265-267, no. 1 (dr.) (ed. pr.) | |
164-165, no. 1 (ph., dr.) | |
592-593, no. 203*, figs. 244 A-B (ph., dr.) | |
19-20, no. 16 |
SEG 40 (1990): 1475
CIIP IV.1 (2018): 2672 (ph., dr.)
In the one of the mosaic intercolumnation between the nave and the southern aisle.
Cramped, 4-line mosaic inscription set in a small tabula ansata (38 x 108 cm) in the one of the intercolumnations between the nave and the southern aisle. Narrow, angular characters (6-7 cm high) belong to the Byzantine square alphabet pointing to a date in the 5th or very beginning of the 6th century. Abbreviations include horizontal strokes and inverted stigmas. Text begins with a cross.
☩ Κύ(ριε) βοήθισον τοὺς δούλου(ς) (σοῦ)
Ἀφλεος καὶ Λούκας πρεσβι-
τέρους καὶ Στέφ(ανον) καὶ Σάμα(ιον)
καὶ Ἐλισέος καὶ λ⟨οι⟩πῶν.
Lord, help (Thy) servants Aphleos and Luke the priests, and Stephen and Sama(ios?) and Elisha and others.
L.4 Λύπων (personal name) ed.pr., λυπῶν SEG, λ⟨οί⟩πων Feissel (BE).
Invocation of the Lord on behalf of priests and laymen, in the one of the mosaic intercolumnation between the nave and the southern aisle.
Phonetic spellings and confusion of cases. Personal names left undeclined. The only truly Greek name is (Stephen) Stephanus; Luke is evangelical; Eliseos, a phonetic spelling of Elissaios, is a Hellenized form of the Hebrew Elisha; Aphleos is probably the Arabic name Haphal; the abbrieviated Sama(--) probably stands for Samaios, Sameos, or Samaos, a Greek transliterarion of the Jewish and Arab name Shamai.