Everybody knew what the nomina sacra were

[Peter Kirby]

"The use of abbreviations is, on the whole, as foreign
to the Greeks as it is congenial to the Romans and Byzantines.”

Do you agree with this, and if so, what do you believe that it means in concrete terms?

[Peter Kirby]

2. The earliest example of contracted nomina sacra on inscriptions are the Dura-Europos graffiti in the chapel, dated A.D. 232-3 (EDE 1931/2, p.241)

It should be pointed out that "contracted nomina sacra" is not a redundancy. All "nomina sacra" are abbreviated. Not all of them are abbreviated by contraction (taking letters from the beginning and end). Some of them are abbreviated by suspension (taking the first letters).

Both of these types of abbreviation (contraction and suspension) were found at Dura-Europos.

https://inscriptions.packhum.org/text/306491?hs=40-48
τὸν Χν Ἰν ὑμεῖν. μν̣[ή]σκεσθε̣ [․․․ Πρ]όκλου.

https://inscriptions.packhum.org/text/306490?hs=40-48
τὸν Χρισ. μνήσκεστε {²⁶μνήσκεσθε}²⁶
Σισε͂ον {²⁶Σ(ε)ισαῖον}²⁶ τὸν ταπι-
      νόν.

(Of course it's always possible that the quoted author was imprecise or in error when writing about "contracted nomina sacra.")

[Peter Kirby]

2. The earliest example of contracted nomina sacra on inscriptions

Currently, I don't know whether this is true for Greek inscriptions. When I went through the Greek inscriptions, I skipped over the ones that were abbreviated, so I don't have a record of them. I also don't know anything directly about abbreviations other than the "X type" now because I also didn't search on that. So I guess I don't know if it's true for either Latin or Greek.

In the Latin database, regarding the "X type" abbreviations, there were three Latin inscriptions with abbreviations and specific second/third century dates.

Here's what the Latin inscription data looks like.

For consistency, I will remove the data with abbreviations from the Latin, as it is also not shown in the Greek.

CIL 06, 09028 (p 3464) = CIL 10, *01089,189 = IMCCatania 00407 = ICVaticano p 222
dating: 198 to 211 EDCS-ID: EDCS-18900312, province: Roma place: Roma
D(is) M(anibus) / Septimius Augg(ustorum) lib(ertus) / Alexander ex / procuratoribus / sibi vivo et Fulvi/ae Afrodite uxori / suae dulcissimae / Chr(istus?) posuit

ICUR-05, 15360 = ILCV 04650 (em) = ICVaticano p 2223 = Carletti-2008, 00010 = AE 1997, +00166 = AE 2006, +00150 = AE 2017, +00003
dating: 191 to 225 EDCS-ID: EDCS-34400116, province: Roma place: Roma
A(ulus) Egrilius / Bottus / Philades/potus dul/cissimus / et pientis/simus sui / parentes / fecerunt / vixit an(nos) / VIIII d(ies) XL / m(enses) sex // Chr(isti[?]) Ie(su[?])

ICUR-03, 08716 = ILCV 03315 (em)
dating: 268 to 279 EDCS-ID: EDCS-35900961, province: Roma place: Roma
Pasto[r et T]itiana e(t) Marciana et / Chr[e]st[e Mar]ciano filio bene merenti [in] I(esu) Chr(isto[?]) d(omino[?]) n(ostro[?]) fec[eru]nt qui vixit ann<o=V>s XII m(enses) II et d[ies 3] / qui <g=C>ra[tia]m accepit d(omini[?]) n(ostri[?]) die II Ka[l(endas) O]ctobres / [Probo III et No]nio Paterno II co(n)ss(ulibus) et red(d)<i=E>[dit] XI Kal(endas) [s(upra) s(criptas)] / vi<v=B>as inter sanctis in a[eternum]

Two of these are given an earlier date than the Dura-Europos inscriptions, but all three would appear to be abbreviations by suspension.

This may suggest that the quoted author's wording was either (a) intentionally precise -- in other words, specifically about contracted forms of abbreviation, not all forms of abbreviation -- or (b) inaccurate, or possibly both.

[Leucius Charinus]

"The use of abbreviations is, on the whole, as foreign
to the Greeks as it is congenial to the Romans and Byzantines.”

Do you agree with this, and if so, what do you believe that it means in concrete terms?

