Early Eighth Research Articles

Middle and Late Byzantine sigillographic evidence from western Anatolia: eighth- to early twelfth-century lead seals from Bergama (ancient Pergamon)

This article presents 19 lead seals from the Museum of Bergama (ancient Pergamon), dating from the early eighth to the early twelfth century. We offer a descriptive catalogue of these Middle and Late Byzantine seals preserved in a western Turkish museum. The owners of these seals were primarily ecclesiastical, legal or military dignitaries who were probably active in Pergamon, in southwestern Mysia, Aeolis or Lydia. The catalogue is followed by an appendix on a Byzantine magical amulet.

Epigraphic Gleanings on Brāhmaṇism in Chamba, c. Eighth to Eighteenth Centuries CE

Chamba region in western Himalayas has attracted the attention of researchers after decipherment of hundreds of inscriptions spanning the period between early eighth to eighteenth century. The present article is a fresh attempt to study the epigraphs to probe into the arrival of the brāhmaṇa community from different parts of the country at different time spans into Chamba. How this arrival in periodical waves affected the political and religious milieu of the region is the focus of the present study. An interaction of pre-existing indigenous elements of polity and religion with the new dominating Brāhmaṇical elements ultimately legitimized the position of the kings within the Brāhmaṇical order, in reciprocity for the land grants these brāhmaṇas received. In epigraphs, we notice the dominance of brāhmaṇa writers with specific indication of their gotra and sometimes Vedic affiliation that has been summarized in this research through tabular data for an easy understanding of their content and context. Our analysis throws light on new information with regard to migration, grants-in-perpetuity and the Brahmanization of the royal house of Chamba between the eighth and eighteenth centuries.

THE BEGINNING OF CULTURAL MEMORY PRODUCTION IN CHINA AND THE MEMORY POLICY OF THE ZHOU ROYAL HOUSE DURING THE WESTERN ZHOU PERIOD

AbstractThis article explores how the memory of the conquest of Shang and the rise of the first Zhou kings was transmitted during the early centuries of the Zhou dynasty, specifically as it was reflected in inscriptions on excavated bronze vessels and bells from the Western Zhou period (ca. mid-eleventh to early eighth century b.c.e.). Approaching these inscribed objects and their texts from the perspective of the theories of social memory and cultural memory reveals that commemorating the foundational past of the dynasty became part of an intentional policy of the Zhou royal house as early as the first half of the tenth century b.c.e. It demonstrates that by the mid-tenth century b.c.e., a stable narrative emphasizing Kings Wen 文 and Wu 武 as the founding fathers of the Zhou dynasty was established at the expense of King Cheng 成, whose role was gradually downplayed following the general logic of lineage organization, according to which the commemoration of the earliest common ancestors serves as the foundation of corporate integrity in a network of patrilineally related families. It shows that most of the men who included such commemorations in inscriptions indeed belonged to the royal patrilineal network, wherein they occupied the highest positions. It further exemplifies that the royal house cultivated the memory of the first kings using various media, including rituals, utensils, royal speeches, and inscriptions. From the analysis of such inscriptions, we can infer that that the foundational memory of the Zhou dynasty was usually reactivated in the context of political negotiations, some of which included addressing lineage outsiders. Finally, it shows that both the royal house and other metropolitan lineages modified the foundational narrative according to their current needs. This article thus contributes both to tracing the roots of the early Chinese historiographic tradition and to understanding memory production in a society as an ongoing process of negotiations and adaptations.

Sacred Place and Sacred Time in the Medieval Islamic Middle East: A Historical Perspective

Sacred Place and Sacred Time in the Medieval Islamic Middle East: A Historical Perspective

Epigraphic Gleanings on Brāhmaṇism in Chamba

The Chamba region in the western Himalayas has attracted the attention of researchers after the decipherment of hundreds of inscriptions spanning the period between the early eighth to eighteenth centuries. This article studies the epigraphs to analyse the arrival of the brāhman. a community into Chamba from various parts of the country at different time spans. The study focuses on how this arrival in periodical waves affected the political and religious milieu of the region. Interactions between pre-existing indigenous elements of polity and religion with the new, dominating brahmanical elements ultimately legitimized the position of the kings within the brahmanical order, in exchange for the land-grants these brāhman. as received. In the epigraphs, we notice the dominance of brāhman. a writers with specific indications of their gotra and sometimes their Vedic affiliations, summarized in this article through tabular data for an easy understanding of their content and context. This analysis reveals new information about migration, grants-in-perpetuity, and the brahmanization of the royal house of Chamba between the eighth and eighteenth centuries.

