American Philological Association

The Ephesia Grammata in Popular Belief

Author(s): Chester C. McCown
Source: Transactions and Proceedings of the American Philological Association, Vol. 54 (1923),
pp. 128-140
Published by: The Johns Hopkins University Press
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/282847 .
Accessed: 09/05/2014 00:46

Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at .
http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp

.
JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of
content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms
of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org.

American Philological Association and The Johns Hopkins University Press are collaborating with JSTOR to
digitize, preserve and extend access to Transactions and Proceedings of the American Philological
Association.

http://www.jstor.org

This content downloaded from 169.229.32.137 on Fri, 9 May 2014 00:46:14 AM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
128 ChesterC. McCown [1923

IX.- The Ephesia Grammatain Popular Belief

BY PROFESSOR CHESTER C. MCCOWN
PACIFIC SCHOOL OF RELIGION

The most noted magical formula of antiquity was what

Clement of Alexandriareferredto as "the so-called Ephesian
letters,famous among many." 1 The great mass of magical
books which have been preservedhave come from another
region. But there can be little doubt that the magical rolls
which the firstChristiansof Ephesus burned to the value of
fiftythousand pieces of silver2 werebut a small part of those
in use. If the Ephesian climate were as propitious as the
Egyptian, we should doubtless have numerousdocumentsof
magicfromthe Asian capital. In any case the w4na ypa,u,uara
constitutedthe magical formulapar excellencein the Hellen-
istic world.
By the middleof the fourthcenturybeforeChristtheywere
already famous. Anaxilas Comicus speaks of "auspicious
Ephesian letters," Menander of " evil-averting Ephesian
spells." A Cretan lead tablet, quoted below, shows them
actually in use at this date. They were known to Plutarch,
Marcus Aurelius, Clement of Alexandria, and the various
lexicographersand paroemiographers.4Theije can be little
doubt that an allusion to the famous formulais hidden in a
corruptpassage of Apuleius.5 The magic papyri of the third
and fourthcenturiesrepeat threeor fourof the six wordsand,
as I shall try to show, the Testamentof Solomon,a Christian
writingof the same era, seems to mentiontwo.
1 Strom. v, 8, 45.2 (p. 242 Sylb., 672 Pott.).
2Acts, 19: 19.
3 Meineke, Frag. Com. Gr. iii (Berlin, 1840), 345; iv (1841), 181; Kock,
Com. Att. Frag. ii, 1 (Leipzig, 1884), 268; ii, 2 (1888), 108.
I See Kuhnert in Pauly-Wissowa, Hild in Daremberg-Saglio, and footnotes
below for the various references.
5 Met. xi, 17 (789); cf. L. Stengel, Rh. Mus. xvi (1861), 34 f.; Dieterich'
Mithrasliturgie (Leipzig, 1903), 38.

This content downloaded from 169.229.32.137 on Fri, 9 May 2014 00:46:14 AM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
Vol. liv] The Ephesia Grammata 129

The "original, genuine" Ephesia grammata were six in

number,and on the authorityof Androcydesthe Pythagorean,
are given by Hesychiusand Clementof Alexandria,who alone
dare to name them,as a-KLOV,Kara'oKLOV,Xl, TETpa4n aaluvawEmEvs,
and a't%na (alatov, Hesych.).6 Clement informsus that, like
dactylichexameter,theywereinventedby the Idaean Dactyli.7
According to Pausanias, the Atticistic lexicographer,they
"seem to have been writtenindistinctlyand obscurelyon the
feet,girdle,and crownof Artemis,"8 a sentencewhichreveals
principallythe author's uncertainty. From the same tradi-
tion come perhaps the lines of the great Paris magic papyrus
which name certain permutationsof aauva'w as the -ypa,immaTa
incised on the scepterof Artemis-Selene.9
As to the origin and meaning of the mysteriousformula,
ancients and modernshave made their guesses, all alike un-
convincing.'0 We can well agree with the lexicographersand
paroemiographersthat they were aav-tra.ll The formof the
words and the literarytraditionas to their originhave sug-
gested that they came fromPhrygianor Cretan sources and
were taken over by the worshipthat developed about Artemis
6 Hesychius, Lexicon, s.v.; Clement, l.c.
7 Strom. i, 15, 73.1 (p. 132 Sylb., 360 Pott.). Roscher's attempted rear-
rangement of them so as to form a hexameter is artificial and contradicts the
evidence (Philol. LX [1901], 88 f., accepted by Gruppe, Griechische Mythologie,
II [Minchen, 1906], 884); see also below, p. 132, note 23.
8 As quoted by Eustathius, ad Homer. Od. T 247. The remark of Arsenius,
'IovdL, xxv, 22, E7rlrOS wo7rLris k,evo-ias'Apr/.ut5osrT& yeypa/,eiva aiavvuera,is
possibly no more than a well-intentioned attempt to simplify the involved
statement of Pausanias, but may describe an image he had seen.
9 Lines 2844-2848, baa.twc,baavoMeveta, ba.atacavapa, baaMvobata; Wessely,
"Griechische Zauberpapyrus von Paris und London," in Denkschriften der
kaiserl. Akad. d. Wissenschaften, Phil.-hist. Classe, XXXVI, 2 (Vienna, 1888),
116. Cf. Abel, Orphica, p. 294, vs. 41ff.; KuhnertinPauly-Wissowa. Dam-
nameneus occurs often in the papyrus; see below.
10 See, for example, the
interpretations ascribed to Androcydes by Clement,
l.c., and Hesychius, I.c., based probably on fancied etymologies; and Stickel,
De ephesiis litterislinguae Semitarum vindicandae commentatio,Jena, Universi-
tatsprogram, 1860, a magnificentexample of philological guesswork, in which the
six words are transformed into a Semitic epigram.
11So apparently for Photius, Suidas, Macarius, and their successors.

