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Harnack on the Inscription of Abercius Zur Abercius- Inschrift, von Adolf Harnack (Texte und Untersuchungen xii. 4 b. 28 pp.). Liepzig: Hinrichs. 1895. M. 6.50.

F. C. Conybeare

The Classical Review / Volume 9 / Issue 06 / July 1895, pp 295 - 297 DOI: 10.1017/S0009840X00202102, Published online: 27 October 2009

Link to this article: http://journals.cambridge.org/abstract_S0009840X00202102

How to cite this article: F. C. Conybeare (1895). The Classical Review, 9, pp 295-297 doi:10.1017/ S0009840X00202102

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Downloaded from http://journals.cambridge.org/CAR, IP address: 138.251.14.35 on 28 Apr 2015 THE CLASSICAL REVIEW. 295

HARNACK ON THE INSCRIPTION OF ABERCIUS.

Zur Aberclus-Insehrift, von ADOLF HAB- I copied it a year ago from a MS. in the NACK (Texte und Untersuchungen xii. 4 b. Bibliotheque Nationale, Anciens Fonds Ar- 28 pp.). Liepzig:Hinrichs. 1895. M. 6.50. meniens, 46, vol. 3, fol. 100 v. This codex is of the thirteenth century, and is of THE discovery of the Inscription of Abercius, enormous size and weight, written in of in the reign of Marcus majuscule letters half an inch high. In Aurelius, was one of the best results won order to read it, you must stand up and sit by Prof. W. M. Ramsay in the course of down alternately; and it is too big for his archaeological researches in Asia Minor. transport by the book-lift. Therefore I Its interest lay in the fact that it is the recommend no student to ask for it, for very inscription which the author of the fear the library attendant should contract Greek Acts of Abercius copied from tlie such a grudge against him as he cleaily did stone into his narrative some time in the against me. I transcribe in English letters fourth century. (following Hiibschmann's phonetization) the At first sight the discovery goes far to rhythmic Armenian version of the in- establish the historical character o£ these scription :— Acts, the main incident of which is tho inspired visit of Abercius to to expel entreal teXvdys kaXakaci a demon from Lucilla, the daughter of Marcus Aurelius and Faustina. And ac- zays arari gir kentani cordingly the Pope communicated to Prof. i zam marmndys zor unei Ramsay his grateful recognition of the dnel est zanun aberkei service so rendered by him to Christian mine araceal zjoks ogxari archaeology ; and more recently the frag- ment of the inscription so found was pro- i cayr leranc ev i dalti = cured by Monsignor Azarian, the Uniat unelov aps mecamecs amenevin Armenian patriarch of Constantinople, and makar aneAcs : yaynzam ayspes presented to the Pope on the occasion of inj karozeac , ev grov i hr6m his jubilee. German scholars however are not equally satisfied as to the Christian zis afakeap : ztagavorac character of the inscription, and G. Ficker xumpn and kutel, ev ztaguhisn (Sitzungsber. d. K. Preuss. AJcad. der Wis- af nkatel : ork yoski sensch. 1 Feb. 1894, p. 87 ff.) contends that zgestes zardareal Abercius was a priest of Cybele, just as Tillemont long ago denied its Christian yoski kausi'kes pacu character. Theodore Zahn on the other ceal : and zoAovurd hand declares it to be both Christian and paycar teseal • pay orthodox. car knkov teafn dros In the tract before us Harnack steers a meal : end asoris an middle course, and concludes that Abercius di darjeal ev zasor was neither wholly pagan nor wholly Christian, but an adherent of some heathen- op dastn koxeal gnostic circle of believers; and he finds the zmecs kaAaks or and key to the obscurities of the inscription in teseal, i meebna ye'p the description given by Philippus Sidetes rat anceal : sara of an early syncretist cult, which he pro- hantes isk pauAosi bably knew in Pamphylia, and in which Hera was identified with Mary the Virgin end astuac baniv an and Helios with God the Father. ci : yamenayni yafaj It is not my intention to try tantas com- adem, ev i havatsgn ponere lites; and in the rest of this note I nerks adem : ezkera would only point out that the old Armenian kur nkanc yerkre, a version of these Acts throws some light, welcome though small, on the very obscure vandeloV meci gets : text of the inscription. This version was zor enkalav koys anca probably made in the eleventh century, and nak, et sireleac utel 296 THE CLASSICAL REVIEW.

