῦ ἀγί-
ου Ἰωάννου
τοῦ Βαπτισ-
τοῦ, ἀμήν

'[+] The power of God and the hand of the emperor: boundaries (of the church) of Saint John the Baptist. Amen.'

Text: Calder 1912, 264.

History

Evidence ID

E00929

Saint Name

John the Baptist : S00020

Saint Name in Source

Ἰωάννης ὁ Βαπτιστῆς

Related Saint Records

https://oxford.figshare.com/articles/John_the_Baptist/13729156

Type of Evidence

Inscriptions - Formal inscriptions (stone, mosaic, etc.) Literary - Poems

Language

Greek

Evidence not before

500

Evidence not after

600

Activity not before

500

Activity not after

600

Place of Evidence - Region

Asia Minor

Place of Evidence - City, village, etc

Kana

Place of evidence - City name in other Language(s)

Kana Nicomedia Νικομήδεια Nikomēdeia Izmit Πραίνετος Prainetos Nicomedia

Cult activities - Places

Cult building - independent (church)

Cult activities - Non Liturgical Practices and Customs

Seeking asylum at church/shrine

Cult Activities - Protagonists in Cult and Narratives

Monarchs and their family

Source

A boundary stone of a church of St. John the Baptist, found by William Ramsay 'on the Lycaono-Cappadocian border'. First published by William Calder.

Discussion

The inscription marked the boundaries of an estate belonging to a church John the Baptist. The editors of the eleventh volume of Monumenta Asiae Minoris Antiqua argue that the same church was mentioned in a boundary stone inscription found in Κana itself, which was first published by Thomas Callander and which they republished themselves (see $Ε00928). Interestingly, our inscription begins with a unique introductory formula, referring to an unnamed emperor: 'The power of God and the hand of the emperor' / δύναμις θ(εο)ῦ καὶ χὶρ βασιλέως. It resembles two verses from a poem by Gregory of Nazianzus, praising the grace of God and emperors' hands that authorise pious privileges: εἰ μὴ μόνῳ σοι τοῦτο ἐκ θεοῦ γέρας / ὡς ἃ γράφει χεὶρ βασιλέως πρὸς χάριν (Carmen de se ipso 12, v. 479-480; PG 37, col. 1201). Given the Anatolian background of both the poem and our boundary stone, we may conclude that its author was inspired by Gregory's poetry. Other boundary stone inscriptions usually begin simply with the phrase: 'Boundaries (of the church) of Saint etc.' / ὅροι τοῦ ἁγίου κ.τ.λ. Dating: probably 6th c. as other boundary stones of saints' shrines are usually authorised by 6th c. emperors.

Bibliography

Edition: Calder, W.M., "Julia-Ipsus and Augustopolis", The Journal of Roman Studies 2 (1912), 264. Inscriptiones Christianae Graecae database, no. 1499: http://www.epigraph.topoi.org/ica/icamainapp/inscription/show/1499