This content downloaded from 169.229.32.137 on Fri, 9 May 2014 00:46:14 AM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
130 ChesterC. McCown [1923

ofEphesus.'2 To be sure,the traditioninvolvedin the epithet

E poLos is not decisive. As Jessen pointed out, Artemis of

Ephesus is not by nature primarilya goddess of magic.13

Wiinsch suggestedthat 'E onaa is to be derived from6solylu
in
the sense of 'loosen,' rather than from `EpEaos.14 More
recentlyProfessorDeissmann has explained the epithet as
derivedfromBabylonianepesu, 'to bewitch,'not an impossible
procedurein so internationala science as magic. The term
Eeao-La yp4apqara, then, becomes a terminus technicus for
'magic formula,'while epesu, an unintelligibleforeignword,
was associated with the name of the well-knowncult center
and the traditionalexplanation grew up by a common etio-
logical process.'5 Magicians and silversmithsmight well
engrave incantamentaupon images of Ephesian Artemis,
sometimesupon one part,sometimesupon another,thusgiving
rise to the varyingand confusedaccounts of their supposed
place upon the great image in the temple. ProfessorDeiss-
mann does not suggest that the six words of the formulaas
well as the epithet describingthem came from Babylonia.
That would be a natural and almost necessaryinferencefrom
his ingenious suggestion. Until evidence is discovered, it
would appear that an Anatolianprovenienceis to be assumed.
For the Hellenistic age, certainly, the might of Ephesian
Artemislay behind the ancient formula,but, morethan that,
the power also of primitivemagic and religion.
If the origin and meaning of the Ephesia grammata are
uncertain, their current value and use are clear. For the
literarysources they are powerfulwords of magic. Anaxilas
12 Gruppe,I.c., and Roscher,l.c. It is, perhaps,worthyof note that the lead
tablet givenbelow,the earliestdocumentthat uses the formula,is fromCrete,
also home of the Idaean Dactyli accordingto certain traditions;but that evi-
dence is too slightto decide the point.
13Pauly-Wissowa, Realencyclopadie, v, 2761.
14 Rh. Mus. LX (1900), 84 f.
15 Deissmann, " Ephesia Grammata," in Abhandlungen zur semit. Relig-
ionskunde u. Sprachwissenschaft Wolf Wilhelm Grafen von Baudissin zum 26.
von Freundenu. Schiulern (Beiheftzur Z.A.T.W. xxxiii),
Sept. 1917 uiberreicht
Giessen (1918), pp. 121-124.

This content downloaded from 169.229.32.137 on Fri, 9 May 2014 00:46:14 AM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
Vol. liv] TheEphesiaGrammata 131

