Calendar Inscription of Priene

The Priene Calendar Inscription is an inscription in stone recovered at Priene (an ancient Greek city sited in Western Turkey) that uses the term "gospel" in referring to Augustus Caesar. It is called the Priene "Calendar" Inscription because it refers to the birthday of Augustus Caesar as the beginning of an era - the beginning of the gospel announcing his kingdom that heralded peace and salvation for his people - and a Roman decree to start a new calendar system based on the year of Augustus Caesar's birth was published.[1][2][3][4] Calendar dating of history around a ruler is the principle upon which the Julian calendar and Gregorian calendars are based.

The inscription features the term "gospel", which is the Old English translation of Greek εὐαγγέλιον, evangelion, meaning "good news".[5] As exemplified in the Calendar Inscription of Priene, dated from 9 BC, this Koine Greek term εὐαγγέλιον was used at the time of the Roman Empire to herald the good news of the arrival of a kingdom - the reign of a king that brought a war to an end, so that all people of the world who surrendered and pledged allegiance to this king would be granted salvation from destruction. The Calendar Inscription of Priene speaks of the birthday of Caesar Augustus as the beginning of the gospel announcing his kingdom, with a Roman decree to start a new calendar system based on the year of Augustus Caesar's birth. Into this context, the words of the Gospel of Mark are striking: "The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God." (Mark 1:1 ESV)[6] Jesus is thus heralded as the king who ends war by conquering people's allegiance, in contrast to the Roman Caesar (title).

Inscription text

'It seemed good to the Greeks of Asia, in the opinion of the high priest Apollonius of Menophilus Azanitus: “Since Providence, which has ordered all things and is deeply interested in our life, has set in most perfect order by giving us Augustus, whom she filled with virtue that he might benefit humankind, sending him as a savior, both for us and for our descendants, that he might end war and arrange all things, and since he, Caesar, by his appearance (excelled even our anticipations), surpassing all previous benefactors, and not even leaving to posterity any hope of surpassing what he has done, and since the birthday of the god Augustus was the beginning of the good tidings [εὐαγγέλιον] for the world that came by reason of him,” which Asia resolved in Smyrna.' [7][8]

The Greek text of the whole inscription has been published.[9][10][11]

For discussion of this famous inscription, see books by Deissman, by Pfolhl, and by Koester.[12][13][14]

Name

It is known as the Priene text because it was found on two stones in the marketplace in the old town of Priene, Turkey (or more correctly, Asia Minor).[15][16][17]

Current holding

The calendar inscription of Priene is now in the Berlin Museum.[18][19][20]

See also

References
  1. Evans, Craig A. (2000). "Mark's Incipit and the Priene Calendar Inscription: From Jewish Gospel to Greco-Roman Gospel" (PDF). Journal of Greco-Roman Christianity and Judaism. 1: 67–81. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-08-29. Retrieved 2017-07-17.
  2. "Archived copy". THE PRIENE INSCRIPTION OR CALENDAR INSCRIPTION OF PRIENE. Archived from the original on 2017-07-22. Retrieved 2017-07-17.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. Danker, Frederick W. (1982). Benefactor: Epigraphic Study of a Graeco-Roman and New Testament Semantic Field. St. Louis, MO.: Clayton Pub. House. p. 217.
  4. Boring, M. E.; Berger, K.; Colpe, C. (1995). Hellenistic Commentary to the New Testament. Nashville: Abingdon. p. 169.
  5. Woodhead 2004, p. 4.
  6. "Mark 1". Biblehub. Retrieved 26 June 2018.
  7. Evans, Craig A. (2000). "Mark's Incipit and the Priene Calendar Inscription: From Jewish Gospel to Greco-Roman Gospel" (PDF). Journal of Greco-Roman Christianity and Judaism. 1: 67–81. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-08-29. Retrieved 2017-07-17.
  8. "Archived copy". THE PRIENE INSCRIPTION OR CALENDAR INSCRIPTION OF PRIENE. Archived from the original on 2017-07-22. Retrieved 2017-07-17.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  9. Dittenberger (ed.), W. Orientis Graecae Inscriptiones Selectae. Leipzig: S. Hirzel. pp. 1903–5.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
  10. Ehrenberg, V.; Jones, A. H. M. (1955). Documents Illustrating the Reigns of Augustus and Tiberius (2E ed.). Oxford: Clarendon. p. 82.
  11. Taylor, L. R. (1931). The Divinity of the Roman Emperor. New York: Arno.
  12. Deissmann, A. (1927). Light from the Ancient East. New York: Harper & Row. p. 366.
  13. Pfohl (ed.), G. (1966). Griechische Inschriften als Zeugnisse des privaten und öffentlichen Lebens. Munich: Heimeran. pp. 134–35.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
  14. Koester, H. (1990). Ancient Christian Gospels: Their History and Development. London: SCM Press. pp. 3–4.
  15. THE PRIENE INSCRIPTION OR CALENDAR INSCRIPTION OF PRIENE. URL http://www.masseiana.org/priene.htm Archived 2017-07-22 at the Wayback Machine
  16. Evans, Craig A. (2000). "Mark's Incipit and the Priene Calendar Inscription: From Jewish Gospel to Greco-Roman Gospel" (PDF). Journal of Greco-Roman Christianity and Judaism. 1: 67–81. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-08-29. Retrieved 2017-07-17.
  17. "Archived copy". THE PRIENE INSCRIPTION OR CALENDAR INSCRIPTION OF PRIENE. Archived from the original on 2017-07-22. Retrieved 2017-07-17.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  18. THE PRIENE INSCRIPTION OR CALENDAR INSCRIPTION OF PRIENE. http://www.masseiana.org/priene.htm Archived 2017-07-22 at the Wayback Machine
  19. Evans, Craig A. (2000). "Mark's Incipit and the Priene Calendar Inscription: From Jewish Gospel to Greco-Roman Gospel" (PDF). Journal of Greco-Roman Christianity and Judaism. 1: 67–81. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-08-29. Retrieved 2017-07-17.
  20. "Archived copy". THE PRIENE INSCRIPTION OR CALENDAR INSCRIPTION OF PRIENE. Archived from the original on 2017-07-22. Retrieved 2017-07-17.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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