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E02213: Greek inscription just possibly referring to *Elijah (Old Testament prophet, S00217). Found at Rīmet al-Loḥf (ancient Rimea), to the north of Dionysias and Bostra (Roman province of Arabia). Probably 6th c.

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posted on 2017-01-03, 00:00 authored by pnowakowski
The inscription is on a reused stone lintel. Its precise meaning is not clear:

Line 1 consists of the name Elijah in the accusative case, preceded by a cross: + Ἠλίαν.

Line 2 apparently contains a Christian acclamation of the good fortune of the faction of the Reds (here, however, named οἱ Κόχχινοι/'the Purples' instead of the regular term οἱ Ῥούσιοι): + νικᾷ ἡ τύ- + χη τ<ῶ>ν κοχ(χίνων?) +

If this inscription does refer to the saint, it might record an invocation of his help for the faction (for similar invocations, see: E00790; E00844; cf. E00864; E00917), or it might commemorate the construction of a church dedicated to the prophet (considering the fact that the stone is a lintel and that the cult of Elijah was very popular in the region). But, as our Elijah is not termed ἅγιος, we cannot be sure whether the saint is meant at all.

For further comments see the edition in IGLS 15/2, no. 381.

History

Evidence ID

E02213

Saint Name

Elijah, Old Testament prophet : S00217

Saint Name in Source

Ἠλίας

Type of Evidence

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

Language

  • Greek

Evidence not before

500

Evidence not after

800

Activity not before

500

Activity not after

800

Place of Evidence - Region

Arabia Arabia Arabia

Place of Evidence - City, village, etc

Bosra Dionysias Rīmet al-Loḥf/Rimea

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

Bosra Sakkaia / Maximianopolis Σακκαια Sakkaia Saccaea Eaccaea Maximianopolis Shaqqa Schaqqa Shakka Dionysias Sakkaia / Maximianopolis Σακκαια Sakkaia Saccaea Eaccaea Maximianopolis Shaqqa Schaqqa Shakka Rīmet al-Loḥf/Rimea Sakkaia / Maximianopolis Σακκαια Sakkaia Saccaea Eaccaea Maximianopolis Shaqqa Schaqqa Shakka

Cult activities - Places

Cult building - unspecified

Cult activities - Non Liturgical Practices and Customs

Construction of cult buildings

Bibliography

Edition: Sartre-Fauriat, A., Sartre, M., Inscriptions grecques et latines de la Syrie, vol. 15/2: Le plateau du Trachôn et ses bordures (BAH 204, Beyrouth: Institut Français du Proche-Orient, 2014), no. 381. Waddington, W.H., Inscriptions grecques et latines de la Syrie (Paris: Firmin Didot Frères, Libraires-Éditeurs, 1870), no. 2425. Further reading: Trombley, F.R., Hellenic Religion and Christianization c. 370-529, vol. 2, (Leiden - New York - Cologne: Brill, 1994), 366.

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    Evidence -  The Cult of Saints in Late Antiquity

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