implies that they were writtenon amulets which formeda

characteristicpart of the equipmentof the rusticfop and glut-
ton.16 Menander says that theywererepeatedas &XEatLSaOp/aKa,
'evil-avertingspells,'by one who walked about thosewho were
being married.17 That is, they were spoken 'medicine.'
These two uses, then,as writtenamuletsand spokencharms,
run through all the accounts that have come down to us.
Accordingto Plutarch the 'magi' instructedthose possessed
to repeat to themselvesthe magic words in order to drive
the demons out.'8 Croesus is said to have saved himself
fromthe funeralpyre by namingthem.19 As an amulet they
renderedthe wearer invincible. At Olympia, so the legend
ran, an Ephesian repeatedlydefeated a Milesian boxer until
it was discoveredthat the formerwas wearingon his ankle
his city's famous magical formula. When this was removed,
the Milesian easily won his three successive victories.20
Pausanias and Photius sum up their value correctlywhen
they say they were names or words having an "occult, evil-
averting sense," "a kind of occult power." 21 "Those who
16 ev o-KuTapLoLs pa7rToLorLwopCov
'Eqpeo`ia ypaIuL/yaTa KaXa.
This is the end of a quotation given by Athenaeus,xii, 548c, fromAnaxilas'
Lyropoeus,wherethe latter is pokingfun at the rusticdude of his day. The
OfKVTaplOlpa7Tro were little " patches" of parchmentupon whichthe " auspi-
cious Ephesian words" werewrittento " shield" the bearer. Yonge's transla-
tion in Bohn's Library,Athenaeus,877, is a beautifulexample of modernizing,
as if the ancientfop carrieda leatherbrief-case.
17

'EepEata TOLS -yajoo-Lv OUTOS 7rEpLraTE

XEtywvaXEtLSaop,AaKa.
Quoted by Suidas, s.v.; Meineke, Frag. Com. Gr. iv, 181, ii; Kock, Com. Att.
Frag. in (Leipzig, 1888), 108. Perhaps one should emend TOts -yajiova3vto
with H. -van Herwerden, Collectanea critica, epicritica, exegetica sive
baL,uovcoo-v
addenda ad Theodori Kochii opus: Com. Att. Frag. (Leiden, 1903), 371, who m,akes
the suggestiondoubtfully, referring
to Plutarch,Mor. 85 B. Why not emendto
TOlS which is palaeographically,if not metrically,the easiest to
6at,uoo-LV,
explain?
18 Mor. 706 E.

19Suidas, Photius,Etym. Mag. s.v., Eustathius,ilc.

20Photius,Suidas, Eustathius,locc.citt.
21 Eustathius, I.c., Photius, I.c.

This content downloaded from 169.229.32.137 on Fri, 9 May 2014 00:46:14 AM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
132 ChesterC. McCown [1923

intonedthemconqueredin everything;"to wear them was to

carry a rabbit's foot,or, more classically,with Diogenianus,
"to bear a laurel wand."22 The one referenceof the magic
papyrito the formulaas such exhibitsit purelyas a "word of
power." In preparinga spell the magician is told, -yp(Qi/)
'Top Xo(-yoz) Tov' op*oaiKo6P aAYKEL Kat TaraKEL XEtyc*P KacL XaAcq3cvMLtrop,uEAX-

apa 1/aXcL
a`ut,ara KTX. Plainly'aKEL Kac TUaYKEL, to be read 'a6KL
KaTa&eKL,standshereforthe whole formula,as paternosterdoes
forthe prayerwhichit begins. To the copyistit had so little
meaningthat he muddled the formulaitself,even though it
was so commonthat a mere allusion was sufficient.23Here
the spoken formula adds its magic power to anotherwhich
is to be written.
For the literarytradition,then,the Ephesia grammataare
wordsof power,and thereis no evidence of theirhypostatiza-
tion. When one turns to popular usage, on the contrary,
he findsthem transformedfroma magic formula,frommere
words,into active and powerfulbeings whose charactersand
performancesare known. An exquisite example of the em-
ploymentof these balyozJEs as a writtenand spoken defense
against evil is foundin the Cretan tablet already mentioned,
which dates fromthe fourthcenturyB.C. The text may be
restoredas follows:24
A(0a)Lapaza' yad(v va'tov'ra86Moo)P5EKECXCU.)
OpEU,yEV[E 8yI]Erpwz' OLKCV) a{ ro fA3KKapa qWXa-

Ziva -' AXEcLL'KaKOP

Kat 'HpaKcXcLa 7rToXLlropOo
Ilarpo'P KaXcLW KaLL NLK-qP Kac 'Airo'XXcojya
iv, 77; Apostolius, viii, 17.
22 Diogenianus,

Pap. Brit. Mus. 121, col. 13; Kenyon, Cat. of Greek Papyri in the British
23

Museum, i, 89,11. 459 ff. Wessely, " Neue griechische Zauberpapyri," in Denk-
schriftend. kaiserl. Akad. d. Wiss. zu Wien, Phil.-hist. Classe, XLII (1892), p. 35,
transcribes the passage correctly, but in his index (p. 81, aUKEL Kat TaaKEL TOV

'OppaLKOv Xo6yov) gives the impression that aaKEL Kal TaUKEL is the Xo6yos 6ppaiKOS,
which is obviously not the case. The allusion establishes the traditional order
of the words, as against Roscher; see above, p. 129, note 7.
24 The tablet was first published by Ziebarth, Nachrichten der Gesellschaft

der Wissentschaftenzu Gittingen, 1899, pp. 129-133. It was reprinted with

fuller restoration and commentary by Wftnsch, Rh. Mus. LV (1900), 73-85.
In but a few places have I ventured to depart from the readings of the latter.