The claim was made by Avi-Yona c.1940, a professional epigraphist, so I would tend to give a reasonable weight to it. The claim is substantiated in the above post which lists at p.11 "the main categories of words commonly abbreviated (by the Romans and Byzantines)". These are substantial, and infiltrate into practically all areas of Roman society. IMO this indicates that the Romans and Byzantines were more or less obsessive abbreviators in the use of both Greek and Latin abbreviations.

Were the NT "nomina sacra" abbreviations invented by a Roman mind? IDK. However, given the presence of substantial elements of Roman propaganda within the NT (which I have listed elsewhere - like paying tax and tribute to Caesar), such a hypothesis IMO should not be ruled out of bounds.

[Leucius Charinus]

2. The earliest example of contracted nomina sacra on inscriptions are the Dura-Europos graffiti in the chapel, dated A.D. 232-3 (EDE 1931/2, p.241)

It should be pointed out that "contracted nomina sacra" is not a redundancy. All "nomina sacra" are abbreviated. Not all of them are abbreviated by contraction (taking letters from the beginning and end). Some of them are abbreviated by suspension (taking the first letters).

Both of these types of abbreviation (contraction and suspension) were found at Dura-Europos.

https://inscriptions.packhum.org/text/306491?hs=40-48
τὸν Χν Ἰν ὑμεῖν. μν̣[ή]σκεσθε̣ [․․․ Πρ]όκλου.

https://inscriptions.packhum.org/text/306490?hs=40-48
τὸν Χρισ. μνήσκεστε {²⁶μνήσκεσθε}²⁶
Σισε͂ον {²⁶Σ(ε)ισαῖον}²⁶ τὸν ταπι-
      νόν.

(Of course it's always possible that the quoted author was imprecise or in error when writing about "contracted nomina sacra.")

The context in which the author makes this statement is in respect of "modifications of Traube's theory" (of the NS). The author (using the Preliminary Report for the Dura Excavations) points to the lack of overbars (part of Traube's theory) and therefore refers to the above abbreviations as "individual freaks".

Additionally - FWIW nothing to do with Avi Yona's statements - I have suggested that XPIC (without overbars) may alternatively represent a profane abbreviation:

XPIC as XPIC(TES) a “usual” [6] abbreviation of Χρίστης – Χρίσ[της] - one who colours with whitewash, a whitewasher or stucco-maker. No other examples of this abbreviation appear to have been preserved from antiquity. But then again, very few painted murals have survived. In this alternative, Sisaeus the humble wished to be remembered as the stucco-maker and tradesman.

[6] Meaning the first four letters of either Christos or Whitewasher

The Runes of Christ at Dura Europos
https://www.academia.edu/38115589/The_R ... ra_Europos

[Leucius Charinus]

2. The earliest example of contracted nomina sacra on inscriptions

Currently, I don't know whether this is true for Greek inscriptions. When I went through the Greek inscriptions, I skipped over the ones that were abbreviated, so I don't have a record of them. I also don't know anything directly about abbreviations other than the "X type" now because I also didn't search on that. So I guess I don't know if it's true for either Latin or Greek.

Avi Yonah's epigraphic collection is for Greek inscriptions only. IDK whether this 1940 observation was true for the Greek inscriptions in 1940 or indeed, if it was true, still holds true 84 years later.

In the Latin database, regarding the "X type" abbreviations, there were three Latin inscriptions with abbreviations and specific second/third century dates.

These Latin inscriptions are interesting and new to me. Really appreciate them being dug out. I will respond separately with some questions.

[Peter Kirby]

The context in which the author makes this statement is in respect of "modifications of Traube's theory" (of the NS). The author (using the Preliminary Report for the Dura Excavations) points to the lack of overbars (part of Traube's theory) and therefore refers to the above abbreviations as "individual freaks".

One less dramatic way to say this was that the abbreviations on inscriptions were not necessarily standardized.

[Peter Kirby]

Additionally - FWIW nothing to do with Avi Yona's statements - I have suggested that XPIC (without overbars) may alternatively represent a profane abbreviation:

XPIC as XPIC(TES) a “usual” [6] abbreviation of Χρίστης – Χρίσ[της] - one who colours with whitewash, a whitewasher or stucco-maker. No other examples of this abbreviation appear to have been preserved from antiquity. But then again, very few painted murals have survived. In this alternative, Sisaeus the humble wished to be remembered as the stucco-maker and tradesman.

[6] Meaning the first four letters of either Christos or Whitewasher

Methodologically this proposal has no merit.

[Peter Kirby]

These Latin inscriptions are interesting and new to me. Really appreciate them being dug out. I will respond separately with some questions.

No worries. We may learn more if we look through the inscriptions again with an eye towards the abbreviations instead.