E00786: Greek graffiti from the church of *John the Apostle and Evangelist (S00042) in Ephesos (western Asia Minor) with numerous invocations of this saint. 6th c. or later.
Creators: name: Pnowakowski
Publisher: name: University of Oxford
Year: 2015
Subjects: History

description: 1) Fragment of the top bar of a screen of blue marble, located between the altar and the pulpit in the church of *John the Evangelist in Ephesos. Preserved dimensions: H. 0.12 m; W. 0.447 m; Th. 0.208 m. Inscription A is written on the upper surface with neatly carved letters. Texts B, C, D are graffiti. Josef Keil suspected that the inscription could cover other nearby blocks too.<br><br>A: [κύριε, βοήθησον] τῷ ταπινῷ διακό(νῳ) καὶ δούλῳ [σῷ - - -<br>B: + ἅγ(ι)ε Ἰω(άννη), βοήθη τὼν σὸν δοῦλον Λάζαρον<br>C: + ἅγιε Ἰω(άννη) θεο[λόγε, βοήθη - - -<br>D: + ἅγιε Ἰ[ω(άννη) - - -<br><br>A: '[O Lord, help] the humble deacon and [your] servant [- - -]!'<br>B: '+ Saint John, help your servant Lazaros!'<br>C: '+ Saint John the Theo[logian, help - - -]!'<br>D: '+ Saint J[ohn - - -]!'<br><br>Text: I. Ephesos, no. 4304.<br><br>2) Fragment of an upper plaque of a screen of blue marble. Precise find-spot unknown. Most probably from another structure than the one mentioned in the preceding entry. Preserved dimensions: H. 0.27 m; W. 0.24 m; Th. 0.096 m. Text A was erased and substituted with Text B. Graffito C runs below it. Next to it there are faint traces of yet another graffito.<br><br>A: - - -] στ̣ων ̣λ̣α[- - -<br>̣<br>λ̣α[- - - or ̣α̣λ[- - - Keil<br><br>B: - - -]ῳ πρεσβ[υτέρῳ - - -<br>C: Ἠοάνι +<br><br>B: '[- - - fo]r the presb[yter - - -].'<br>C: 'For Ioannes (or: for St. John?) +'<br><br>3) One of three graffiti written on a column at the middle entrance to the southern side-nave of the church. Next to them there is an inscription with an invocation to God by a certain Georgios, supervisor of construction works.<br><br>Ἠ(σοῦ)ς Χ(ριστό)ς, ̣ἅ̣γ(ιος) + Ἰω(άννης)<br><br>1. perhaps ̣ἅ̣γ(ιος) or ̣ν̣ι(κᾷ) Keil<br><br>'Jesus Christ, Saint + John (?)'<br><br>Text: I. Ephesos, no. 4310C.<br><br>4) Inscription on a column, written on both sides of an elaborately carved cross (c. 0.45 m high), standing on an sphere and three steps, which strongly resembles depictions of the cross potent on coins issued by the emperor Heraclius (610-641) and later emperors. Almost certainly postdates the 7th c.<br><br><br> θεολόγε, βοεί-<br> <br> θι τοῦ σοῦ δού-<br>λου Σισι- νήου<br>κὲ τῖς μ- ιτρὸς αὐτοῦ<br><br>'O Theologian, help your servant Sisinnios and his mother!'<br><br>Text: I. Ephesos, no. 4314.<br><br>5) Inscription and graffito on a column. The inscription is written on both sides of a carved cross (c. 0.42 m high). The graffito was placed to the left of the lower part of the cross.<br><br>A: inscription written written on both sides of a carved cross:<br><br> + θεολό- γε, βοΐθι<br><br> ου<br>τοῦ σοῦ δούλ- Στεφάνου<br> ἁμαρ- τολοῦ<br><br>B: graffito; to the left of the lower part of the cross:<br><br>θεολόγε, βοήθησον ἀμίν<br>τὸν δοῦλον τοῦ θεοῦ Ο-<br>ΣΟΝΤΟΛΟΝ ἐν ἁμαρτήᾳ· σολην(ο-)<br>ποηός. ἁμαρτήα ..α<br><br>2-3. Ο|ΣΟΝΤΟΛΟΝ = Ὀσοντολον (a name?) Keil, or τολον (?) || 3-4. σολην(ο)|ποηός = σωλην(ο)|ποιός (?) Foss<br><br>A: '+ O Theologian, help your servant, Stephanos the sinner!'<br>B: ' O Theologian, help the servant of God Osontolos (or: help the servant of God, the sinful one?) who is in sins, the pipe-maker! (?) Sins [- - -].'<br><br>Text: I. Ephesos, no. 4315.<br><br>6) Inscription engraved on the back side of a blue marble cornice-plaque.<br><br>τõ ἁγ(ίου) Ἰωάν(νου)<br><br>1. τõ ἁγ(ίῳ) Ἰωάν(νῃ ?) Halkin<br><br>'Of Saint John (or: For Saint John).'<br><br>Text: I. Ephesos, no. 4317.<br><br>7) Graffiti on the wall and columns near a holy water font in the church.<br><br>A:<br><br> κ(ύρι)ε, κ(ύριε), ἅγηε θεολόγε, βοήθησον<br>τοῦ δούλο σου Γεόργηον<br><br>E:<br> εν<br>θεολόγε αὐθο<br>τα [- - -] +<br>κ(ύρι)ε βοήθι κ(ύρι)ε<br>κ(ύρι)ε βοήθ(η) τὸν δοῦλον σου Ἠοά(ννην)<br><br>1-3. αὐθ{ο}έντα (?) Keil<br><br>H:<br>+ κ(ύρι)ε σὺ ὁ θ(εὸ)ς ὁ σ(ωτὴ)ρ ἡμõν<br>κ(αὶ) ἅγιε Εἰω(άννη) εὐαγελησ-<br>τὰ αὐτοῦ κ(αὶ) θεολόγε<br>βοήθη μι τῷ δ(ο)ύλοͺ σου<br>ἁμαρτολῷ Ν(ι)κόλαον<br><br>κ(ύρι)ε βοήθη κ(αὶ) τ(ὴν) δ(ο)ύλ(ην) σου<br>Μάρθαν μοναχήν <br><br>A: 'O Lord, Lord, (and) the holy Theologian, help your servant Georgios!'<br>E: 'O Theologian [- - -] O Lord, help, O Lord. O Lord, help your servant Ioannes!'<br>H: '+ O Lord, you are God, our Saviour and (you), Saint Jo(hn), are his Evangelist and the Theologian, help me, your servant and sinner, Nikolaos! Lord, help also your servant Martha, the nun!'<br><br>Text: I. Ephesos, no. 4318 A-E-H.