This content downloaded from 169.229.32.137 on Fri, 9 May 2014 00:46:14 AM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
Vol. liv] The Ephesia Grammata 133

5 a&tr', c1b6'EXKEC TErpayos [Al 'aXov acya.

"Eirasoos,"Eirasoos,"Eirasoos, a,uasoED-yE,
socEty', XVKatpa
c a
(PE-YyE, K'VWP, a5 I, Ka% llpOK[X]oros, aTE (YVPOLKOS
Iatwo/IEc)OL6[p] apcrwwrposbucbyara avro[i] EKKaoTos.
apKO[v] E4 wro6Ma[atp6aK]ECrc KVPE, "AOKCKaTaTKL-
10 ["AOKL KaTraccKL,[A'oToLa AL, X]aoLap c abyuoX-yc(,
ai-ya f3i,aEK K '7rov[] EXavv'ErE. [r]oDv]goya TErpa-y
[KCKXrJTraL] o-o 6' o[vi5}uoa Tp'E, d'P,ucU, A/os aKT77.
oXf3Losco K[a]TicLEo(y)a <'>6a06 Kar' [&]yatLt-r' [ij]KoL
stpEOtOa][XvTOS (8' os) 'X MLKcapwPv
Ka' d,act-rTo av8av.
15 <rpat rcrpat rErpa-yos>
AaIWaMEZJEV,8cuTaolo E KaK&.S aEKovTas apacyK,a,
OS KE ME ULPr7at, Kat Oi KaKa KOXXOfaXQUOL
< 1EpaKo7rr[EpwO] rEXEL6rErop XtLMaLpas >
aytoaavTOPXEAWKEpas
<XF]oz'ros 6zvuXEo5pa'KOPTOS PyXCx{ao]a -yEpcELo[) >
20 o0[]ME KaraXpto[roZ] 5flX 'acT', ol ovT' 'Er' [a9]zt4KT
E7racycP7 oifarop[L] rav'Tcwp.
OVTE 7rac-TIovUyErT7

The readingsare thoseof Wutnsch unlessotherwise stated.( ) indicates

of lacunae;[ ] indicatesadditions,
restorations alterations,
and restorations
of copyist'somissions;< > indicatesintrusions by errorof copyist. W-
Wiunsch,M-McCown.
1 AIO. AIAN. 2 OIKQIAP. 5 AIAIEFr2AEAKEITETPArOZIIT'r'TTTAI-
FArAAII: &CeT W6' eXKEl TETpayos W, Al QaXov altya M. 7 IHPOK-
POIIPOI. 9 ETQIKTNE. 10 KATA1KIAA1IANENAA1IANENAMOAr-
QiIAIM. 12 KEKX77TalM (following the usageof the Test. Sol.), v1eTepoV W.
13 KATAAMA,ITONQKOI. 14 MAKAPQNbis. 17 ol W. KOAAOBAA-
OIM: KoXXO03dXoLTLor KOXXo/3aXoatL W 20 oLW OTTEEIIHNIKTQI. OiVT'
M. 21 OTTEIIATQ bis: eOVyETrI e7nEdywW. IINTOPAHlANTQNA: aLVToPL
7raVTrCO M, uaVTopa vi. W.

This is a real E-xwb'8,

a carmen,an incantationcomposed in
the dactylic hexameter that was attributed to the Idaean
Dactyli and containing the Ephesia grammata which were
also ascribed to their ingenuity. I make bold to renderthe
roughand ruggedlines freely:
Hear ye, maliciouspack that infesteth
the Aethaliancountry,
Forthfromourhomes,I say,awayto yourowndwellingplaces.
Zeus,theaverterofevil,and Heracles,sackerof cities,
Healer,I call uponthee,on Victory,and on Apollo.

