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Negev. Birsama (Be'er-Shema), 450 CE - 500 CE. Mosaic Floor. Dedicatory.
Negev. Birsama (Beer-Shema). Ancient Christian Church.
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ΤΩΟΙΚΩϹΟΥΠΡΕΠΕΙΑΓΙΑϹΜΑΚΕ
ΤΑϹΑΕΚΤΟΝϹΩΝϹΟΙΠΡΟϹΦΕΡΩΜΕ
ΝΥΠΕΡϹΩΤΗΡΙΑϹΑΛΑΦΩΝΚΑΙΕΜΕ
ϹΩΝΟϹΚΑΙϹΑΒΙΝΑΚΑΙΘΕΟΔΩΡΑϹ
ΟΘϹΤΟΥΑΓΙΟΥϹΤΕΦΑΝΟΥΜΝΗϹΘΗ
ΤΙΤΟΝΔΟΥΛΟΝϹΟΥϹΤΕΦΑΝΟΥΠΡΕϹΒΥΤS
Τῷ οἴκῳ σου πρέπει ἁγίασμα
Τὰ σὰ ἐκ
ν. Ὑπὲρ σωτηρίας Ἄλαφων καὶ Ἐμέ
σωνος καὶ Σαβίνα καὶ Θεοδώρας.
Ὁ
τι τὸν δοῦλον Σου Στεφάνου
"Holiness becometh thine house, O Lord." (Psalm 93:5) "Bringing before thee thine of thine all." (liturgy) For the salvation of Alaphon and Emesos and Sabina and Theodora. O God of Saint Stephanos, remember your servant Stephanos the priest.
Commemorative inscription on the floor directly in front the alter at the center of the church's chancel. The mosaic is made of black letters set into a white rectangular background with a black border. There is a black line separating each line of text, and the entire rectangle is surrounded by several borders of geometric shapes. There is a small branch at the end of the first line. The editor notes that this text is of a very different nature than the others from the site, containing a quotation from Psalm 93:5 and from the Eastern Christian Liturgy. The priest Stephanos mentioned in the inscription is the same one mentioned in Birs0002, Birs0004, and Birs007. He is referred to as a πρεσβύτερος in this inscription and in Birs0007 and as a ἰερεύς in Birs0002 and (possibly) Birs0004. The editor indicates that these two titles can both be equally used to indicate the same clerical rank of priest. Saint Stephanos, on the other hand, seems to be the patron saint of the church, possibly indicating that the church possessed some of his relics. The inscription makes use of lunate sigmas as well as large miniscule omegas (in the place of majuscule omegas). The names Stephanos and Theodora are of Greek origin, the name Sabina is Latin, and the names Alaphon and Emesos are Semitic. The Κύριε on the first line is abbreviated with a dash over the epsilon, while the abbreviation of the final word, πρεσβυτέρου, is represented with an S in the diplomatic.