Complete
Linguistic features:
Formulae:
Quotations from literary texts:
Dating:
AD 600
-
AD 650
Language:
Greek; Jewish Palestinian Aramaic
Monumental:
Medium:
stone
Visible:
Accessible:
Has figural depiction:
Has iconoclastic damage:
Activities commemorated:
Funds:
own property
Price:
unknown
Placement:
above the entrance
People mentioned:
Name:
Eleazar
Patronym:
Abba Mari
Status:
unspecified
Ethnic allegance:
Semitic
Tribal allegane:
none
Family status:
son
Role:
Benefactor
Occupation:
unspecified
Age:
Gender:
male
Religion:
Judaism
Religious denomination:
unspecified
Language:
Jewish Palestinian Aramaic
Name:
Abba Mari
Patronym:
Batha
Status:
religious_authority
Ethnic allegance:
Semitic
Tribal allegane:
none
Family status:
father
Role:
Name recorded
Occupation:
rabbi
Age:
Gender:
male
Religion:
Judaism
Religious denomination:
unspecified
Language:
Jewish Palestinian Aramaic
Description
date: 600-650 AD description: Bilingual Greek and Aramaic epitaph of Abba Mari son of Batha, situated above the entrance to a tomb. Two lines of Jewish script and one word in Greek on a separate line below, incised above the entrance to a tomb; there were traces of black paint in the incisions of the letters in Jewish script. Size: 35 cm in height, 157 cm in width; letters (Jewish script) 4 cm, (Greek) 9 cm. אנה אלעזר בר אבה מארי עבדת הדה קבורתה לאבה מארי בר בתה חשישתה שבועה Λαζαρ ʾnh ʾlʿzr br ʾbh mʾry ʿbdt hdh qbwrth lʾbh mʾry br bth ḥšyšth šbwʿh "(Aramaic) I, Elʿazar, the son of Abba Mari, made this tomb for Abba Mari son of Batha. The fear (of violating) an oath. (Greek) Lazar" commentary: (based on CIIP IV 3850) According to Meehan (quoting J. Landgraf), the incisions of the Aramaic inscription were originally painted black, unlike the letters of the Greek name, and the Aramaic and Greek letters were made with different chisels; he thus concludes that Λαζαρ was added later, but the differences in fact do not indicate relative chronology. The text was incorrectly transcribed by both Kloner in ed. pr. and Meehan. The correct reading is found in Beyer. The last two words of the Aramaic text are unclear grammatically but clear in their intention, warning against tampering with the tomb. The last word, šbwʿh, indicates that the inscriber made an oath against violation of the tomb, which was a widespread custom. Beyer 1984: 366 (yyHG 1) Beyer 1994: 235 CIIP IV 3850
Author:
Tomasz Barański
Added by:
Martyna
Created:
2022-06-01 16:51:03
Last update:
2024-03-27 19:09:40
Building:
Tomb
Dimensions: surface: w 157 x h 35 cm
Condition: Bilingual Greek and Aramaic epitaph of Abba Mari son of Batha, situated above the entrance to a tomb. Two lines of Jewish script and one word in Greek on a separate line below, incised above the entrance to a tomb; there were traces of black paint in the incisions of the letters in Jewish script.
Text: Jewish script: 4 cm, Greek: 9 cm
Date: 600 CE - 650 CE
Findspot: Unknown
Original location: Palestina Khirbet Gemar (Horvat Gomer) 31.593056, 34.898333 Tomb above the entrance
Current repository: Unknown
Text type: epitaph
Summary:
Bilingual epitaph in Jewish Palestinian Aramaic and Greek scripts from Khirbet Gemar (Horvat Gomer). 600 CE - 650 CE.
Changes history: 2022-06-01 Tomasz Barański Creation; 2024-03-27 Martyna Świerk Last modification; 2024-03-27 Martyna Swierk Preparation of EpiDoc file
Publication details: University of Warsaw; Warsaw;
Available under licence CC-BY 4.0
; @2021Translation
'(Aramaic) I, Elʿazar, the son of Abba Mari, made this tomb for Abba Mari son of Batha. The fear (of violating) an oath. (Greek) Lazar'
Commentary
(based on CIIP IV 3850) According to Meehan (quoting J. Landgraf), the incisions of the Aramaic inscription were originally painted black, unlike the letters of the Greek name, and the Aramaic and Greek letters were made with different chisels; he thus concludes that Λαζαρ was added later, but the differences in fact do not indicate relative chronology. The text was incorrectly transcribed by both Kloner in ed. pr. and Meehan. The correct reading is found in Beyer. The last two words of the Aramaic text are unclear grammatically but clear in their intention, warning against tampering with the tomb. The last word, šbwʿh, indicates that the inscriber made an oath against violation of the tomb, which was a widespread custom.
Bibliography
- CIIP IV W., Ameling, H., Cotton, W., Eck, A., Ecker, B., Isaac, A., Kushnir-Stein, H., Misgav, J., Price, P., Weiß, A., Yardeni, 2023, Corpus inscriptionum Iudaeae/Palaestinae. Volume IV: Iudaea/Idumaea, Berlin, Boston, 3850. K., Beyer, 1984, Die aramäischen Texte vom Toten Meer: samt den Inschriften aus Palästina, dem Testament Levis aus der Kairoer Genisa, der Fastenrolle und den alten Talmudischen Zitaten, Gottingen, 366. K., Beyer, 1994, Die aramäischen Texte vom Toten Meer. Ergänzungsband: Samt Den Inschriften Aus Palastina, Dem Testament Levis Aus Der Lairoer Genisa, Der Fastenrolle Und Den Alten Talmudischen Zitaten, Gottingen, 235.