This content downloaded from 169.229.32.137 on Fri, 9 May 2014 00:46:14 AM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
134 ChesterC. McCown [1923

5 Hear ye; the Lix ofTetragtheleapingflocknowis bringing.

Epaphos,Epaphos,Epaphos,flee;thoushe-wolf, fleealso;
Dog, and thouThievingDemon,thyfellowinsatiate,together
Flee ye away,infuriateraging,each to his dwelling.
Keep offfromthebanquetthetwo greedyhell-hounds, 0 Aski
Kataski.
10 AskiKataski,Aisia Lix, at milkingtimefirmly
Drive ye the woolyflockhomefromthe meadow. Thy name
is Tetrag,
But thou,0 Wind,hast the nameof Swift,a guerdonof Zeus.
Happily he who knows bindingmagic may pass down the
highway,
Shornof his senses the silent,traversingthe spirit-thronged
highway.
15.
Damnameneu,do thou tame by forcethe wickedlystubborn,
Whosomay harmme and thosewho some charmwould cast
o'er me to bindme;

20 Whosowithointmentsof magicwouldhurtme, to himbe no

refuge
troddenor trackless:to Earth,theAll-spoiler,
By wayswhether
I doomhim.
The manner in which the tablet was folded as well as its
contentshows that it was intendedto be worn as an amulet.
The lack of connectionin the text indicates that it was made
up of various charms compounded like a magic potion into
a sort of panacea for all the evils that beast, man, or devil
might attempt to work against the wearer.25 Lines 13 and
14 state most succinctlythe importanceof knowingand being
able to repeat such powerfulnames as the Ephesia grammata.
They expressexactly the feelingsof those who, according to
Plutarch, learned the names of the Idaean Dactyli and used
to be certainthat he
25 Line 15, I take it, is the resultof the copyist'seffort

had at least once in his tabletthe rightformof the name of the wind spiritwho
playsso importanta partin thecharm. Lines 18 and 19 arepartofan &XEtLpaip-
jiaKoV whichthe makerof the amuletintroducesas a sample of a KaTaXPLXTov or
allows to creep in by mistake as he unintelligently copies fromhis book of
recipes.

This content downloaded from 169.229.32.137 on Fri, 9 May 2014 00:46:14 AM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
Vol. liv] The Ephesia Grammata 135

them as charms to drive away fear by confidentlyrepeating

them one by one.26
The restorationof the corruptedlines of the tablet presents
in detail difficultproblems, but for the present study it is
sufficientto note in generalthe treatmentaccordedthe Ephesia
grammata. All of them are mentionedand, with the excep-
tion ofthe prolepticTErpa4yos Alt and ofA'TLoa,whichis perhaps
sensed as an adjective, aoioa, in the orderobservedby Clement
and Hesychius.27 The restorationof line 5 is too uncertain
to be used in the argument.28 Wiinsch'singeniousrestoration
of line 10, transposingthe word At', which has lost its proper
place as the meter proves, may not be rightin detail. But
it uses only elementsalready presentin the tablet which,with
lines 11, 12, and 16, are sufficientfor the purposes of this
argument.
Aski Kataski appears as an individual,since it is addressed
in the singular. Lix, or if Wiinsch's restorationis correct,
Aisia Lix, is a wind sometimes called also Tetrag. Tetrag
and Damnameneu are the two clearly defined characters.
Three pointsnot affectedby uncertaintiesoftextare important
forthe thesishere maintained: (1) the Ephesia grammataare
regardedas persons,forthey are directlyaddressed, (2) they
are appealed to as beneficent, protectingspirits,and (3) Tetrag,
26 Mor. 85 B. The rationalizingexplanationof Marcus Aurelius, 'Esoerotv
-ypAAAaot7rapaiyyeXjIa EKeLTO OuWeXwvb)7ro/.LLvuOrKEUOaL
TrWv7raXaLcov rlvOs TCov
apeT17 Xp710aiEKov(Medit.xi, 26), fitscloselyenoughthis popularusage to allay
fear and mightbe read into the repetitionto the newlymarriedmentionedby
Menander. In the same way the Palestinian fellah, when he has to go out at
nightwherehe thinksdemonsmay be, " murmultbeim Gehen bestandigBe-
schworungenvor sich hin, betet ununterbrochen oder ruftvortwahrendGott
oder einen Heiligen an."-Canaan, Aberglaube u. Volksmedizin im Lande der
Bibel (Abhandlungend. hamburg. Kolonialinstituts,xx), Hamburg (1914),
p. 8.
27 The fact that alala is an adjective, ' auspicious,'may explain this irregu-
larityand also the fact that it alone of the six words does not appear in the
magic papyri.
28I have restoredon the assumptionthat AIZ at the end of the line is for
Art,whichis regardedas belongingto Terpaciyos,a genitive,the returnof the
flocksmarkingthe beginningof the nightand the consequentneed of protec-
tion againstthe demonicpowersthat wereactive in darkness.
10