Examining Amoghavajra’s flat-earth cosmology: religious vs. scientific worldviews in Buddhist astrology

ABSTRACT This study examines the cosmology of the monk Amoghavajra (Bukong 不空; 705–774), as outlined in his astrological manual, the Xiuyao jing 宿曜經 (Sūtra of Lunar Stations and Planets), as well as its historical background and context, in relation to classical Buddhist models of Mt. Meru and the Four Continents in the Āgamas and Abhidharma. These models all use a flat-earth model, in contrast to the spherical-earth model utilized within classical Indian astronomy. This study shows that although the spherical model was known in Chinese from at least the early eighth century via the Jiuzhi li 九執曆 (*Navagraha-karaṇa), a translation of an Indian astronomical treatise, Amoghavajra consciously adopted the flat-earth model in his cosmology, yet at the same time he was willing to introduce new astronomical elements, such as the planets and the zodiac signs. It is argued that Amoghavajra’s cosmology constitutes an intriguing example in Buddhist history of a religious worldview taking precedence over a scientific one, yet at the same time it is demonstrated that Chinese Buddhist literature was not averse to incorporating some scientific astronomical elements before, during and after Amoghavajra’s time.

Fragmentation and Reassembly: Decoration, Technique, and Meaning at an Early Islamic Platform

Diverse plants, animals, humans, and supernatural hybrids decorate the paving stones of an early Islamic reservoir platform in the Azraq oasis, Jordan. Built for an unknown Umayyad-era patron in the late seventh or early eighth century, the platform is typically eclectic in its iconography but features an unusual composition adapted from Roman-Byzantine zodiac diagrams and unprecedented “jigsaw-puzzle” interlocking masonry. The stone pieces of this Umayyad puzzle echo the rhetoric of political and cosmic fragmentation and reassembly that appears in early Arabic poetry and chronicles, suggesting that Umayyad patrons and builders articulated meaning through technique as well as composition and content.

Rock-Carved Buddhas at Ch’ilburam Hermitage in Namsan Mountain, Kyongju

On the Namsan Mountain of Kyongju, can be found the Ch’ilburam rock-carved Buddhas. The seven Buddha and bodhisattva images are significant because of their coexistence in one space and their unique arrangement. The Ch’ilburam sculptor was inspired by the Chinese central pillar caves that the sculptor had knowledge of, and the opportunity to visit. These archetypes of the ‘central pillar cave’ layout exhibit sutra-inscribed walls. By adopting and adapting these architectural elements, Ch’ilburam replicates the primary function of the Chinese cave temple. Ultimately, the Ch’ilburam site is a compromise between the desire for a rock cave temple, and the intractable geology of Korea, which is unsuitable for these purposes. As for the production period, there is a strong case for the view that the Ch’ilburam Buddha triad and four-sided stone pillar were created simultaneously in the early eighth century.

Early Byzantine sigillographic evidence from western Anatolia: sixth- and seventh-century lead seals from Bergama (ancient Pergamon)

This article presents twelve lead seals from the Museum of Bergama (ancient Pergamon), dating from the late sixth to the early eighth century. We offer a descriptive catalogue of these early Byzantine seals preserved in a western Turkish museum. In the introduction, seals excavated in Pergamon as well as seals referring to Pergamon are briefly discussed. The owners of the twelve seals in the museum were primarily ecclesiastical or legal dignitaries who were probably active in Pergamon, in southwestern Mysia, in Aeolis or in Lydia.

Ранневизантийский и хазарский периоды эволюции городов на Внутренней горной гряде Крыма

From the large-scale archaeological researches of individual urban centres located on the Inner Mountain Ridge of the Crimea, atop of the plateaus of Mangup, Eski-Kermen, and Bakla, there are enough reasons to identify and reconstruct the Early Byzantine and Khazar Periods in the evolution of these towns. The analysis of written sources and materials of archaeological excavations allows the one to substantiate the chronology of the two initial periods in the history of the evolution of the towns located on the Inner Mountain Ridge as: 1 – Early Byzantine, from 582 AD to the early eighth century; 2 – Khazar, from the early eighth century to 841 AD. In the early sixth century, there was the only oppidum or civitatium Dory known in the region in question. Obviously, its fortifications were built by the Goths living atop of the plateau of Mangup from the mid-third century on. In the Early Byzantine Period, in the late sixth century, when the region of Dory was incorporated into the Empire’s borderland province, military engineers realised the state-sponsored program and constructed fortifications and a church in the castle (κάστρον) of Δόροϛ and fortified towns of various types (πόλισμα) atop of the mountains of Eski-Kermen and Bakla. Although the engineers immediately planned and constructed fortifications, access roads, gates, sally ports, a church, streets, and other objects on a greater part of the uninhabited plateau of Eski-Kermen, only the citadel was built on the already inhabited terrace of the plateau of Bakla. In the Khazar Period, Δόροϛ kept the status of the capital of Gothia and the bishop’s see. At Eski-Kermen there probably was an archon supervising the building of the town according to a single plan, while at Bakla there appeared suburban area covered by residential houses. The archontes of the towns located atop of Eski-Kermen and Bakla were civil and church governors of the klimata, just as their predecessors had done earlier.

