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Damaris (Acts 17:34) and an Aristocratic Family from Sparta

Neglected Epigraphic Evidence on the Name of a Female Disciple

In: Novum Testamentum
Author:
Arco den Heijer Theological University Kampen Kampen The Netherlands

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Online Publication Date:
22 Jun 2021
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Abstract

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.

Title:
Damaris (Acts 17:34) and an Aristocratic Family from Sparta
Article Type:
Research Article
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1163/15685365-12341701
Language:
English
Pages:
346–359
Keywords:
Damaris; Acts; epigraphy; Sparta; Athens
In:
Novum Testamentum
In:
Volume 63: Issue 3
Publisher:
Brill
E-ISSN:
1568-5365
Print ISSN:
0048-1009
Subjects:
New Testament & Early Christian Writings, Biblical Studies, Biblical Interpretations

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