Khirbet Siyar el-Ghanam; Khirbet es-Siyar el-Ghanam (Roman Catholic) - SHEPHERDS' FIELD

Church/Monastery name: 
Khirbet Siyar el-Ghanam; Khirbet es-Siyar el-Ghanam (Roman Catholic) - SHEPHERDS' FIELD
Inscription number: 
1
Selected bibliography: 
267-268, pl. 51.104 (ph.) (ed. pr.)
126, no. 25
40-41, pl. 17.49-50 (phs.)
111, no. 161
128-129, no. 186
Abbreviation for Journals and Series
Epigraphical corpora: 

CIIP IV.1 (2018): 3287 (ph., dr.)

Inscription type: 
invocation/prayer
quotation
Location: 

In the mosaic pavement of the bakery (Room 44).

Physical description : 

A white pavement with two short Greek inscriptions. Black tesserae; above the upsilon in inscription (a) is an abbreviation mark made of red tesserae. According to Corbo and Bagatti, the right end of (b) was destroyed in a fall of stones from the walls or the vaults, as well as the two last transcribed letters of l.1 which were destroyed shortly before the photos were taken.

Meas.: (a) letters 7.5-10.5 cm; (b) letters (l.1) 6.5-11, (l.2) 6-9, (l.3) 8.5-10 cm.

Text: 

(a)   [Κ]ύ(ριε), βο(ή)θ(ει).



(b)   Κ(ύριο)ς φυλάσι [σε?]

       ἀπὸ ˹π˺αν[τὸς]

       κακο(ῦ).

Translation: 

(a)  Lord, help!

(b)  The Lord protects [you?] from all evil.

Apparatus: 

(b) l.1  φυλάσ(α)ι Bagatti 1952, Corbo,  φυλάσ(σ)<ε> Bagatti 1953,  but it is best to consider ΦΥΛΑΣΙ a reduced, phonetic spelling for φυλασσει, indicative.

Commentary: 

Corbo identified the cross below (a) as a representation of Golgotha (the cross was made of red and black tesserae). He identified another representation of the calvary at the upper right of inscription (b). The second inscription is a quote from Ps. 120 (121):7.

Summary: 

Invocation of the Lord and Psalms quotation in the mosaic pavement of the bakery (Room 44).

Contents
Epigraphical formulae: 
Lord/Christ, help...
Citations from LXX / NT: 
Ps. 120 (121):7
Epigraphical Abbreviations: 
horizontal stroke over nomina sacra