Khirbet esh-Shubeika - Church

Inscription number: 
2
Selected bibliography: 
260-261, plan 3 (dr.)
341-343, no. 2, fig. 3 (ph., dr.) (in Hebrew) (ed. pr.)
84-85, no. 2 (ph., dr.)
257, fig. 7 (dr.)
558, no. 524 (Feissel)
Abbreviation for Journals and Series
Epigraphical corpora: 

SEG 52 (2002): 1667; 53 (2003): 1828

Inscription type: 
building
Location: 

In the mosaic pavement of the northern aisle (Locus 51), inserted in the repaired section of the second phase of the church.

 

Physical description : 

Six-line mosaic inscription within a rectangular frame (137x85 cm). Black letters (9 cm high) and division lines on a white background.

Text: 

          ☩ Ἐ[πὶ τοῦ μητροπ]ολ̣ήτου {ἡ-}

          ἡμ[ῶν Ἀναστ]ασίου κὲ Π-

          ροκοπί[ου ἡ]γουμ[έν]ου ἐ-

4        γένετο τὸ πᾶν [ἔργ]ο̣ν

          τοῦ ἁγήου Σεργίου∙ ἰψιφό-

          [θη κτίσε]ος ἔτους ςcϙγ´.

Translation: 

Under our metropolitan [Anast]asius and Procopius the hegumen the whole work of St. Sergius was done; it was paved with mosaics in the year of creation 6293.

Apparatus: 

Ll.5-6  ἰψιφό|[θη κτίσε]ος Tzaferis, Di Segni;  ἰψιφό|[σε]ος Feissel.

Commentary: 

The village of Shubeika was within the boundaries of the bishopric of Tyre, whose bishop ranked as a metropolitan: therefore, the inscriptions add a new name to the list of bishops of Tyre. The date is given by one of the eras of creation current in the area: either the Alexandrine era which is attested in the Jerusalem area and dated Christ's incarnation on March 25, 5492 of the creation, or the Byzantine, common in Transjordan, which dated it on March 25, 5508. Therefore, the second stage in the life of the church of Shubeika can be dated to 785/6, by the Byzantine era, or possibly 801/2, by the Alexandrine era. Notably, at that time the church – undoubtedly a village church, as attested by the mention of a woman's name in one of the inscriptions – also had an adjoining monastery whose abbot cared for the building: in other words, not only did the village remain Christian, but it also produced from its population a community of monks.

Given date: 
year
era
Date: 
785/786 (or possibly 801/802)
Summary: 

Six-line building inscription of Anastasius the metropolitan and Procopius the abbot, in the mosaic pavement of the northern aisle (Locus 51).

Contents
Actions: 
was paved with mosaic
the work was done
Ecclesiastical titles: 
metropolitan
Monastical titles: 
abbot/hegumen
Personal names: 
Anastasius, Procopius
Saints names: 
Sergius
Epithets of saints: 
hagios/hagia