This monumental series of volumes aims to provide a comprehensive work that includes all inscriptions found thus far in the designated region in multiple languages. Resulting from a collaboration between German and Israeli scholars, supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG), volumes have been published on Jerusalem (vol. i), Caesarea and the Middle Coast (vol. ii), South Coast (vol. iii) and Judea/Idumea (vol. iv). Forthcoming is Galilee (vol. v) and the Negev (vol. vi).
Abbreviated as the CII/P, these volumes collectively are immensely valuable and the work is beautifully produced. Inscriptions are shown in their original language, transliteration and translation, so that all are easily accessible. Efforts have been made to show images of each of these also. There is a discussion with bibliography for each entry, generally quite reliant on early publications, even if the inscriptions are not currently found. The value of these volumes is therefore supreme.
While scholars will be familiar with corpora of inscriptions assembled in volumes devoted to single languages, in this case multiple languages allow for a representation of all the inscriptions of one site coherently, which is particularly helpful given that this was a multilingual environment. The definition of an ‘inscription’ is also extremely broad, meaning anything written in any medium on any material, so there is a range from official inscriptions to masons’ marks, graffiti and amulets. The editorial team are to be greatly congratulated for bringing such a range of important material to publication in such an effective format, making material available that was otherwise published at times in diverse or obscure journals or rare monographs.
While considering the work a great treasure, in the following comments I identify also just a few elements that seem worthy of some critique.
The volumes as a whole cover the period from the arrival of Alexander the Great, in the fourth century bce, through to the end of Byzantine rule in Palestine (c. 640 ce). However, since inscriptions are often hard to date, the editors do allow Christian inscriptions (in Greek or Armenian) that may in fact belong to the later seventh century or beyond. However, Arabic is excluded, even if Christian and associated with these other inscriptions. This will be explored further below.
One thing to note also is that the regional scope of the volumes is modern. While geographically based, it does not aim to represent the whole of Syria Palaestina, as conceptualised in Graeco-Roman geographical discourse. It excludes parts of Palaestina, in political terms, as defined by the Romans and Byzantines, namely anything east of the river Jordan, lying in contemporary Jordan. The area covered actually corresponds to contemporary Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. In a sense, therefore, this is a work of pragmatism, rather than geographical perfection.
One matter of concern is that the ordering of the entries can seem slightly confusing. Rather than working alphabetically, the sites are presented in a geographical arrangement from north-west to south-east, in thin horizontal strips. This is generally fine for those who know the locations of sites, but it will be hard to navigate for those that do not, and many of the sites are in fact not well known even among specialists. Users of the volume should know that there are maps at the end of part ii showing precisely where the sites are situated and also a list of sites in alphabetical order, though this is not indicated at the start of part i, where the contents list only has ‘Index of personal names’ and ‘Maps’. Therefore, the user discovers the handy ‘Locations in alphabetical order’ as a pleasant surprise at the end. Unfortunately the alphabetical list does not link to actual chapters, but to the map of the sites. There are 180 locations on the map, and 172 locations as chapters. Given that this is a work that will be used as a scholarly tool, more could be done at the outset to help scholars navigate it, with an alphabetical index of sites corresponding to chapters and page numbers. Note also that the ‘Index of personal names’ is itself divided up into an index of Roman emperors, ‘kings’ (which includes queens, like Arsinoe iii and Berenice ii) and personal names, which is not indicated in the contents list.
Likewise, it would be very useful to have had an index of inscriptions roughly sorted into dates and/or types. Those particularly interested in Christian inscriptions need to go through each site to find them. A further index of biblical references would also have been helpful. Quotations from the New Testament on a variety of inscriptions will be of interest to readers of this Journal, for example.
That said, for early Christian history there is a wealth of interesting material in this volume. It is no wonder that the ‘Holy Land’ should produce an enormous number of inscriptions from churches and other Christian sites. Since full discussion impossible, I will mention just one site that I know reasonably well.
This is Horvat Qasra, which I first visited when a student with the archaeologist who discovered it, Amos Kloner. It is presented very well, with a good plan that shows where the key inscriptions are to be found. It is noted that it was originally a Jewish burial cave that was converted into a Christian chapel in later times, but the date of fourth–sixth century for this conversion is actually a bit of a guess, since it was never very clear from the archaeology, and it may have been converted much earlier. This cave chapel of St/Holy Salome remains something of a mystery, but it had a very long use, with the walls covered in multilingual graffiti: Greek, Syriac and Arabic. Only a few of the more readable graffiti were published, and much work still needs to be done. The chronological ‘fence’ of the Arab Conquest in the CII/P seems particularly unfortunate in regard to this cave chapel, because what it shows is that the people of the region started to write in Arabic, while maintaining the same devotions, as Gideon Avni has noted. So, item 3800 ‘Greek inscriptions on a capital’ should also at least note the unrecorded Arabic here, and likewise in 3801 more could be said about this.
Finally, in terms of my own interests, the wealth of Christian women's names in this volume will surely lead to further discussion. For example, in Ben Shemen in 2687, there is an early fourth-century (or perhaps late third century) tabula ansata in a tomb, with a group of men and women (Ioezer, Theoctista, Hygienon the builder and Pompylia) designated as therapontes, ‘ministers’ of Christ (p. 63). Therapontes is often a word associated with cultic ministry and, in Christian usage, priests (see pp. 64–5). There are nuns, anchorites or female pilgrims buried in the Choziba area, in a burial cave east of the monastery of St Georgius in the Wadi Kelt: Macaria, Eutych[ia], Iuliana, Maria Tharsicia, Lady Kor[nelia] and the deacon (diak[onos]) Anastasia (2958, 2870, 2872, 2894, 2958, 3032, 3057). Interestingly, the Bethlehem inscriptions on the tomb of Paula, written by Jerome, are provided on the basis of what he himself recorded (3263), though they have not been found in modern times. This shows a principle of the study, to record inscriptions even when they cannot now be verified by observation.
Overall, this is a very rich collection that will be of great use for years to come, and many scholars of early Christian history in Palestine will find perusal of its pages richly rewarding.
