Monday, June 15, 2009

Greek Inscriptions from Israel 3

Inscription 3 is from the 4th century CE synagogue at Capernaum:
Here is a close up of the right centre column:
As usual, I'll buy coffee for the first one to transcribe and translate the inscription.

(I carefully photographed the inscription on the left as well, only to realize when I returned home that it is a modern Latin inscription dated 1926.)

9 comments:

Isaac Gross said...

Ἡρῳδης Μονιμου και Ἰουστος υἰος ἁμα τοις τεκνοις (ἐκτισαν) τον κιονα

Herod (son) of Monimos and his son Justus together with their children . . . this column.

So if this is fourth century, then this is a very distant relative of the Herods we meet in the Gospels and Acts? I don't recognize the name that starts with Monimos.

Clearly the verb at the end means "built" but I can't find a lexical form?

Ryan and Pamela said...
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Ryan and Pamela said...

I would guess that the lexical form is κτίζω, with εκτισαν a 3rd plural, 1st Aorist Active Indicative. Issac is right to guess "built"; "establish" or "erect" might also work. So ...

Herod (son) of Monimos and Justus (his) son together with their children erected this column.

Coincidentally, Mounce uses this inscription as an example in "Greek for the Rest of Us."

Isaac Gross said...

wow κτιζω good job self!

d. miller said...

Nice work, Isaac and Ryan. Ryan, coffee's on me. Isaac, I would buy you coffee too, but if I recall, you don't imbibe. The inscription looked familiar; I had forgotten that Mounce uses it.

ErinOrtlund said...

I was talking with Rebecca who went on the trip with you. She loved it! We were discussing the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, and she mentioned that you had a Palestinian Christian speak to the group. A light went off in my head and I asked his name--she said Yohanna (sp?), and I thought that was so cool that they got to meet him. Would love to get an update on him sometime!

Isaac Gross said...

I hope you can keep these up for a bit. I'm enjoying these little puzzles! Combine this with some Readers's Greek, and I'm getting good regular doses. Thanks!

Tom Broad said...

Thanks for all of your effort on this. I was just beginning the translation for a study series (tonight, of course!) and you saved my a lot of effort.

Paul said...

ΗΡΩΔΗΣ ΜΟΝΙΜΟΥ ΚΑΙ ΙΟΥΣΤΟΣ ΥΙΟΣ ΑΜΑ ΤΟΙΣ ΤΕΚΝΟΙΣ ΕΚΤΙΣΑΝ ΤΟΝ ΚΙΟΝΑ

"Herod, the son of Monimos, and Justus, his son, together with their children erected this column."