E00986: Greek epitaph for a woman, 'servant' of a Saint Paulos, probably *Paul the Apostle (S00008). Found at Satala (Roman province of Armenia I, eastern Asia Minor). Probably 6th c.
Cult activities - Non Liturgical Practices and Customs
Prayer/supplication/invocation
Cult Activities - Protagonists in Cult and Narratives
Women
Source
Fragment of a limestone stele reused as a hearth stone in a private house. Found by Timothy Bruce Mitford at Sadak (Satala, Armenia I, eastern Asia Minor) in the autumn of 1972. Preserved dimensions: H. 0.37 m; W. at least 0.35 m; Th. at least 0.05 m.
Discussion
The inscription is the epitaph of a woman, called a servant of a Saint Paulos, probably Paul the Apostle. Mitford noted that the designation of the woman in lines 2-3 could be read as μακαρία/'the blessed' or μοναχή/'the nun'.
Dating: This kind of invocation with the 'servant-of-saint' formula is usually dated to the 6th/8th c. or later. Other formulas used in the epitaph make it unlikely to postdate the 6th c.
Bibliography
Edition:
Mitford, Tim. B., "The Inscriptions of Satala", Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik 115 (1997), no. 47.
Reference works:
Supplementum Epigraphicum Graecum 47, 1899.