The Delphi Inscription, or Gallio Inscription (Fouilles de Delphes III 4:286; SIG, II, 801d), is the name given to the collection of nine fragments of a letter written by the Roman emperor Claudius in 52 CE which was discovered early in the 20th century at the Temple of Apollo in Delphi, Greece.
Text
The reconstructed inscription begins thus:
- Tiber[ius Claudius Cae]sar Augustus Ge[rmanicus, invested with tribunician po]wer [for the 12th time, acclaimed Imperator for t]he 26th time, F[ather of the Fa]ther[land...]. For a l[ong time have I been not onl]y [well-disposed towards t]he ci[ty] of Delph[i, but also solicitous for its pro]sperity, and I have always guard[ed th]e cul[t of t]he [Pythian] Apol[lo. But] now [since] it is said to be desti[tu]te of [citi]zens, as [L. Jun]ius Gallio, my fri[end] an[d procon]sul, [recently reported to me, and being desirous that Delphi] should retain [inta]ct its for[mer rank, I] ord[er you (pl.) to in]vite well-born people also from [ot]her cities [to Delphi as new inhabitants....]
The reference to proconsul Gallio in the inscription provides an important marker for developing a chronology of the life of Apostle Paul, since he presides over the trial of Paul in Achaea mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 18:12-17).
See also
- Chronology of Jesus
References
Bibliography
- Plassatt, Andre (1970). Fouilles de Delphes, III. Épigraphie: Fasc. 4, Inscriptions de la terrasse du temple et la région nord du sanctuaire, vol. 3. Paris. pp. 26–32, no. 286.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - Novak, Ralph Martin (2001). Christianity and the Roman Empire: Background Texts. Continuum International Publishing Group. pp. 20–22. ISBN 978-1-56338-347-2.
- Murphy-O'Connor, Jerome (2002). St. Paul's Corinth: Text and Archaeology. Liturgical Press. pp. 161–169. ISBN 978-0-8146-5303-6.
- Köstenberger; Andreas J.; L. Scott Kellum & Charles Quarles (2009). The Cradle, the Cross, and the Crown: An Introduction to the New Testament. B&H Publishing Group. p. 400. ISBN 978-0-8054-4365-3.
External links
- "Entry on the Delphi inscription". Epigraphische Datenbank Heidelberg. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
- "The Gallio Inscription (a.k.a. Delphi Inscription). Greek text and English translation". Archived from the original on 2011-05-18.
- Timeline of the Apostle Paul
