78-80, fig. 25 | |
186-188, pl. V B | |
607-609, no. 207, figs. 255 A-B (ph., dr.) | |
82, no. 105 |
SEG 37 (1987): 1492 B
CIIP IV.1 (2018): 2809 (ph., dr.)
At the western end of the mosaic pavement of the nave, just in front of the main entrance (or perhaps of the bema).
The inscription is set in a rectangular panel framed by a double line of black tesserae, within the westernmost mosaic carpet, at the western end: probably it was just in front of the main entrance of the church. The outer frame measures 183x105 cm, the inner frame 158x88 cm. The text begins with a palmette. The script is a mixture of round and square shapes.
(palmette) Μαγνιανὸς σ(τ)ρατιώτ(ης)
εὐχάριστῶν τῷ ἁγίῳ
Ἀνδρέᾳ ἔκτισεν καὶ ἐ-
4 ψήφωσεν σπουδῇ Ἡρακ-
λίου πρεσβ(υτέρου) καὶ Κω(ν)σταν-
τίνου διακ(όνου) (καὶ) Πολλυχρονίου.
Magnianus the soldier, in thanksgiving to Saint Andrew, built (this church) and had it paved, by the care of Heraclius the priest, Constantinus the deacon and Polychronius.
L.1 ΣΡΑΤΙΩΤ(ης) The missing Τ is not an abbreviation but a mistake; l.5 The spelling Κωσταντῖνος is a mistake according to Meinardus, but I would rather call it a vulgarism.
Mosaic building inscription set in a rectangular panel within the westernmost mosaic carpet, at the western end.
Probably Magnianus was a soldier in the garrison stationed at Jericho in the Byzantine period. As a soldier, his patron is likely to have been Andrew the apostle, but the general of the same name martyred with his soldiers under Maximian. It seems no mere chance that Andrew, the Roman officer, was celebrated in his Acts as having defeated the Persians in Christ's name: perhaps Magnianus' vow and his gratitude sprang from a similar background, which again points to AD 630 or a little later as the most probable date for the building of the church. Another subtle hint about the date is provided by the name of the priest. The name Heraclius is rare in Byzantine Palestine: it is not inconceivable that the priest was so named in honour of Emperor Heraclius, whose access to the throne in 610 was saluted with enthusiasm after the death of the hated parvenu, Phocas.