Complete
Linguistic features:
Formulae:
Quotations from literary texts:
Dating:
AD 450
-
AD 700
Language:
Syriac
Monumental:
Medium:
stone
Visible:
Accessible:
Has figural depiction:
Has iconoclastic damage:
Activities commemorated:
Naming the patron saint of a church
Funds:
Price:
Placement:
gate
People mentioned:
Name:
Unknown founder
Patronym:
Status:
unspecified
Ethnic allegance:
unspecified
Tribal allegane:
none
Family status:
unspecified
Role:
Benefactor
Occupation:
unspecified
Age:
Gender:
male
Religion:
Christianity
Religious denomination:
anti-"Nestorian"
Language:
Syriac
Description
For this inscription, see also my record in the Cult of Saints in Late Antiquity database, E01971: http://csla.history.ox.ac.uk/record.php?recid=E01971 date: unknown. description: One of the stone slabs of the monastery's gateway has an inscription on its front face. Dimensions: H. 0.60 m; W. 0.31 m. Letter height 0.03-0.08 m. Examined by Jacques Jarry in 1963, and first published by him in 1967. ed. Jarry 1967, 156, no. 29 (CSLA.E01971). Cf. Jarry 1970, 187; Aggoula 1992, p. 409, comments to no. 2; TIB 15, p. 1603. ܥ]ܕܬܐ] ܡܘܕܝܐ ܕܝܠܕܬ .4 ܠܐܠܗܐ ܐܡܬܗ ܒܪܬܐ ܗܕܝܪܬܐ .8 ܒܬܘܠܬܐ ܩܕܝܫܬܐ ‘L’église témoigne que Dieu a été engendré par sa mère la fille glorieuse la vierge sainte.’ (tr. J. Jarry 1967, 156 – original) ‘L’église témoigne que Dieu a été engendré par sa servante, la vierge sainte.’ (tr. J. Jarry 1970, 187 – corrected) ‘The church confesses that she gave birth to God, his Mother, the honourable Maiden, the holy Virgin.’ (tr. S. Minov from CSLA.E01971) commentary: The phrasing is not typical of building inscriptions of Syria – it refers to the tradition of "speaking objects", a popular and very old trope in epigraphy. The inscription gives us the name of the church – a dedication to Mary within monastery’s walls is not surprising. A mention of Mary as the Theotokos, suggest that these monks were supporters of the anti-Nestorian doctrine of the council of Ephesus 431.
Author:
Paweł Nowakowski
Added by:
Martyna
Created:
2022-08-14 23:57:07
Last update:
2024-03-28 20:12:29
Building:
Monastery’s gateway
Dimensions: surface: w 0.31 x h 0.60 meter
Condition: One of the stone slabs of the monastery's gateway has an inscription on its front face.
Text: Letter height 0.03-0.08 m.
Date: 450 CE - 700 CE
Findspot: Unknown
Original location: Syria Qaṣr ad-Dayr (Qaṣr ed-Deir) 34.922778, 40.561667 Monastery’s gateway gate
Current repository: Unknown
Text type: Christian inscription
Summary:
Inscription from a monastery in Qaṣr ad-Dayr (Qaṣr ed-Deir). 450 CE - 700 CE.
Changes history: 2022-08-14 Pawel Nowakowski Creation; 2023-08-21 Pawel Nowakowski Last modification; 2023-11-06 Martyna Swierk Preparation of EpiDoc file
Publication details: University of Warsaw; Warsaw;
Available under licence CC-BY 4.0
; @2021Translation
‘L’église témoigne que Dieu a été engendré par sa mère la fille glorieuse la vierge sainte.’ (tr. J. Jarry 1967, 156 – original)
‘L’église témoigne que Dieu a été engendré par sa servante, la vierge sainte.’ (tr. J. Jarry 1970, 187 – corrected)
‘The church confesses that she gave birth to God, his Mother, the honourable Maiden, the holy Virgin.’ (tr. S. Minov from CSLA.E01971)
Commentary
For this inscription, see also my record in the Cult of Saints in Late Antiquity database, E01971: http://csla.history.ox.ac.uk/record.php?recid=E01971
The phrasing is not typical of building inscriptions of Syria – it refers to the tradition of "speaking objects", a popular and very old trope in epigraphy. The inscription gives us the name of the church – a dedication to Mary within monastery’s walls is not surprising.
A mention of Mary as the Theotokos, suggest that these monks were supporters of the anti-Nestorian doctrine of the council of Ephesus 431.
Bibliography (edition)
- J., Jarry, 1967, Inscriptions arabes, syriaques et grecques du massif du Bélus en Syrie du nord [avec 42 planches], Annales Islamologiques 7, 156, 29.
Bibliography
- J., Jarry, 1970, Inscriptions de Syrie du Nord, relevées en 1969, Annales Islamologiques 9, 187. B., Aggoula, 1992, Studia Aramaica III: II. Deux inscriptions syriaques de la Syrie du Nord; III - Inscriptions syriaques de Syrie-Mésopotamie, Syria 69, 409, comments to no. 2. TIB 15 K.-P., Todt, B. A., Vest, 2014, Tabula Imperii Byzantini, Vienna, 1603.