Undoing Babel: The Tower of Babel in Anglo-Saxon Literature. Tristan Major. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2018. Pp. xiii+289.

<i>Undoing Babel: The Tower of Babel in Anglo-Saxon Literature</i>. Tristan Major. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2018. Pp. xiii+289.

De rebus incertis: Stephen of Liège and the Divine Office

ABSTRACTMost standard musicological references attribute to Bishop Stephen of Liège (†920) the composition of three Offices: for the Holy Trinity, the feast of Saint Lambert (bishop of Liège in the early eighth century to whom the city's cathedral is dedicated) and the Invention of Saint Stephen the protomartyr. From statements by Richarius, Stephen's successor at Liège, and Folcuin of Lobbes (both from the tenth century), and the eleventh-century account of Anselm of Liège, along with the evidence in Brussels, Bibliothèque royale, MS 14650-59 (a tenth-century manuscript produced at Liège during Stephen's episcopate), I conclude that Stephen of Liège did have a hand in the Offices for Saint Lambert and the Holy Trinity. Although he may have composed chants for Saint Lambert, he more likely revised existing ones for the Trinity. No tenth- or eleventh-century testimony attests the attribution of the Office for the Invention of Saint Stephen to Bishop Stephen.

Comparative linguistics in seventh-century Ireland: De origine scoticae linguae

ABSTRACTDe origine scoticae linguae (DOSL, also known as ‘O’Mulconry’s Glossary’) is an etymological glossary dating from around the late-seventh or early-eighth century. It discusses the origins of about 884 Irish words, very often deriving them from Latin, Greek or Hebrew. As such it represents the earliest etymological study of any European vernacular language. Despite this, however, the text has to date been almost completely ignored for its significance in the history of linguistics. This article analyses the authors’ methods, particularly with regard to the semantic and formal components of etymologies, and argues that the text shows considerable coherence, both internally and in relation to its sources and models in the Graeco-Roman linguistic tradition. It argues that DOSL is a serious work of scholarship that represents a milestone in the historical development of comparative linguistics.

Making and Remaking Silla Origins

&#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D; The official narrative on the early history of the Korean state of Silla (trad. 57 BCE–935 CE) was constantly under revision and probably not initially charted until the late seventh or early eighth century. This narrative continued to evolve throughout the remainder of the Silla and early Koryŏ period (918–1392), achieving its final form in the mid-twelfth century with the publication of the Samguk sagi. King Mich’u (trad. r. 262–284) was modeled closely on King Pŏphŭng (r. 514–540) to push Silla origins back several hundred years. Sŏk T’arhae (trad. r. 57–80) and Naemul (trad. r. 356–402) were crafted based on Chinese historiography. The late emergence of the legend of Pak Hyŏkkŏse (trad. 57 BCE–4 CE) as the ultimate founder of Silla in the Koryŏ period reflects the relevance of the Pak descent group in the Silla-Koryŏ transition period and rise of the Pak lineage in the early Koryŏ period.&#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D;

Les “apologies” de l’Ordo Missae de la Liturgie Romaine: Sources—Histoire—Théologie by Alain-Pierre Yao

