§353 Aurelius Brothers

Aurelius Brothers

(0353) Text: Αὐρήλιοι | Γάιος καὶ Μηνόφιλος ἀπὸ σστρατειῶν, | παῖδες Αὐρ(ήλιος) Ἀσκλᾶ Φαύστου καὶ Αὐρ(ήλιος) | Δόμνης Εἰρηνα[ίο]υ, τὸν βωμὸν καὶ τὴν | κατ᾿ αὐτοῦ σορὸν σὺν τῷ περιβόλῳ κοι- | νῶς κατεσσκεύασαν ἑαυτοῖς καὶ | ταῖς γυναιξὶν αὐτῶων Μεσσαλείνῃ | Παπᾶ και Βασιλῷ Εὐξένου· ὡς μηδενὶ | ἑτέρῷ ἐξεῖναι ἐπισενευκεῖν ἤ θεῖναι | ξένον νεκρὸν ἤ σορόν, μόνοισ γνησίοις | ἡμῶν τέκνοις· εἰ δέ τις ὑπεναντίον ποιή- | [σει …]ονφῳ, ἔσται αὐτῷ πρὸς τὸν θεὸν, | [καὶ δώσει] τῷ ταμείῳ [δην … τούτ]ου ἀν[τίγρ]α[φον ἀπετέθη εἰς τὰ ἀρχεῖα].

Translation: The Aurelii, Gaius and Menophilus, from the armies, sons of Aurelius Asclas Faustus and Aurelia Domna, daughter of Irenaus, prepared in common the tomb and the urn buried below it with its enclosure for themselves and their wives Messalina, daughter of Papas, and Basilo, daughter of Euxenus. So no other person may bury or place an alien corpse or urn, only our legitimate children may do so. But if anyone will do the opposite, it will be for him contrary to God, and he will be liable to the Imperial treasury for a long time. A copy of this inscription was filed in the records office.

Commentary: Christian soldiers

Provenience: Turkey (Phrygia) 233-266 CE

Bibliography: W. M. Ramsay, The Cities and Bishoprics of Phrygia: Being an Essay of the Local History of Phrygia from the Earliest Time to the Turkish Conquest; vol. 1 (Oxford: Clarendon, 1897) no. 651; Ronald J. Sider, The Early Church on Killing: A Comprehensive Sourcebook on War, Abortion, and Capital Punishment (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2012), 148*.