Abu Baraqeh (Deir el-Balah) - Church

Church/Monastery name: 
Abu Baraqeh (Deir el-Balah) - Church
Inscription number: 
1
Selected bibliography: 
179, fig. 114 (ph.)
280-284, fig. 1, pl. 2 (phs., dr.) (ed. pr.)
Abbreviation for Journals and Series
Epigraphical corpora: 

AE 2008: 1550

SEG 58 (2008): 1757

CIIP III (2014): 2536 (dr.)

Inscription type: 
building
quotation
Location: 

In the mosaic pavement in the central nave of the church inside a tabula ansata.

Physical description : 

Long two-line mosaic inscription inside a tabula ansata. For the text black tesserae were used, for the tabula ansata pink and brown tesserae. Ligatures, superscribed letters, abbreviation marks.

Meas.: letters l.1: 7.5-8 cm; l.2: 6.5-7 cm.

Text: 

(star) Ἅγιος ὁ ναός σου, κύριε, θαυμαστὸς ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ. Προνοίᾳ Γεωργίου ἐνδοξοτ(άτου) (sprig)

ἰλλουστρ(ίου) καὶ - σὺν Θ(ε)ῷ - παντεπιτρ(όπου) κ(αὶ) Φιλίππου μεγαλοπρ(επεστάτου) κόμ(ητος) κ(αὶ) ἐπιτρ(όπου) ἐγένετο τὸ πᾶν ἔργ(ον) μη(νὶ) Ἀρτεμ(ισίῳ) <ἔ>το(υς) ϛμχ’.

Translation: 

Holy is your temple, o Lord, admirable in justice. By the providence of Georgius, the most glorious and illustrious and – with the help of god – supercurator, and of Philippus, the most magnificent count and curator, the whole work was finished in the month Artemision in the year 646. (CIIP)

Commentary: 

L.1 Includes a quotation from Ps. 64 (65):5, which is separated from the rest of the inscription by a word divisor.

L.2 Artemision in the year 646 of Gaza = April/May 586 AD.

Given date: 
year
month
Date: 
April/May 586
Summary: 

Dated mosaic building inscription with Psalm quotation within tabula ansata, in the central nave of the church.

Contents
Actions: 
the work was done
Definitions of building/part of building: 
naos
Personal names: 
Georgius, Philippus
Professions: 
count, curator, supercurator (παντεπίτροπος)
Epigraphical formulae: 
with the help of God
Citations from LXX / NT: 
Ps. 64 (65):5
Epigraphical Abbreviations: 
stigmas, ΟΥ in ligature, horizontal stroke over nomen sacrum, small diagonal strokes over Κ and Ρ, superscribed letters