Apotropaic Autographs: Orality and Materiality in the Abgar-Jesus Inscriptions

In this paper, I explore the late antique tradition of inscribing the Abgar-Jesus correspondence on stone for protection as attested by seven inscriptions from Greece, Asia Minor, Syria, and Egypt. I first argue that the correspondence's perceived protective efficacy stems from its claim to pre...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autor principal: Henry, Andrew Mark (Autor)
Tipo de documento: Electrónico Artículo
Lenguaje:Inglés
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Publicado: De Gruyter [2016]
En: Archiv für Religionsgeschichte
Año: 2016, Volumen: 17, Número: 1, Páginas: 165-186
(Cadenas de) Palabra clave estándar:B Abgar, V., Osroene, König -50 / Jesus Christus / Testimonio de escrita / Objeto apotropaico / Oralidad / Cultura de la escrita / Materialidad
Acceso en línea: Volltext (Resolving-System)
Volltext (Verlag)
Descripción
Sumario:In this paper, I explore the late antique tradition of inscribing the Abgar-Jesus correspondence on stone for protection as attested by seven inscriptions from Greece, Asia Minor, Syria, and Egypt. I first argue that the correspondence's perceived protective efficacy stems from its claim to preserve an autograph of Jesus. I then explore the implications of embedding such an autograph into an urban landscape. Drawing on recent research on the orality and materiality of epigraphy, I suggest that the epigraphic attestations of the Abgar-Jesus correspondence join in a broader tradition of deploying oral formulae to protect domestic and civic space from harm, and therefore, should be viewed as ritually powerful objects that were "performing" the correspondence at their respective liminal spaces.
ISSN:1868-8888
Obras secundarias:Enthalten in: Archiv für Religionsgeschichte
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1515/arege-2015-0010