This content downloaded from 169.229.32.137 on Fri, 9 May 2014 00:46:14 AM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
136 ChesterC. McCownn [1923

or Lix, is a wind.29 The bearing of these self-evidentcon-

clusionswillbe seen whenwe turnto anotherdocumentdating
some six or seven hundredyears later.
The l'estamentof Solomon, a Christian combination of
Jewishand heathendemonologyand magic, probablybelongs
to the thirdor fourthcenturyafterChrist.30 It is a thesaurus
of magico-medical, demonological, and astrological lore,
strungtogetheron the slenderthreadof a narrativeas to how
Solomon, by means of his God-givenring,securedpowerover
the demonsand knowledgeof theircharacteristics, learnedthe
manner in which each was to be circumventedand made
powerless,in otherwords,cured,and then used them,by way
of punishment,in the building of the Temple. It comes to
us in manuscriptsof the fifteenthand sixteenthcenturies,
six of whichcontaina passage whichI read as a descriptionof
Lix Tetrax, the winddemon speciallysingledout forattention
in the Cretan tablet. The chapter which follows is a fair
specimenof the whole:
VII. Kai EvXo-y?7oagfOV' COEV' EyW' IOXO/Wz' EKEXEVOca7apElyaL
ot ErEpOlpbalgo'a KaL flX0Erpo6Wpo(7W7rOV
10v. KaL Xvf Trpowocoo
EWLpEpWJ' E' TCj aCEpLv17XMo
KaL TO VWOXEL7Or7O-6 acb/.aTOg Et"LXOVMEVOV
COELKOXXLas. 2. Kat Eppf7tEorparLwrag OVK OXL'yOV KaL 77JyELpE
KaL Xac/pOP KOZWp TOV' a'7o f 73'yS73 KaL aPEpEpEP avP KaL woXXa
EppIWTfEl'V (TtfO pE/ Ga/43ELOaL KaL ELrro' TLva EXo Epcr oaI EWs
Erw roXv. 3. Ka a9'aoTa'Trog ,uov E7r-rvoa xa,uaL KaT EKELPOP TOP

7-TOWZ Kai Eaf9pa-yta Tf 6aKTVXL6L) TOV0OV, KaL OVTWS EOfl77

"
aipa EKELZ'f. TOTE 7ipcoTnoa avTov XkyTz' a Ev TLS ; KaL OVT

KOZ'1OpTOl'
va' f ag7EKPLO0f /Ot - TL OXELS, /aa0XEv IoXo/uc;z'; 4.
c 07EKpLOf 6' avqX - EL7rE /Ot frL
MyELS KvyC OGEEpwTali6Xw. OVTfS 6'
EvXapLYw f( 0 L( tO-L7aVTI /uE rpOS TCag [OvXads avrwo a7rOKp-

Followingthe usage of Clementand Hesychiusand, as I believe, of the

29

Testamentof Solomon(see below), I assume that AiQand TE7paciy may appear

together,as does AOaKL KaTAOKL,AiQbeinga secondary,TETpa4y the important
namefortheone character. WhetherAskiKataski is to be takenas one name or
two is indeterminable. In the literarytraditionit is two.
of Solomon(Un-
30 See discussionof the date in my edition,The Testament

tersuchungenzum N. T., herausg.v. H. Windisch,No. 9), Leipzig: Hinrichs,

1922,pp. 105-108.

This content downloaded from 169.229.32.137 on Fri, 9 May 2014 00:46:14 AM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
Vol. liv] The Ephesia Grammata 137

vao6aL. E'pit6o got o 6altucovE'yCO

KaXov1uac Alt TErpa. 5. Jwtov
RIabTcj - TrL7 WpiLsL1cov; E`p76o- d'vOpWWOV3 (TKOpWLW KaL o-rpo'Oov
7roLW KaiL 7rp da7rKr KaL 'aypobv Cwvpt' CO L OIKOV3 KaTapyc. cwr
WXECZO-TOV 6O EXW T 'V 7pcLvL' E'OEvpEL. E''aVE KaCLpo'v EVpw, vro6'vw

Els -ywzvasTOLXOV VVKTcaKaL r7,utpav i &q vy&pyov Ei ToV Meiy4Xov.