Reviewed by: Les “apologies” de l’Ordo Missae de la Liturgie Romaine: Sources—Histoire—Théologie by Alain-Pierre Yao Uwe Michael Lang Alain-Pierre Yao Les “apologies” de l’Ordo Missae de la Liturgie Romaine: Sources—Histoire—Théologie Ecclesia orans. Studi e Ricerche 3 Naples: Editrice Domenicana Italiana, 2019 393 pages. Hardbound. €45.00. The Frankish adoption and adaptation of the Roman Rite of Mass in the early medieval period included a shift towards a more personal and emotive approach to the liturgy. This is exemplified in the incorporation of specific prayers in the first person singular or plural, to be said in a low voice by the celebrant at different moments of the Mass. These prayers, known as “apologies” (apologiae), express sorrowful recognition of the priest’s (or bishop’s) personal sinfulness as well as joyful trust in God’s mercy and calling to offer the acceptable sacrifice for the salvation of souls. Liturgical scholarship in the first half of the twentieth century tended to see in the dramatic style of these texts an infelicitous departure from the sober character of the Roman Rite. Consequently, the priest’s personal prayers were considerably reduced [End Page 311] in the post-conciliar liturgical reform. This study by Father Alain-Pierre Yao, a priest of the archdiocese of Bouaké (Ivory Coast), based on his doctoral dissertation at the Pontifical Liturgical Institute of Sant’Anselmo in Rome, shows that we are now in a better position to appreciate the historical development, theological significance and spiritual benefit of these prayers in the Mass. Above all, Yao argues that, despite its general acceptance, the term “apologies” is misleading, because many of these texts do not have the character of confession or self-accusation. This insight provides him with a hermeneutical key to review the historical evidence. The first chapter (33–122) offers a lucid and instructive presentation of the origins and historical development of “apologies.” Of particular interest is the author’s discussion of the Byzantine tradition, where the introduction of the prayer “No one is worthy” (Οὐδεὶς ἄξιος) into the Divine Liturgy may date from the early eighth century. While Yao briefly reviews non-Roman Western traditions, the major part of this chapter is dedicated to the Roman Rite and concludes with the Tridentine missal of 1570. The main sources for “apology” prayers are the collections of the recurring parts of the Eucharistic celebration that developed into a distinct liturgical genre, the Ordo Missae. Although much progress has been made in this field since the seminal contribution of Bonifaas Luykx, still more work remains to be done. In the first place, not all of the known texts are available in a critical edition. Moreover, the prayers of the Ordo Missae are not always organized in a distinct section but may be dispersed throughout a liturgical manuscript. Such prayers can be found not only in sacramentaries or missals, but also in handbooks for priests or collections of prayers (libelli precum). Hence more examples of the Ordo Missae are likely to be discovered and require a revision of Luykx’s widely-accepted typology. In this context, Yao points to the Cluniac Ordo Missae, which is distinguished from other ordines, both diocesan and monastic, by its sobriety and restraint (44). While this book cannot attempt a comprehensive and systematic study of the Ordo Missae, it presents the reader with the current research on this important chapter in liturgical history. Following Adrien Nocent, the inclusion of “apologies” in the celebration of Mass is often seen in connection with the development [End Page 312] of tariff penance. In the Carolingian period, it became possible to commute an imposed penance into a specific number of “penitential” Masses to be offered. The priest was seen to identify with penitents both living and deceased and this would explain the strongly penitential character of his private prayers. Yao, however, argues that “apologies” resulted from an increasing preoccupation with ritual purity. There is certainly evidence in support of this argument, but the difficulty with Yao’s proposal is its reliance on the overstated theory of Arnold Angenendt about the importance of “cultic purity” (kultische Reinheit) in the early Middle Ages. The substantial second chapter...

唐代 高句麗 遺民 一族인 劉元貞과 그의 부인 王氏 墓誌銘 -8세기 초반 高句麗 遺民 후손의 활동 사례-

2006년에 알려진 「劉元貞墓誌銘」과 더불어 최근에는 유원정의 부인인 晉陽君夫人王氏의 묘지명(「大唐左龍武大將軍劉公夫人晉陽君夫人王氏墓誌銘」)이 존재한다는 사실이 알려졌다. 두 묘지명은 모두 河南省 洛陽市에서 출토되었고, 각각 2015년에 제작된 탁본이 소장되어 있다는 단편적인 정보들을 확인할 수 있다. 두 묘지명의 원문은 『全唐文補遺-千唐誌齋新藏專輯-』에 함께 실려 있었는데, 그 내용을 비교 · 검토해본 결과, 남편인 유원정이 710년 6월에 李隆基(후일 唐玄宗)의 휘하에서 韋皇后와 安樂公主 일파를 제거한 사건에 참여했음을 알 수 있었다. 이를 통해 고구려 유민 일족의 후손으로서 唐朝에서 낮은 지위의 관직에 머물렀던 유원정이 갑작스레 禁衛軍의 정3품 고위관을 역임했던 배경도 분명하게 드러나게 되었다. 당 현종의 즉위를 전후한 시기에 유원정 · 高德 · 王景曜 · 王毛仲 등이 京師에서 벌어진 황실의 권력 투쟁에 적극 참여했다는 사실은 8세기 초반 고구려 유민 후손들의 활동 및 생존 전략과 관련해 시사하는 바가 크다. 향후 그들의 활동상을 체계적으로 분석하기 위한 기초 작업으로서 유원정과 왕씨부인의 묘지명을 역주하고, 두 묘지명의 내용을 통해 새롭게 발견된 사실들을 몇 가지 짚어보고자 한다.

