E05221: The pilgrim Egeria, in her Itinerary, tells the story of the discovery of the grave of *Job (Old Testament patriarch, S01191) at Carneas/Karnaia (Palestine), and visits the altar and church built over it. Written in Latin during Egeria's journey to the East, probably in 381-384.
Creators: name: Robert
Publisher: name: University of Oxford
Year: 2018
Subjects: History

description: Egeria, Itinerary 13.1 and 16.5-7<br><br><br>Egeria decides to visit the grave of Job at Carneas/Karnaia, east of Lake Tiberias (the Sea of Galilee):<br><br>13.1 Item post aliquantum tempus uolui etiam ad regionem ausitidem accedere propter uisendam memoriam sancti Iob gratia orationis ... Habens ergo iter ab Ierusolima usque ad Carneas eundo per mansiones octo - Carneas autem dicitur nunc ciuitas iob, quae ante dicta est Dennaba in terra ausitidi, in finibus Idumeae et Arabiae.<br><br>'13.1 Some time later I decided to visit the land of Uz on pilgrimage to the tomb of the holy Job ... Jerusalem is eight staging-posts from Carneas, which is the present name of the city of Job, though formerly its name was Dinhaba in the land of Uz, on the borders of Idumaea and Arabia.'<br><br>After a lacuna in Egeria' s text, comes the account of the discovery of Job's body and the building of a church over it, which Egeria visited. The text that is now missing must have told of a vision to the holy monk mentioned in the passage that follows:<br><br>16.5 ... qui sanctus monachus, uir ascitis, necesse habuit post tot annos, quibus sedebat in heremum, mouere se et descendere ad ciuitatem Carneas, ut commoneret episcopum uel clericos temporis ipsius, iuxta quod ei fuerat reuelatum, ut foderent in eo loco, qui ei fuerat ostensus, sicut et factum est. (6) Qui fodientes in eo loco, qui ostensus fuerat, inuenerunt speluncam, quam sequentes fuerunt forsitan per passus centum, quo ad subito, fodientibus illis, adparuit lapis: quem lapidem cum perdiscoperuissent, inuenerunt sculptum in coperculo ipsius Iob. Cui Iob ad tunc in eo loco facta est ista ecclesia, quam uidetis, ita tamen ut lapis cum corpore non moueretur in alio loco, sed ibi, ubi inuentum fuerat, corpus positum esset, et ut corpus subter altarium iaceret. Illa autem ecclesia, quam tribunus nescio qui faciebat, sic stat inperfecta usque in hodie. (7) Ac sic ergo nos alia die mane rogauimus episcopum ut faceret oblationem, sicut et facere dignatus est, et benedicens nos episcopus profecti sumus. Communicantes ergo et ibi, gratias agentes deo semper, regressi sumus in Ierusolimam ...<br><br>'16.5 ... after so many years of living in the desert this holy man, monk and ascetic, had to set off and enter the city of Carneas. He asked the bishop of those days and the clergy to do as had been revealed to him, and to dig at the spot which he had been shown. (6) As they dug they at first discovered a cave, then, following it in for about a hundred paces they suddenly came upon a stone. When they had thoroughly uncovered it, they found carved on its cover [the name] of that very JOB. So at once they built this church which you can see to Job. They did not remove the stone with the body, but left them where the body had been found, and so arranged things that the body should rest beneath the altar. I believe that this church was built by some tribune or other, and it stands today, though till now it remains unfinished. (7) The next day in the morning we asked the bishop if he would make the offering. He kindly did so, and when he had blessed us, we went on our way. So, receiving communion, and continually giving thanks to God, we returned to Jerusalem.'<br><br><br>Text: Franceschini and Weber 1965, 54 and 57-58. Translation: Wilkinson 1971, 108 and 112-113, lightly modified.<br>