143-144, no. 34; 103, fig. 34 (dr.) (Tod) (ed. pr.) | |
no. 149 | |
108-109, no. 18, pl. 13.20 (ph.) | |
31-32, no. 18, pl. 8.20 (ph.) | |
258-259, no. 368 | |
870-872, no. 355, figs. 408 A-B (ph., dr.) |
SEG 28 (1978): 1396; 31 (1981): 1400
At the eastern end of the northern aisle, just east of inscription no. 3. Found in the debris above its place.
A tombstone of grey marble, 160 cm long and 45 cm wide. It was observed in situ by Wooley and Lawrance in 1914; later, in 1958, Avi-Yonah's expedition rediscovered it displaced and broken into three pieces, under a layer of debris about 1.50 m thick. Apparently part of the church wall had collapsed in the maeantime, damaging this and the adjoining tombstone, no. 3. The script is calligraphic, though the characters, about 5 cm high, are a mixture of square, round and oval types, with drop-shaped omicron and theta. A double-dotted iota occasionally appears, as well as some cursive forms (V-shaped upsilon and a rounded delta). The text begins with a cross.
☩ Ἀνεπάη ὁ μακά-
ριος Ζαχαρίας
Ἐρασίνου ἐν
4. μηνὶ Πανέμου
δεκάτῃ ἰνδ(ικτιῶνος) ιδʹ ἡ-
μήρᾳ κυριακῇ ὥραν
τρίτη(ν) τῆς νυκτὸς· κα-
8. τετέθη δὲ ἐνταῦθα
τῇ τρίτῃ τοῦ σάμβα-
τος ὥραν ὀγδόην
Πανέμῳ δωδεκά-
12. τῃ ἰνδ(ικτιῶνος) ιδʹ ἔτους κα-
τὰ Ἐλούσ(ην) υοςʹ. Κ(ύρι)ε, ἀ-
{α}νάπαυσον τὴν ψυ-
χὴν αὐτοῦ μετὰ τῶν
16. ἁγίων σου. Ἀμήν.
Came to rest the blessed Zacharias (son) of Erasinos in the month of Panemos, the 10th, indiction 14, on a Sunday at the third hour of the night; and he was buried here on the third day after the Sabbath, at the eight hour, on Panemos the 12th of the 14th indiction, year 476 of (the era of) Elusa. Lord, rest his soul with Thy saints. Amen.
L.7 ὥραν τρίτῃ all eds.; l.13 Ἐλουσ(ίους) Tod, Ἐλουσ(ηνούς) Alt (cf. Alt no. 20), Ἐλούσ(αν) ed.pr., SEG, Ἐλούσ(ην) Negev (on basis of inscription no. 3).
Dated marble tombstone of Zacharias at the eastern end of the northern aisle, 28/29 June and 1 July 581.
Year 476 or the era of Arabia, the era used in Elusa, corresponds to AD 581/2; Panemos in the Arabian calendar began on 20 June and its 10th day fell on the 29 June 581, which fell on the 14th indiction and was a Sunday. If, however, people in the Negev used to begin the day at sunset, as was the rule in Byzantine Palestine, the third hour of the night of Sunday would correspond not to ca. 9 PM of Sunday night, the 29th, but to ca. 9 PM of Saturday night, the 28th of June. In any case, the deceased was buried on 1st July, Tuesday, called "the third day after Sabbath", as usual in the Byzantine period; the 8th hour of the day is about 2 PM.