DOI Heft:
Nr. 4
DOI Artikel:Plumley, J. Martin: The stele of Marianos Bishop of Faras
DOI Seite / Zitierlink:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.18819#0097
Era of the Martyrs year 753, i.e. in November 1036 A.D. Since he is recorded as being bishop
for 33 years, a simple calculation shows that hc must have been consecrated in 1003 A.D. However
this date is at variance with the evidence from Faras which indicates that his predecessor died
in September 1005 A.D. There appears to be no reason to dispute this date for the death of
.Toannes III. Either the length of Marianos' episcopate has been wrongly stated on his stele—which
scems improbable — or he was consecrated as bishop before the death of .Toannes, a most sur-
prising action. It is just possiblc that his consecration may have been the rcsult of a mistaken
report of the death of Joannes who was then in his 80th year. If this was so, then the strange
delay of two years before consecrating a new bishop which occurred after the death of Marianos
in 1036 could be explaincd by a period of enąuiry and special care exercised by the Patriarch
at Alexandria to prevent a recurrence of the irregular proceeding in 1003 A.D. On the other hand,
one is tempted to pose the ąucstion whether or not during the episcopate of Joannes III some
kind of ecclesiastical dissension had occurred at Faras. May it have been that at the beginning
of the llth century the Melkite Church, which had the reputation for meddling in the affairs
of the Nubian Church, had succeeded in gaining authority at Faras? The Consecration of Marianos
as bishop before the death of the aged Joannes, might then be seen to have been a definite act of
policy by the Patriarch of the Coptic Church. It may be that the Melkites, if indeed they had
secured authority at Faras, remained f irmly in po wer during the whole of the time of Marianos' epi-
scopate, and that consequently he was forced to have his seat of authority at Ibrim. The fact
that he was buried at Ibrim has to be explained. It is unlikely that, if he had been in fuli authority
at Faras and had died on a visit to Ibrim, his body would not have been taken back eventually to
Faras which is not so far distant from Ibrim as to prevent such an undertaking. The omission
of his name from the Faras List has also to be explained, unless the list is no more than a record of
those bishops who were actually buried at Faras. It is perhaps significant that there is a gap of
about two lines left in the List where we should expeet his name to have been recorded.
The titles of the various offices borne by Marianos are specially interesting. Perhaps not too
much stress should be laid upon the fact that he claimed the title Orthodox. However his claim
to the office of „Apostle of Babylon" may be of more significance. Possibly the best rendering
of the title would be „Emissary of Babylon" (i.e. Old Cairo, the seat of the Coptic Patriarch).
Might we not see in this title an indication that Marianos was despatched from Egypt by the
Patriarch, either Philotheus or his successor Zacharias, to assert the special authority of the
Coptic Church over the Church of Nubia at that time? If there had been a Melkite presence in
Faras then, the office and its task would have been especially appropriate for the new bishop,
Of Marianos' two other titles, that of Archimandrite of Pouko introduces the name of a locality
which is unknown to me. On two other stelae found at Ibrim in 1966 and belonging to two former
bishops of Ibrim in the first half of the 12th century, one bishop is recorded as being Archiman-
drite of Raphael, and the other as being Archimandrite both of Raphael and of Pashshe. But
again, if these are the names of localities, they are unknown to me.
Finally Marianos is recorded as „holding the Four Living Creatures (of the) Island (of) Tenie
(sic)". I believe that ,,Teme" is a misreading by the mason for „Patmos". The reference is of
course to the well known four living beings of the Apocalypse which are the symbols of the
Four Evangelists. A number of representations of the Cross with the figures of the Four Living
Creatures have been found at Faras, and there is another from the Central Church at Abdallah
Nirqi. The exact significance of this symbol and the reference to it in a title is not elear. Some
indication of its meaning may be afforded by the discovery at Ibrim of two tombs, the walls
of which were inscribed with extracts from all four of the Gospels. The occupants of these tombs,
who were all ecclesiastics, might have been regarded as essentially the guardians and interpreters
83
for 33 years, a simple calculation shows that hc must have been consecrated in 1003 A.D. However
this date is at variance with the evidence from Faras which indicates that his predecessor died
in September 1005 A.D. There appears to be no reason to dispute this date for the death of
.Toannes III. Either the length of Marianos' episcopate has been wrongly stated on his stele—which
scems improbable — or he was consecrated as bishop before the death of .Toannes, a most sur-
prising action. It is just possiblc that his consecration may have been the rcsult of a mistaken
report of the death of Joannes who was then in his 80th year. If this was so, then the strange
delay of two years before consecrating a new bishop which occurred after the death of Marianos
in 1036 could be explaincd by a period of enąuiry and special care exercised by the Patriarch
at Alexandria to prevent a recurrence of the irregular proceeding in 1003 A.D. On the other hand,
one is tempted to pose the ąucstion whether or not during the episcopate of Joannes III some
kind of ecclesiastical dissension had occurred at Faras. May it have been that at the beginning
of the llth century the Melkite Church, which had the reputation for meddling in the affairs
of the Nubian Church, had succeeded in gaining authority at Faras? The Consecration of Marianos
as bishop before the death of the aged Joannes, might then be seen to have been a definite act of
policy by the Patriarch of the Coptic Church. It may be that the Melkites, if indeed they had
secured authority at Faras, remained f irmly in po wer during the whole of the time of Marianos' epi-
scopate, and that consequently he was forced to have his seat of authority at Ibrim. The fact
that he was buried at Ibrim has to be explained. It is unlikely that, if he had been in fuli authority
at Faras and had died on a visit to Ibrim, his body would not have been taken back eventually to
Faras which is not so far distant from Ibrim as to prevent such an undertaking. The omission
of his name from the Faras List has also to be explained, unless the list is no more than a record of
those bishops who were actually buried at Faras. It is perhaps significant that there is a gap of
about two lines left in the List where we should expeet his name to have been recorded.
The titles of the various offices borne by Marianos are specially interesting. Perhaps not too
much stress should be laid upon the fact that he claimed the title Orthodox. However his claim
to the office of „Apostle of Babylon" may be of more significance. Possibly the best rendering
of the title would be „Emissary of Babylon" (i.e. Old Cairo, the seat of the Coptic Patriarch).
Might we not see in this title an indication that Marianos was despatched from Egypt by the
Patriarch, either Philotheus or his successor Zacharias, to assert the special authority of the
Coptic Church over the Church of Nubia at that time? If there had been a Melkite presence in
Faras then, the office and its task would have been especially appropriate for the new bishop,
Of Marianos' two other titles, that of Archimandrite of Pouko introduces the name of a locality
which is unknown to me. On two other stelae found at Ibrim in 1966 and belonging to two former
bishops of Ibrim in the first half of the 12th century, one bishop is recorded as being Archiman-
drite of Raphael, and the other as being Archimandrite both of Raphael and of Pashshe. But
again, if these are the names of localities, they are unknown to me.
Finally Marianos is recorded as „holding the Four Living Creatures (of the) Island (of) Tenie
(sic)". I believe that ,,Teme" is a misreading by the mason for „Patmos". The reference is of
course to the well known four living beings of the Apocalypse which are the symbols of the
Four Evangelists. A number of representations of the Cross with the figures of the Four Living
Creatures have been found at Faras, and there is another from the Central Church at Abdallah
Nirqi. The exact significance of this symbol and the reference to it in a title is not elear. Some
indication of its meaning may be afforded by the discovery at Ibrim of two tombs, the walls
of which were inscribed with extracts from all four of the Gospels. The occupants of these tombs,
who were all ecclesiastics, might have been regarded as essentially the guardians and interpreters
83