English translation

Translation by: Editors

[ . . . if anyone damages Your temple] from among those here who [fight with] God, damage his house [and] wipe out [his name] within one generation, and place [his share] with the Jews who killed God; [but] of those that care for Your temple, [Virgin] Mother of God, let not their race fail [until] the end of time. Amen.

Commentary

Only limited confidence can be placed on the statement of the Benghazi dealer who said that this came from Cyrene. Bates reported that it was bought 'from a German resident'; see his report of 17 June 1909, published by J. Uhlenbrock, 'Cyrene Papers: The Second Report. The Oric Bates Expedition of 1909', Libyan Studies 30 (1999), 77-97, 84-85 (with a photograph)

A photograph taken at the time suggests the traces in line 1, and perhaps part of a letter at the beginning of line 8

Lines 4-5: Cf. Matth XXIV. 51, τὸ μέρος αὐτοῦ μετὰ τῶν ὑποκριτῶν θήσει, and Luke XII. 46, τὸ μέρος αὐτοῦ μετὰ τῶν ἀπίστων θήσει, and for the antisemitism, Synesios, Epp. 4; this feeling may have been sharpened in Cyrenaica by memories of the Jewish Revolt of CE 115. Robinson noted that the text shows the ecclesiastical use of language found in the curse tablets. Those being threatened were almost certainly Monophysites.

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