A note on the meaning of θεοδέγμων κῆπος in a Nonnian verse inscription from Aphrodisias (original) (raw)

A Second-Century Christian Inscription from the Via Latina

Journal of Early Christian Studies, 2011

The article discusses an inscription from the suburbs of Rome, known as NCE 156. Fifty years ago, Margherita Guarducci argued on paleographic grounds that it dates to the second century, making it among the very earliest Christian inscriptions known, earlier than than the Abercius stone, often considered to be the earliest Christian inscription in existence. Her arguments are reconsidered and strengthened in light of later publications and discoveries. The core of the article, however, is devoted to demonstrating the presence of a deep and complicated relationship with the language of Greek funeral poetry, a connection that has completely escaped scholarly notice. As a result, it is clear that the inscription is a funeral epitaph, not a "baptismal inscription" as has been claimed in some studies. Moreover, the writer of the text deliberately subverted many of the conventions of Greek funeral poetry and expected the audience for the poem to appreciate this. The poem and the people who wrote, commissioned, and displayed it may thus be situated fairly highly on the spectrum of literary and cultural sophistication. While the circumstances of discovery do not allow us to place the inscription in a precise archaeological context, it is possible that it derives from the grounds of a villa, around the Third Mile of the Via Latina, where a community of Valentinian Christians may have been located.

ποικιλόνωτος ἀνήρ: Clothing Metaphors and Nonnus’ Ambiguous Christology in the Paraphrase of the Gospel according to John

Vigiliae Christianae, 2018

This article examines three passages in Nonnus' Paraphrase of the Gospel according to John (19.21-25; 19.118-132; 20.81-82), all of which mention pieces of clothing in the context of Christ's passion and resurrection. It argues that Nonnus allows, and indeed encourages, both literal readings and metaphorical interpretations of the garments as stand-ins for Christ's body. The readings which do not turn garments into symbols of the body would be more in agreement with the Orthodox theology of Nonnus' time, while the metaphorical interpretations would be more amenable to a heterodox (Origenist or Nestorian) construal. The poem's ambivalence in the employment of clothing metaphors indicates an attitude that is less strictly Alexandrian / Orthodox and more polyphonic than has so far been assumed.

Gold, Goldsmiths and Goldsmithing in Byzantium

This chapter deals with the mention of gold, goldsmiths and goldsmithing in Byzantine written sources, primarily, with the addition of archaeological results incorporated in the discussion. At the beginning, the connotation of gold and derivative terms in literary sources is mentioned. Hereafter, the question of the origin of Byzantine gold is discussed. It is not unlikely that, even in Byzantium, gold mines near Constantinople were still in use. At the end, professions and names are mentioned that played a role in Byzantium’s gold workmanship. Even though gold was scarce in Byzantium, the empire was able to keep its fame as a »golden realm«.

Inscribing the Saints in Late Antique Anatolia

JJP Supplements, 2018

The book explores the use of inscriptions as an instrument of the cult of saints in Asia Minor between the 4th and mid-7th c. AD. In addition to the analytical chapters, the work encompasses a catalogue of around 250 inscriptions on stone, mosaics, small objects (in particular reliquaries), and graffiti, attesting to the rise and development of the cult of saints in the discussed region and period. For the first time such a catalogue includes revised full texts of inscriptions, English translations, bibliographical references, and a detailed commentary. The analytical part is divided into five chapters preceded by an introduction which discusses methodological issues, presents a short history of research on the epigraphy of the cult of saints in Asia Minor, and the possibility of the application of the principles of ‘the epigraphic habit theory’ into the studies on the cult of saints. Chapter One shows different categories of inscriptions used in the religious practice: epitaphs for martyrs, inscriptions commemorating translations of relics, labels of reliquaries, inscribed invocations of saints, building and dedicatory inscriptions, vows, inscriptions using names of saints as a marker of identity, inscriptions attesting burials ad sanctos, inscriptions from boundary stones, inscriptions recording normative and liturgical texts, and others. Chapter Two deals with the chronological distribution of the evidence collected. The saints chosen as addresses of their prayers and vows by the commissioners of inscriptions, and the saintly epithets, are closely discussed respectively in Chapter Three and Chapter Four. A prosopographical overview of the commissioners of inscriptions is presented in Chapter Five. This chapter also includes considerations on the motivation of donors recording their deeds by the means of inscriptions, with particular emphasis put onto the transition from the ‘rational’ to the ‘emotional’ motivation and the phenomenon of ‘the longing for the saint’. The geographical distribution of all the sources collected, and of sources illustrating cults of selected saints is shown on maps. The book was awarded the 2018 EKVAM Annual Award of the Ancient Anatolian Studies by the Izmir Center of the Archaeology of Western Anatolia.

Le tableau d'honneurs d'Antioche du Méandre

A. Heller et A.-V. Pont (éd.), Patrie d’origine et patries électives. Les citoyennetés multiples dans le monde grec d’époque romaine, Actes du colloque international de Tours, 6-7 octobre 2009, Bordeaux, Ausonius, 2012, p. 61-77