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Syndexios

Flavios Gerontios

Pater nominos at Sidon Mithraeum.

  • Sculptures from Sidon at Musée du Louvre

    Sculptures from Sidon at Musée du Louvre
    1967 Musée du Louvre / Maurice et Pierre Chuzeville 

  • Marble statuette of Hecate depicted as a triple goddess surrounded by dancers

    Marble statuette of Hecate depicted as a triple goddess surrounded by dancers
    Carole Raddato, CC BY-SA 2.0 

  • Head left-side view of the lion-headed statue from Sidon

    Head left-side view of the lion-headed statue from Sidon
    Coyau / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0 

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Biography of Flavios Gerontios

The title Pater nominos, 'father of the customs' or 'lawful father' is also attested at Tomis (in Scythia) in connection with a priest of Hekate. For the use of fictive parental language for leaders or benefactors of associations, see Harland 2009.

Associations in the Greco-Roman world

The name Flavius indicates that Gerontios’ ancestors had been made Roman citizens in the period of the Flavian emperors, nearly two centuries earlier, since the enfranchised added to their own names that of the ruling house. The expression “authorized pater” indicates that the Mithraic cult had some form of consecration comparable to ordination. See Leroy A. Campbell, Typology of Mithraic Tauroctones, Berytus, XI (1954), no. 101.

As F. Baratte suggests, one has the impression that there were two or even three mithreas at Sidon, of different periods. A part of their installations was gathered by Flavius Gerontios and installed in his sanctuary at the end of the 4th century.

Mentions

Hekate of Sidon

The Hekataion of Sidon shows a triple Hekate surrounded by three dancing nymphs.

Φλ. Γερόντιος, πατὴρ νόμιμος, εὐχαριστῶν τὴν θέον ἀφιερωσάτω φʹ ἔτι.
I, Flavius Gerontios, father of the customs (patēr nomimos), dedicated the goddess as a thanksgiving in the 500th year.

Lion-headed Aion from Sidon

Edmon Durighello, a journalist, discovered this Aion marble in 1887.

Φλ. Γερόντιος, πατὴρ νόμιμος, ἀνεϑέμην τῷ φ̕ ἔτι.
Fl[avius] Gerontios, pater nominos, have consecrated [this statue] in the year 500.

Taurcotony sculpture from Sidon

The Mithras killing the bull sculpture from Sidon, currently Lebanon.

Φλ. Γερόντιος, πατὴρ νόμιμος τῶν τελετῶν τοῦ θεοῦ εὐχαριστῶν αφιερωσάτω τῷ φ̕ ἔτει.
Fl. Gerontios, pater nominos of the rites of initiation of the god, in thanks I have consecrated [this statue] in the year 500

References

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