Translate, " . . . . na, may you live in the Lord Jesus."
The crown and palm conjoined are also met with : in the present example, from the Vatican library, they encircle the monogram, as represented below : *
• FL • lOVINA • (^VAE . VIX ANNrs • Th'IHVS • 1) • XXX Ni:01'TTA • IN PACE • XI • K
"Flavia Jovina— who lived three vears and thirty days —a neophyte — in peace.— (She died) the eleventh Ka- Icuds . . . . "
The extreme youth of the neophyte, while it proves the custom of infant baptism, makes the martyrdom of .lovina improl)able. " The notice of death is various in the heathen inscriptions. Occasionally occurs D.M. {(lis manibtis) ; instead of that, also B. IM.", i. c. banir menio- ria: The beginning formiUa usually is hie quitsdt, or
requiescit in pace; in the Greek, iv^acs Ktirai or kuto- Ktlrai iv i'n>iivy ; the latter also occurs on the Jewish inscriptions of St. Paola. Instead of this stands also hie puiisat in pace, aviizavatv iv eipr]V7j, hie posita est, hie sejmliusjacet, requiescit in somno pads, dormit in pace,lo- cus,KaTa^i(jiQ EN IIAZE (? in jmce Graecized), tv ilpr)- vij Koipt]uu; TOTTOQ m'aTrav(T(wi\ etc. ; or simply the name of the deceased in the nominative or dative, with and without in pace, iv tlpijvy.''
Quite remarkable, however, is the distinguishing feat- ure of Chrisrian inscriptions of the early centuries, and perhaps one in which more than in any other it differs from pagan inscriptions, viz. in its use of names. " While the heathen name consisted of several essential parts, all of which were necessary to distinguish its owner, the Christians in general confined themselves to that which they had received in baptism." But as some of the con- verts came from Roman families, it was quite natiu-al for them to retain their Gentile and other names, yea, genuine heathen names, and thus even the names of heathen gods occur, e. g. Azizos, the name of a Syriac goddess, we find in Trier (Centralmus, iii, 53) given as the name of a Syriac Christian. Also Artemia, Marti- nus, Mercurilis, Jovinus, Venerosa, Yenerigina, Saturni- nus, names united with Sabbatia, Sabbatius, Nundinas, and Dominica, taken in a great measure from the names of the days of the week. But the desire to simplify names, and to give them an ethical signification, is none the less noticeable even among the Eoman converts ; for while it was at that time nothing unusual in the hea- then world for a person to have six, eight, or ten names, in Christian inscriptions (the name given at the time of baptism being always preferred) but one or two names generally occuir. The name was, as a rule, taken in view of facts universally believed to be good or desirable, e. g. with regard to life : Vitalis, Vitalio, Yitalinus, Vitalissi- mus, Viventius, Zoe, etc.; in view oi fortune : Felicio, Fortunio, Fortunula, Felieissima, Faustina, Prosper, Suc- cessus, Eutyches, etc.; of jot/ : Gaudentius, Gaudiosus, Hilario, Hilarianus, Jucunda, Edoue ; of victory : Victor, Vincentius, Nike, Pancratir; of strength: Viris.simus, Fortissima, Alcimus, Dynamiola ; oi faith : Theophistus, Fidelis ; of hoj)e : Spes, Ilelpis, Elpidia ; of love : Phile- tus, Philumena, Agape, Agapetus, Caritosa ; of spiritual blessing: Dorotheus, Tlieodorus, Theodota, Theodulus, Timothea, Theophila, and various others. The king- dom of nature has also its part in Christian names, e. g. months : Januarius, Februarius, Aprilis, Decembrina ; animals, plants, employments of rural life, etc. Of Old- Testament names few are found, e. g. Susanna, Daninil, and Daniel; of New-Testament names, Maria, Petrus, Paulus. Jhe consideration of national names is foreign to our purpose. After the name of the deceased there is frequently appended a short statement of his Chris- tian position, views, or habits which distinguished him in civil life. He is called a neophyte (once in allis), a believer (Jidelis'), i. e. one who is reallj' accepted : mar- tyr, diacon, exorcista, subdiacon, etc. ; child, virgin, man, wife ; anima dulcis, mirae innocentias anima or ex- emplum, dulcis aptissimus infans et visugrata et verbis dulcissima cunctis, filius innocentissimus, dulcissimus, bonus, sapiens, omnibus honorificentissimus et laoneus, deo fidelis et dulcis marito, nutrix familiae, cunctis hu- milis, placata puro corde, amatrix pauperum, abstinens se ab omni maligna re, etc. ; the most common form is bene merens. Then follows the age, with a qui vixit or in sreculo, tt^ijoev, Ziiaag, either with an acciu-ate ac- count of the years, months, and days, or merely about the time, with the additional statement plus minus, ttXe- ov iXeiTTO}'. Then the day of burial, with a depositus or deposito, not seldom the fasti for the year; sometimes, also, the announcement of the person who erected the stone (titulum posuit or posuerunt), and of his suffering (dolens, contra votum, etc.). Of course this arrange- ment is not always followed. Sometimes we find fol- lowing the name a motto, such as u)ar]i, , vivas in Chris- to, in deo vivas, vivas in domino, spes pax tibi, accepts
INSECT
611
sis ill Christo. The language is largely corrupted, the Latin degenerating into tlie Koman, but for this reason is very important in grammar. Occasionally we find Latin words written in Greek letters, or mixed inscrip- tions in both languages. When written in poetry, the hexameter or distich measure is commonly used, and yet they are rhythmical rather than metrical. In such rhythmical inscriptions we lind extension of thought not in the foregoing. The material upon which the in- scriptions were made consists of small, plain marble slabs, either laid upon the grave or put into the coffin. Sometime.^, to designate the death of martyrs, there oc- cur vessels of blood and the instruments of death ; also glasses, etc.