John archbishop of Thessalonica (ninth/tenth century)
Obverse
The Virgin standing, holding Christ. At left: Μ̅|Θ̅: Μήτηρ Θεοῦ. At right, St. Demetrios standing frontally and vertical inscription: Δ|Ι|Μ: Ὁ ἅγιος Διμήτριος. Along a border of dots, the first part of a circular inscription.
ΘΚΕΟΗΘ,
Θεοτόκε βοήθει τῷ σῷ δούλῳ
Reverse
Inscription of five lines. Border of dots.
ΙΑΝ
ΝΗΑΡΧΙΕ
..ΣΚΟΠ
..ΣΣΑΛΟ
ΝΙΚΗΣ
Ἰωάννῃ ἀρχιεπισκόπῳ Θεσσαλονίκης
Obverse
The Virgin standing, holding Christ. At left: Μ̅|Θ̅: Μήτηρ Θεοῦ. At right, St. Demetrios standing frontally and vertical inscription: Δ|Ι|Μ: Ὁ ἅγιος Διμήτριος. Along a border of dots, the first part of a circular inscription.
ΘΚΕΟΗΘ,
Θεοτόκε βοήθει τῷ σῷ δούλῳ
Reverse
Inscription of five lines. Border of dots.
ΙΑΝ
ΝΗΑΡΧΙΕ
..ΣΚΟΠ
..ΣΣΑΛΟ
ΝΙΚΗΣ
Ἰωάννῃ ἀρχιεπισκόπῳ Θεσσαλονίκης
| Accession number | BZS.1958.106.372 |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 23.0 mm; field: 20.0 mm |
| Previous Editions | DO Seals 1, no. 18.84. |
Translation
Θεοτόκε βοήθει τῷ σῷ δούλῳ Ἰωάννῃ ἀρχιεπισκόπῳ Θεσσαλονίκης.
Theotokos, help your servant John archbishop of Thessalonica.
Bibliography
- Catalogue of the Byzantine Seals at Dumbarton Oaks and at the Fogg Museum of Art, vol. 1: Italy, North of the Balkans, North of the Black Sea
- Sigillographie de l’Empire byzantin
- Le Corpus des sceaux de l’empire byzantin, vol. 5, L’Église
- Le Synodikon de l’orthodoxie: Édition et commentaire
- Inventaires en vue d'un recueil des inscriptions historiques de Byzance, I, Inscriptions de Thessalonique
- Byzantine Lead Seals, vol. 2
- Byzantine Lead Seals, vol. 1
- Silk Trade and Production in Byzantium from the Sixth to the Ninth Century: The Seals of Kommerkiarioi
- Les listes de préséance byzantines des IXe et Xe siècles
- Byzantinische Bleisiegel in Berlin (West)
- Le kommerkion d'Abydos, Thessalonique et le commerce bulgare du 9e siècle
- Recherches sur les douanes à Byzance: L'octava, le "kommerkion" et les commerciares
- Byzantinische Rang- und Ämterstruktur im 8. und 9. Jahrhundert: Faktoren und Tendenzen ihrer Entwicklung
- Les plus anciens recueils des miracles de Saint Démétrius et la pénétration des Slaves dans les Balkans
- L'éparque de Thessalonique: les origines d'une institution administrative (VIIIe-IXe siècles)
Commentary
Two Johns occupied the throne of Thessalonica around the turn of the tenth century (Gouillard, Synodikon, 114). One John is attested in 892, another (or the same?) in 904 (Spieser, Inscriptions de Thessalonique, 162-63).