-
6. dtrov Ua6 cd C'-v roLq 'aiopTCO KEUTaL; O 6E' JLtrE- 6l3 ar6O To
aKpOV 70
~ ~~~ ~ ~~~~~ Tq EVpLvTKOKE'O
KEpaCTO3T?S yEAX7v'7 TO V'
,, _

EKEL /OV
,

VTTC EV
,
0,4EO 1,40V, C-K

TO ao-TpOv. 6LOTLt r& ovaXaa foV /LLTpLTaLov rpOoTETCaf

6La TOVfO LO '
a/L/u.EOat. TE3 OxxO TWf ELS
V adVOpWwWEvXOvfTaL EfOV

?JLTpLtTaLoovCv roS 7poL-lv ovolaat Tov1or- X - aAaXXX-

#ov3OVXa'Aa
C-XXa'X' KaL iC4luat a'ro'v. 7. ELWrov6E av9Tw 9Py) IoXoluCv O`TE
OVV
0'6XELS KaKOVp-yL'V, El'V7LVL KarapyEtloaL; O Ef - -E
E7 apXay-yXw
49 KaL 6 7)gtrpLTaZog 7rCwETaL. EwflpCro-a 6E a 9ov
oroEl Ev
o6o6/a. KaTap-yLfoaL; 6
f JtWE-v Elv 7w ovol'6at fOv apXaayy4Xov
'APa'X. 8. KaL EwEcpp vyaaa TO 'oaLMova KaL 9K'XEvaca av7To0v

XMOv apwcLaEL' KaeLs

dL T 'a v1'flXa ToJOV aKo6
d9LKvEW 70LS fCXV'LaLS
KaL avayKa?O'Evov TO 6acL/o'novTa'arpoTETa-y/E4va avrc EroLEL.3t
There are many nmore or less importantvariaelectionesin the
six manuscripts,but the only point of significancefor our
presentproblemis the name of the demon here described. I
have "restored" Al TETpa4, first because I believe the evi-
dence of the manuscriptsmakes it the probable reading,and
second because thereare importantresemblancesbetweenthe
demon of the Testamentand the Lix Tetrax of the tablet.
First, do the manuscriptreadings justifythe emendation?
The fifteenth centurycopy of the Testamentin the libraryof
the Earl of Leicester at Holkham Hall 32 gives the name as
77X1t TE'opag. Harleian Ms. 5596 in the BritishMuseum, also
of the fifteenthcentury,reads ELsXEr Twpap4oOat,and, omitting
the firstnine words of the next section, takes the infinitive
with what follows (av6pc'0wov3,KTX.). Two other manuscripts
of the same centurv,both copied fromthe same exemplarin
Italy, one now No. 3632 in the libraryof the 'Universityof
31For the manuscriptvariantssee the editioncited above, pp. 28 * ff.
Since the publicationa letterfromthe librarian,C. W. James,Esq., in-
32

formsme that the manuscriptcame fromVenice to " Mr. Coke of Norfolk"

in 1721,havingformerly beenthepropertyofa Cretanpriest,Mark ofMorzenos.

This content downloaded from 169.229.32.137 on Fri, 9 May 2014 00:46:14 AM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
138 ChesterC. McCown [1923

Bologna, the other No. 2419 of the "Anciens Fonds Grecs"

of the BibliothequeNationale in Paris, read OXItr7Epag. Two
manuscripts,one in Jerusalem,Sancti Saba No. 422, the other
No. 38 ofthe " AnciensFonds Grecs,"read E&ycEl/utfrOrvEw4ua fr7
TEppag, instead of E-yc KaXo/uat Ali TETpaci. Palaeograph-
ically there can be no objection to my conjecture. The
resemblanceis so close as to make the change easy fromunin-
telligible TETpa'L to familiar rE'ppag, 'ashes,' especially as the
dust of the windstormmighteasily suggestthe latter. As to
the firstname, in such late and carelesslycopied manuscripts
as these, one need not seek a full explanation of such small
alterations. It is entirelyin keepingwiththegeneralcharacter
of the manuscriptsthat the first,third, and fourthshould
preserve an unintelligiblereading which closely resembles
the original,that the second should completelyconfuseit by
pure carelessnessor ineptitude,and that the last two should
alter it into somethingreasonable and intelligible,but quite
otherthan the author intended.
The second question is, Does the characterof the demon in
these two widelyseparated documents,the Cretan tablet and
the Christian Testament,justify the identification? There
are several reasons for answeringin the affirmative. First,
although the literary referencesto the Ephesia grammata
implythattheyare wordsonly,ourtwonon-literary documents
plainly regardthem as powerfuldemons,or spirits,each with
his own individuality. In bothLix Tetrax is a windand, most
significantly, the "gift of Zeus" of the tablet is in the Testa-
ment"offspringof the Great One." That the beneficentgift
of Zeus, the cool evening breeze that with its eddyinggusts
bringsthe flockshome in safety,becomes in the Testamentan
evil, whirlwinddemon that burns and causes feveris entirely
in keeping with Jewish and Christian demonology,which
turnedthe spiritsand gods of Heathendom into devils. The
notable factis that, in the Testament, contraryto all its usage,
when men pray to the semitertianfeverwith certain magic
words,Lix Tetrax cures them. With the passing of the cen-