yafak : en zkaXcra I should read line 6 thus : goynen mist gini, tal op (lege ov) xafneal at end haci. 7nor<3, This answers literally to the following :— and line 7 perhaps thus : Of the chosen spot a citizen this I made a writing alive K.T.X. in the time of the body which I had, to place, by name Abercius According to the story told in these Acts whilst feeding the flocks of sheep the emperor Marcus Aurelius sent a special on the tops of mountains and on the message to Abercius at Hierapolis to come plain, to Rome to heal his daughter. Therefore having eyes very large wholly the reading ypa^aTL implied by the Ar- pure imperishable. Then thus menian is better than ypa/x/aara. The word to me he preached, and with writing to 7TIO-T<3 has either dropped out of or been Rome neglected by the version. me sent; there of the kings Further in line 5 the translator seems to the band to muster ; and the princesses have read KaOapovi re Ka6. ; but iravrrj to observe, who in golden KaOoptovTas is surely right. The words in raiment are adorned, 1. 7 fiaaiXr) avaOprjaai have been much dis- with gold slippers decorated. cussed. fiaaiXr] is still legible on the stone, There the crowd and is therefore a datum, but the meta- brilliant observing, with brilliant phrast's Greek text has /3a(n\eiav aOprjcrai. seal of the Lord stamped. The Armenian reading is due to the original Unto then translator having read a.6poiaai for aOprja-ai. turning and the Syrian He no doubt did his work in a hurry. plain tieading In line 11 of the Greek is another crux. the great cities which (are) there It reads thus: having beheld. To Nisibis over the Euphrates having passed, a fellow- EY*PATHNAIA/3as TravTHAESXON 2YN0- struggle in troth with Paul. With God by (his) word I passed. In all ways facing forward, Here for the last word the Armenian and unto the faith inwardly suggests (rvvaywva, which however conflicts facing. The food with the stone. cuvo^iuXovs and V OSTOS yap /JL eSi'Safe ypa//,/tara TTKTTOL. by the Greek compiler of tx «"" °f «X EI2 POMHv os €7r(/jnj/fv EMEN BAS[I]AH alone. The translator must have introduced the words ' with God by word' de suo. But 1 The capitals mark those letters which are still legible on the stone. 2 The underlined uncials are not certain. THE CLASSICAL REVIEW. 297 the word anci which = 'I passed by (or over)' Ramsay, is illegible or wanting. I think may answer to iTro/ijyv. that the single certain emendation a.

[E]KAEKTHS IIO[AE]OS O IIOAEI[THS ] ZON I]N EXO Kcupa. 2QMATO2 EN0A 0E2IN OY[N]OM ajSe'pKios S>v 6[M]A®HTHS H0IMEN02 os /3do"K£i Trpopariav dy£\as opEtriv ireSiois TE 5 64>6aXfn,ovs os £^£i fieydXovs irivTrj KaOopavras OSTOS yap fn' eSi'Safe ypd^jxara Tricrra EIS POMHv os £7T«^ev EMEN B AS [I] AH ^ KAI BASIAISav ihiiv xpwroVTOAON XPYO-OTTE'SIXOI' AAON AEIAON IKH Aa/wrpav S^PArEIAAN ~E,x0VTa 10 KAI SYPIHS nESov JSov KAI A2TEA IIAvra vuriftiv EY$PATHN AIA/8as TravTH AESXON nAYAON E(XfiN) EnO . . . (II2TI2) Travrq SE KAI nAPEQHKE rpo^v IIANTH IX0YN diro yj IIANMErE©H KA®apov ov EAPAHATO nAP®Evos 15 KAI TOYTON EIIESa>Ke ^.tAOlS E2®eiv Sia iravros olvov xprj^Tov e^owa K£pao"yaa §i8ovrjvai £JS8O/IIJKOO"TOJ' ?TOS Koi StvTepov rjyov d\r]6S>s TavO' 6 voSv ev£ai6' xnrep dfiepKWV iras 6 orwcpSos 20 OY MENTOI TYMB[OI] TIS EMQI ETEPON ivd™ ®H5EI El A OYN POMAION TA[M]EIOI 0H2EI AI5[X]EIAIA [XJPYSA KAI [X]PHSTHI IIATPIA[I] IEPOnOAEI [X]EIAI[A X]PY2A. F. C. CONYBEARE.

CRITICAL NOTES ON CLEM. AL. STROM. VI.

§ 1, p. 736. TOV rpoirov rijs BptjaKtias... ('in the meadow there is no separation £KTi^E/tEvos or}v.. .Ey^apdfai. between different sorts of flowers, though Read y£ for TE, as in v. 10, p. 650 6Va. TE some people have used the term metaphori- eis yvGxriv avTcov OKJIIKTO. cally for artificial arrangements of selec- § 2. Put a full stop after o-wEypdi/wro tions'). I prefer to omit the comma