Deir el-Muqalik - THEOCTISTUS

Church/Monastery name: 
Deir el-Muqalik - THEOCTISTUS
Inscription number: 
5
Selected bibliography: 
286-287, no. 5 (dr.) (ed. pr.)
Abbreviation for Journals and Series
Epigraphical corpora: 

SEG 45 (1995): 1962

CIIP IV.1 (2018): 3155 (dr.)

Inscription type: 
commemorative
grafitto
Location: 

On the south wall of a niche in the south-west corner of the burial cave.

Physical description : 

Graffito incised very lightly with a fine point in the white plaster. Height of letters: 1-2.5 cm. Remains of a simple frame are visible on top and to the left. On the right side, and at times on the left side also, an unspecified number of letters in every line is lost. (Goldfus–Arubas–Alliata)

Text: 

      Μνίσθη, Κ(ύρι)ε, τῶν δούλον σο[υ]

      Γεωργίῳ καὶ Βασιλίῳ.

      φύλαττε τὴν αὐτῶ[ν --]

4    [--]Α μέχρι θα˹νά˺[του --]

      τῶν ἁγίον πατέρο[ν]

      [--]Η[--]ΕΑΟΣΤΟΥΦΘΟ+[--]

      [--]ρου καὶ Ἀ[--]ΕΑ

8    [--]ΑΝΙΚ[--]

      [--]Π[--]

      [--]Ν[--]Θ[--]

      [--]Π[--]

Translation: 

Remember, Lord, your servants Georgius and Basilius. Protect their … until death … of the holy Fathers …rus and A… (CIIP)

Apparatus: 

l.1: μνίσθη(τι) ed. pr. – ll.1f.: A medley of genitive and dative. – l.3: φύλαττε τὴν αὐτῶ[ν οἰκίαν] ed. pr.; οἰκίαν is possible, but not certain. Evidently, the editors took tau and eta to be a ligature; for the following letters the drawing suggests rather alpha and upsilon, not nu; and the last letter seems to be neither omicron nor omega: ΤΗΑΥΑΥΤ+? – l.4: θαν[άτου] ed. pr., which would result in a violation of the lex Youtie (iuxta lacunam ne mutaveris). – l.5: τῶν ἁγίων πατέρων α̣ὐ̣|[--] ed. pr. – l.6: ὀστοῦ φθορ[̣ ὰ --] ed. pr., but the last letter is certainly not a rho, perhaps a nu. However, it is hard to see what this can mean. -- (CIIP)

Summary: 

Graffito for the memory of Georgius and Basilius, incised on a wall in the south-west corner of the burial cave.

Contents
Epithets of clergy/monks: 
father
most holy (hagiotatos)
Titles/epithets of patrons/dedicators: 
servant of God
Personal names: 
Basilius, Georgius
Epigraphical formulae: 
Lord/Christ, protect...
Lord/Christ, remember...
Epigraphical Abbreviations: 
horizontal stroke over nomen sacrum