DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.4680#0379
710 XVII. CHR. INSCRIPTIONS : CENTRAL PHRYGIA.
from paganism: that is a thing of the past: controversies within
a Church already powerful are the only reason why his name has
been preserved. To him, as either bishop or presbyter, a treatise
against the Montanists was dedicated: the unknown author speaks
of Zotikos of Otrous as ' our co-presbyter V so that all three were
evidently influential persons in the Church of the Pentapolis. The
date of the treatise is determined by its reference to the 13 years of
profound peace for the Church which have just elapsed. These are
most naturally explained as the years of Commodus 180-1922. Avir-
cius was at that time a man of high standing, and therefore of mature
age. The remarkable inscr. 657 was composed by him about that
period.
The purpose which this inscr. was intended to fulfil is of the first
consequence in studying the text. It was composed in the heat of
the controversy against the Montanists by one of the anti-Montanist
leaders. He took the marked and bold course of inscribing on his
tomb, outside the south gate of the city, a declaration of his unalter-
able sentiments, and of the experience which showed him that, alike
in Rome and the extreme E., his sentiments were those of the Uni-
versal Church3. The key to his intention is given by the word
(pavepSis in 1. 2. He intended this declaration, inscribed in a con-
spicuous position before the public eye, to be an imperishable record
of his testimony and of the message which he had to deliver to
mankind in favour of the one and indivisible Church catholic, and
against Montanism. He took care before his death that his testament,
inscribed on his grave, should continue for ever to protest against the
Montanists. Publicity, permanence, and unalterability were the
objects which the ancients aimed at in inscribing their laws and
other important documents on marble or bronze, and placing them
in a public place where all could see and read ; and Avircius Marcellus
desired that his testament should be ' before the eyes of men.' In
comparison with this powerful and strikingly appropriate sentiment,
the reading of MSS. (kcm/xS) is singularly commonplace and weak4.
It is impossible to believe that the imitator, who put on his own
grave (no. 656) some lines of Avircius's testament, improved so much
on his model; and the fact that he read <pavep\S>s\ must be taken as
1 avfjiTrpeo-ftvTepos fjfiav : the term was the date 192-193.
quite applicable, if one or all three 3 See no. 657.
were bishops. 4 ' Citizen of a Select City, I have
2 M. Duchesne dates the treatise made this in my lifetime in order that
c. A. d .211 : Lightfoot, Zahn, De Rossi, I may have in due time a place for my
Bonwetsch and many others agree in body.'
from paganism: that is a thing of the past: controversies within
a Church already powerful are the only reason why his name has
been preserved. To him, as either bishop or presbyter, a treatise
against the Montanists was dedicated: the unknown author speaks
of Zotikos of Otrous as ' our co-presbyter V so that all three were
evidently influential persons in the Church of the Pentapolis. The
date of the treatise is determined by its reference to the 13 years of
profound peace for the Church which have just elapsed. These are
most naturally explained as the years of Commodus 180-1922. Avir-
cius was at that time a man of high standing, and therefore of mature
age. The remarkable inscr. 657 was composed by him about that
period.
The purpose which this inscr. was intended to fulfil is of the first
consequence in studying the text. It was composed in the heat of
the controversy against the Montanists by one of the anti-Montanist
leaders. He took the marked and bold course of inscribing on his
tomb, outside the south gate of the city, a declaration of his unalter-
able sentiments, and of the experience which showed him that, alike
in Rome and the extreme E., his sentiments were those of the Uni-
versal Church3. The key to his intention is given by the word
(pavepSis in 1. 2. He intended this declaration, inscribed in a con-
spicuous position before the public eye, to be an imperishable record
of his testimony and of the message which he had to deliver to
mankind in favour of the one and indivisible Church catholic, and
against Montanism. He took care before his death that his testament,
inscribed on his grave, should continue for ever to protest against the
Montanists. Publicity, permanence, and unalterability were the
objects which the ancients aimed at in inscribing their laws and
other important documents on marble or bronze, and placing them
in a public place where all could see and read ; and Avircius Marcellus
desired that his testament should be ' before the eyes of men.' In
comparison with this powerful and strikingly appropriate sentiment,
the reading of MSS. (kcm/xS) is singularly commonplace and weak4.
It is impossible to believe that the imitator, who put on his own
grave (no. 656) some lines of Avircius's testament, improved so much
on his model; and the fact that he read <pavep\S>s\ must be taken as
1 avfjiTrpeo-ftvTepos fjfiav : the term was the date 192-193.
quite applicable, if one or all three 3 See no. 657.
were bishops. 4 ' Citizen of a Select City, I have
2 M. Duchesne dates the treatise made this in my lifetime in order that
c. A. d .211 : Lightfoot, Zahn, De Rossi, I may have in due time a place for my
Bonwetsch and many others agree in body.'