Four Fragments of the Hebrew Bible from Antinoopolis, P.Ant. 47–50

An expedition of the Egypt Exploration Society in 1913–14 discovered four fragments of the Hebrew Bible (from the books of Kings and Job). This article presents the first critical edition of the fragments. With a few minor exceptions, the fragments conform to the Masoretic Text. The possible datings of these fragments range from the third to the early eighth centuries ce. Very little is known about the transmission of the text of the Hebrew Bible in the so-called ‘silent’ or ‘dark’ period between the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Cairo Genizah. The fragments also testify to the presence of a Jewish community in Egypt – which was virtually eradicated after the revolt of 115–17 ce. The article gives a brief overview of the extant documentary and epigraphic evidence to reconstruct the forgotten story of Jews at Antinoopolis in Late Antiquity.

The paschal theology of Abbot Ceolfrith of Wearmouth-Jarrow

Failure to achieve a consensus on a regular Easter cycle divided Christians in the second century and again in the fourth. In the seventh century and early eighth, the matter was contested among the churches of Britain and Ireland. In this period, Ceolfrith, abbot of Wearmouth-Jarrow, sent a letter to the king of the Picts, outlining the reasons for following a nineteen-year paschal cycle. Bede, in his Historia ecclesiastica, reproduced Ceolfrith's letter, preserving a unique study on the logistical and theological complexities in the debate on how to derive the correct date to celebrate Easter. Concentration on Ceolfrith's computistical argument, however, can miss his interpretation of paschal theology that emphasises the Resurrection rather than the Passion; his Christological emphasis on the biblical Exodus story; and his mystical interpretation of Easter as a spiritual journey where light triumphs over darkness. This article therefore discusses Ceolfrith's paschal theology and considers the way in which it may have affected liturgical rites.

A study on a stone lantern from Dongzhang village in medieval China

ABSTRACTThe lamp platform was one of the most interesting architectural designs in medieval Chinese Buddhism. Its history could be dated back to the late Northern dynasties and Shanxi area could be the place where it was invented. In the Tang dynasty, stone lamp platforms became flourishing in North China. As a Buddhist center in the medieval period, Mount Wutai attracted numerous pilgrims and it developed very rich and diverse Buddhist culture. Interestingly, one stone lamp platform from this area survived today. It was first commissioned in the Kaiyuan period in the early eighth century by a group of Buddhist adherents under the leadership of two Buddhist masters and renovated in the Song dynasty, in 997 by local Buddhist patrons. The inscription written by Zhang Chuzhen is mostly extant, which offers us an opportunity of understanding the historical context in which this platform was constructed. This article aims to examine the significance of this lamp platform by looking into its position with a comparison with other lamp platforms discovered in Shanxi area. It will investigate the Buddhist connections between Mount Wutai and Taiyuan, as well as the Ye City by reading a group of lamp platforms in these areas as a monastic network. In the meantime, given that the Shanxi area was a stronghold of Zoroastrians from Central Asia in the medieval period as recent archeological findings demonstrate, this article will attempt to analyze the rituals of lighting lamp platforms in Buddhism and worshipping fire temples in Zoroastrianism from cross-cultural and cross-religious perspectives.

Human Destiny and Divine Providence in Two Byzantine Authors of the Early Eighth Century

Abstract The well-being of a person was viewed by the Byzantines as a complex interplay of divine providence, guiding a person throughout his life to salvation, and his will, freely choosing between virtue and sin. Several solutions were given to the problem of misfortunes which might befall a person, since they could not result from the actions of a good God: from ultimate non-involvement of God into the voluntary actions of humans, to pedagogical temporary “stepping aside” by God to demonstrate the futility of human actions which go against the best predestined course of life, to active divine intervention as “bitter medicine” for the correction of human wrongdoings and putting an end to uncorrected sin. These problems are discussed in the treatise On the Predestined Terms of Life by Patriarch Germanus I of Constantinople and in the Dialogue against the Manichees by John of Damascus, who thoroughly adapted and reworked the Homily That God Is Not the Author of Evil by Basil of Caesarea for the discussion of theodicy.