This content downloaded from 169.229.32.137 on Fri, 9 May 2014 00:46:14 AM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
Vol. liv] The Ephesia Grammata 139

turies and the coming of the new religion,Lix Tetrag has

undergonealterations,but the storm-demonof the Christian
Testament is the lineal descendantof the Cretan balluMwof the
eveningbreeze.33
The numerous occurrences of the word \a/.ua/.uedEiin the
magic papyri and amulets prove the spirit's popularity. He
was probably thought of as the 'Tamer,' his name being
derivedfromba,/uaw-ba,44co,as in the Cretan tablet. In this
case literaryand popular traditionagree, for he was one of
'IbaZoL,later one of the threeIdaean Dactyli
the artisan yoiTc-s
whose names are handed down as,
KCX.uts 'EVs TE /,eyasKaL virE-p/3wos
Aa/uva/.uE "AKM&w,

and also one of the Telchines.34 Nonnus relates a love affair

in which he played the hero.35 Like other bal/uopes, in the
magic papyri he is littlemore than a name, but fullyas real a
person as the great deities. In Pap. Leiden. v he is invoked
along with lao, Sabaoth, Adonai, Chettaeus, Axiothof,the
seven vowels,and others, as "greatest god,"36 in the Paris
Magic Papyrus immediatelyfollowingAdonai and Zeus.37
One can have little doubt, therefore,that for the non-
Christians of the fourthcenturyA.D., as for the Cretans of
the fourth century B.C., the Ephesia grammata were still
living and active spirits,as powerfuland beneficentas in the
33The word X1Qoccurs at the beginningof the Paris Magic Papyrus (1. 3)
but in so uncertaina connectionas to be unintelligible.
34 Scholiast to Apollonius Rhodius, i, 1129 (Merkel-Keil, 1854, p. 371),
Lobeck, Aglaophamus(1829), p. 1157. The chiefsourcesare Diodorus Siculus,
v, 6 f.,and Strabo,x, 3, 22. See Lobeck,op. cit.,pp. 1156-1181,Kern in Pauly-
Wissowa, iv, 2018 ff.and Truimpel,ib. iv, 2058, Gruppe, Griech.Mythol.u.
Religionsgesch. 455, n. 1, 1522, n. 4.
35Dion. XXXIII, 326. Perhaps for this reason he appears in the a-yWoyj,
or
love charm,Paris Mag. Pap. 2772; 2779.
36 Col. 19, ed. Leemans, p. 31.
37 Lines 2772 f., Wessely, Griech. Zauberpap., 114. A few of the many
referencesto Damnameneus are listed by Wessely, op. cit., Index, s.v. A
figurealmostidenticalwiththat in Kopp, Palaeog. Crit.iv, 203, is foundamong
the Intailles Gnostiques,in the D6pt. de Medailles of the Biblioth&queNation-
ale, Paris, No. 2181.

This content downloaded from 169.229.32.137 on Fri, 9 May 2014 00:46:14 AM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
140 ChesterC. McCown [1923

time of their prehistoricorigin. Koch may have been right

in saying that they were the names of the Idaean Dactyli,38
but in any case they were mythologicalbeings,probablypre-
Greekdeities. Puttingtogetherthe usage ofthe Cretantablet
and the magic papyri, popular documentswhich may be ex-
pected best to retainprimitiveforms,one concludesthat they
were called cLcKt, KacaTTKL, aofa, Xl, TrErpay, bacupa/uEPEv.The
formof the wordstogetherwiththe literarytraditionsuggests
that they are of Indo-germanic,probably Phrygian origin."9
They were in some way associated with the great goddess of
Ephesus, were gradually Hellenized in formand degraded in
place, while their original meaning was forgottenuntil they
became forthe educated a mereformulaand forthe Christians
evil spirits,withjust a touch of theirformerbenevolentchar-
acter. Perhaps the excavations which we hope may soon
become possible in rejuvenated Anatolia will eventually re-
cover them,or possiblythey may be found(I whenthe tantaliz-
ing Cretan scriptis deciphered.
38 Com. Att.Frag. ii, 1, 268.
39 Gruppe,Griech.Mythol.ii, 884, n. 2, Roscher,Philologus,LX, 101, " Nach-
trage " to p. 89. The latter notes resemblances between them and certain
Phrygian names, but thinks the words may come from a inon-Greek, pre-
Phrygian race.

This content downloaded from 169.229.32.137 on Fri, 9 May 2014 00:46:14 AM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions