Damaris (Acts 17:34) and an Aristocratic Family from Sparta: Neglected Epigraphic Evidence on the Name of a Female Disciple

This article surveys epigraphic evidence for Damaris, Damares and Damari(o)n to show that these are distinctively Spartan or Laconian names. It rejects the hypothesis that Damaris is a Lukan construction from Homeric δάµαρ (wife) or a typical name for a courtesan. Positively, it suggests that the wo...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Heijer, Arco den 1989- (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Brill 2021
In: Novum Testamentum
Year: 2021, Volume: 63, Issue: 3, Pages: 346-359
Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains:B Bible. Apostelgeschichte 17,34 / Damaris, Heilige, Biblische Person / Epigraphy / Sparta / Athens
IxTheo Classification:HC New Testament
HH Archaeology
Further subjects:B Damaris
B Sparta
B Epigraphy
B Athens
B Acts
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Summary:This article surveys epigraphic evidence for Damaris, Damares and Damari(o)n to show that these are distinctively Spartan or Laconian names. It rejects the hypothesis that Damaris is a Lukan construction from Homeric δάµαρ (wife) or a typical name for a courtesan. Positively, it suggests that the woman named Damaris in Acts 17:34 could be imagined as a member of the Voluseni family, a prominent Spartan family connected with the Athenian elite. Finally, it examines the rhetorical force that a recognizably Spartan name could have in the narrative of Acts.
ISSN:1568-5365
Contains:Enthalten in: Novum Testamentum
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1163/15685365-12341701