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E02380: Fragmentary Greek inscription asking *Mary (Mother of Christ, S00033), to accept an offering. Found at Gerasa/Jerash (Roman province of Arabia). Probably 6th c.

online resource

posted on 2017-02-15, 00:00 authored by pnowakowski

[ἁγ]ία Μαρ̣ί[α]
[πρ]όσδεξε τὴ̣ν
[π]ρο[σ]̣φ̣ο̣ρ̣α̣ν ̣τ[ο]̣ῦ
[- - -]

'O Holy Mary, accept the offering of [- - -]'

Text: I. Gerasa, no. 339.

History

Evidence ID

E02380

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

500

Evidence not after

600

Activity not before

500

Activity not after

600

Place of Evidence - Region

Arabia

Place of Evidence - City, village, etc

Gerasa/Jerash

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

Gerasa/Jerash Sakkaia / Maximianopolis Σακκαια Sakkaia Saccaea Eaccaea Maximianopolis Shaqqa Schaqqa Shakka

Cult activities - Non Liturgical Practices and Customs

Prayer/supplication/invocation

Source

Fragmentary stone block. Preserved dimensions: H. c. 0.40 m; W. c. 0.75 m. Description of the find-spot as reported by Charles Welles: 'found near the mill by the Chrysorhoas, east of "Camp Hill" (Plan I, area G-H 9)'. Letter height 0.06-0.08 m. First published in 1938 by Welles, with a photograph, from a copy by Chester McCown.

Discussion

The inscription commemorates an offering, probably made to a church, but the character of the offering and the location of the presumed sanctuary are not clear. It could be one of the known churches of Jerash, or another, not yet discovered one. For evidence of the veneration of Mary in the 'episcopal complex' of the city, see E02341; but there is no direct link between that place and our inscription. For a similar dedication, see E02379 (church of bishop Genesios, Inscription 2). Welles dated the text approximately to the 6th c. as most of the Christian dedicatory inscriptions from Jerash belong to this century.

Bibliography

Edition: Welles, C.B., 'The inscriptions', in: Kraeling, C.H. (ed.), Gerasa, city of the Decapolis (New Haven: American School of Oriental Research, 1938), no. 339 and Pl. CXXXIIIg.