From: Edgar Krentz (ekrentz@lstc.edu)
Date: Fri Oct 23 1998 - 04:57:35 EDT
>For John Goodman and others who may be interested;
>
>The fountain inscription you (John) sent me was just what my intuition said it
>would be:
>NIPSON ANOMIMATA MI MONAN OPSIN (PS = PSI, I IN THIS CASE = H, ETA IN A
>COUPLE OF PLACES). This means "Wash sins not only (the) face."
>
>The second part is a fairly standard memorial. EIS AIWNIAN MNHMHN PROSPHILON
>MOI NEKRWN . S. SARANTIDHS
>
>A rough translation without having my lexikon handy is " Think on/remember me
>kindly through the ages in my tomb." or "Think of me through the ages in my
>friendly/welcome tomb." The former is the more likely. The inscription's
>signature is odd; the Greek is old "Atticized" or at least "high class "
>Byzantine, yet the name style is more modern. It should be Sokraths of
>somewhere, not a first initial and a patronymic. The altar or dedication
>stone at least, could therefore be from, say, a couple of hundred years ago,
>but imitating or copying an older style. This palindrome, as I have said, is
>from St. Sophia. A possible explanation is a rennovation or modern
>(relatively) addition to the shrine, by a sculptor of the apparn't sarcophagos
>or under -floor burial memorial stone with an educationin classical Byzantine
>tradition.
>
>Glad you are back safe from Turkey, John. As you don't have a PC, I'll give
>you one (an older one but ok for email). Call me - you had my number on ur
>ltr).
>
>73 OM BCNU
>
Note that the first part of the citation is a Greek palindrome. It reads
the same backwards as forwards. Quite well known.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Edgar Krentz
Acting Dean, Fall Quarter 1998
Professor of New Testament Emeritus
Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago
1100 E. 55th Street
Chicago, IL 60615 USA
773-256-0752
e-mail: ekrentz@lstc.edu (Office)
emkrentz@mcs.net (Home)
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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