E00974: Greek inscription on a boundary stone of a church of *Mary (Mother of Christ, S00033), addressed as the God-Bearer, authorised by the emperor Anastasius. Found near Neoklaudioupolis (Helenopontus, northern Asia Minor). 491-518.

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posted on 2015-12-11, 00:00 authored by pnowakowski

ὅροι παρασχεθέντε-
ς τῷ εὐκτηρίῳ οἴκῳ
τῆς ἁγίας καὶ ἐ<ν>δοξ<ο>-
<τά>της Θεοτόκου καὶ παρ-
θένου Μαρίας παρὰ
τοῦ εὐσεβ(εστάτου) καὶ φιλο-
χρήστου ἡμῶν βασ-
ιλέως Ἀναστασίου

3-4. ΕΔΟξΩ|ΤΗC lapis

'Boundaries granted to the oratory of the holy and most glorious Virgin Mary, the God-Bearer by our most pious and Christ-loving emperor Anastasius.'

Text: Kahl 1997.

History

Evidence ID

E00974

Saint Name

Mary, Mother of Christ : S00033

Saint Name in Source

Μαρία

Related Saint Records

https://oxford.figshare.com/articles/Mary_Mother_of_Christ/13729186

Type of Evidence

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

Language

Greek

Evidence not before

491

Evidence not after

519

Activity not before

491

Activity not after

518

Place of Evidence - Region

Asia Minor

Place of Evidence - City, village, etc

Neoklaudioupolis

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

Neoklaudioupolis Nicomedia Νικομήδεια Nikomēdeia Izmit Πραίνετος Prainetos Nicomedia

Cult activities - Places

Cult building - independent (church)

Cult activities - Non Liturgical Practices and Customs

Awarding privileges to cult centres

Cult Activities - Protagonists in Cult and Narratives

Monarchs and their family

Source

A fragment of a yellow marble column. H. c. 0.72 m; diameter 0.4 m. Dimensions of the text field: H. 0.62 m; W. 0.36 m. Found at Boruk, to the south-west of Vezirköprü (ancient Neoklaudioupolis, Helenopontus, north-eastern Asia Minor). When recorded, it was reused in a mosque.

Discussion

The inscription is on a boundary stone of a church (or an estate belonging to a church) of *Mary, addressed as the Virgin (παρθένος) and the God-Bearer (Θεοτόκος). Interestingly, she is also addressed with the superlative form of the epithet ἔνδοξος (glorious) in lines 3-4, while the positive form was usually chosen by the authors of Anatolian inscriptions. Perhaps the text closely follows the phrasing of a relevant imperial letter, awarding the boundary stones to the discussed sanctuary, as saints were often given superlative epithets in the writings issued by the imperial office. Dating: 491-518, based on the reference to the emperor Anastasius in lines 6-8.

Bibliography

Edition: Kahl, G., "Pontica II. Ein Asyldekret des Kaisers Anastasios", Orbis Terrarum 3 (1997), 203-205. Reference works: Chroniques d'épigraphie byzantine, 453. Supplementum Epigraphicum Graecum 47, 1691.