Inscriptions at the Burials of Christians of the First Centuries
Inscriptions in the triclia of the so-called “Memoria Apostolorum” on the Appian Way, a shrine built in the mid-3rd century, between 238 and 260. At that time, in the 3rd century, Christian prayer inscriptions began to appear in the triclia, such as “Paule ed Petre petite pro Victore” and others like it (given below). People continued to write them up to the age of Constantine the Great. [1]
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Keep in mind, in your prayers (in mente habete, in orationibus vestris):
12912: [Petre et] Paul[e] | in m[ente] abete in | ora[tion]ibus vestris/ — “Peter and Paul, keep in mind, in your prayers…”
Intercede (petite) (or “pray”, “ask”)
12918: [Paul]e et Petre petite | [pro] nobis omnibus/ — “Paul and Peter, intercede for us all!”
12931: Petr[e] et Pau[l]e petite | pro [Le]ontium / — “Peter and Paul, intercede for Leontius!”
12933: Pa[ul]e et Pet|re apetite pro Da|tivu in perpetu`u´m/ — “Paul and Peter, intercede for Dativus for ever!”
12989: Paule ed Petre petite | pro Victore/ — “Paul and Peter, intercede for Victor!”
12946: [Petre et Pa]ulae spir[ita sancta vestra petant pro - - -]/ — “Peter and Paul, may your holy spirits intercede for [- - -]!”
conservate — protect (or “keep”)
12991: Petre et Paule cons[ervate - - -]/ — “Peter and Paul, protect [- - -]!”
12996: sa[lva Paule et] | Petr[e - - - et] | Mart[yrium et] | conse[rvate in] | do[mino - - -]/ — “Save, O Paul and Peter, [- - -] and Martyrius, and protect them in the Lord [- - -]!”
13026: [- - - roga]mus | [conse]rvate nos [omnes]/ — “[- - -] we pray, protect us all!”
Simple invocations
12909: Petr[e et Paule]/ — “O Peter and Paul!”
Help for sinners
12967: Petre et Paule sub|venite Prim[o] | peccatori/ — “Peter and Paul, come to the help of Primus, a sinner!”
Many invocations are written in Greek, or in Latin using Greek letters
12927: Παῦλε {μ} καί | μου πατ|ρός/ — “Paul, and (help) my father!”
12997: [Παυλ]ε ετ Πετ[ρε ιν μεν]/[τε ν]ος αβετε [ιν ορα]/[τι]ωνες βεστ[ρας]/ — “Paul and Peter, keep in mind, in your prayers…”
13045: [Πα]υ[λε ετ Πετρε] | [ι]ν με[ντε αβετε] | Αὐφίδ[ιον υἱόν - - -] | μου/ — “Paul and Peter, keep in mind Aufidius, my son!”
13069: Πέτρε Παίτρε μνημόνευαι | Τιμοκράτην καὶ Εὐ|τυχείαν κινα(?) καὶ | ἐσώρα(?) ++ [- - -]/ — “Peter, Peter, remember Timocrates and Eutychia, and (…) ++ [- - -]!”
13045: [κομμ]ανδαμ[ους? - - -]/ — “We commend [- - -].”
13049: Παῦλε καὶ Π[έτρε ἔχετε] / μνί[α]ς/ — “Paul and Peter, keep in remembrance [- - -]!”
13055: [Παῦλε καὶ Πέτ]ρε εἰς μνε[ίαν] / [ἔχετε τὸν ᾿Ιρ]ίνες φίλι[ον]/ — “Paul and Peter, remember the beloved of Irene.”
13070: Παυλε Πετρε | Χαλκηδονι ανιμα | βωβυς κομαν|[δ]ω Λαυrους/ — “Paul and Peter, I, Laurus (Laurusius?), commend to you the soul of Chalcedonius!”
13071: <Π>α[ῦλ]ος καὶ | Π[έτρο]ς συν|τηρή[σα]τε θ(εο)ῦ δούλους | πνεύματα | ἅγεια συντη|ρήσαται ἡμᾶ|ς ἴνα πολλοῖς | ἔτεσε[ι ζῶμεν]/ — “Paul and Peter, keep the servants of God! Holy spirits, keep us, that we may live many years!”
13073: [Παυλε] ετ Πετρε | [ιν με]ντε [ν]ος αβε|[τοτε εἰς το]ὺς ἐῶ[νας]/ — “Paul and Peter, keep us in mind for ever…”
promisit / votum fecit — made a vow
13091: [- - - i]dus m[- - -] | Eulogius votum f[ecit]/ — “[- - -] on the [- - -] day of the Ides [- - -] Eulogius made a vow [- - -].”
Mentions of the refrigerium (memorial meal):
12942: refrigerav[it] | [F]elicissimus cum s[uis]/ — “Felicissimus held a meal with his family.”
12981: Petro et Paulo | Tomius Coelius | refri`ger´<i>um feci/ — “For Peter and Paul I, Tomius Coelius, held a meal.”
13003: [---] at Paulu[m] | et Pet[rum] | refri[geravi - - -]/ — “at Paul and Peter’s I held a meal.”
Source: http://csla.history.ox.ac.uk/record.php?recid=E05087
Addresses to God
DEVS TE PRECOR VТ PARADISVM LVCIS POSSIT VIDERE – “Lord, I pray You, may he see the light of paradise”.
DOMINE NE QVANDO ADVMBRETVR SPIRITVS VENERES – “Lord, may the soul of Venus never be darkened”.
The departed asked to intercede
ET IN ORATIONIS TVIS ROGES PRO NOBIS QVIA SCIMVS TE ☧ – “In your prayers pray for us, for we know that you are in Christ”.
ORO SCIO NAMQVE BEATAM – “I ask you, for I know that you are in blessedness”.
ORA PRO PARENTI BVS TVIS – “Pray for your family”.
PETE PRO NOS VТ SALVI SIMVS – “Pray for us, that we may be saved”.
IN ORATIONIS TVIS ROGES PRO NOBIS – “In your prayers, ask for us”.
ATTICE SPIRITVS TVS IN BONV ORA PRO PARENTIBVS TVIS – “Atticus, your soul is in blessedness; pray for your family”.
Only part is given here. The rest of the material can be read at the link.
Inscriptions and Symbolic Images
The word VIVAS, that is, “live”, also very often written on tombs, expresses the wish of eternal life and blessedness for the departed;
VIVAS IN DEO – “live in God”;
VIBAS IN SANCTIS – “live among the saints”.
The departed has attained salvation
Sometimes it is said more affirmatively that the buried person is among the elect:
ACCEPIT REQVI EM IN DEO – “He has received rest in God”;
SCIMVS ТЕ IN – “We know that you are in Christ”;
FRVCTVOSVS ANIMA ТVА СVМ IVSTIS – “Fructuosus, your soul is with the righteous”;
REQVI EM ADCEPIT IN DEO PATRE NOSTRO ET CHRISTO EIVS – “He has received rest in God our Father and in His Christ”;
ACCEPTA APVD DEVM – “Received by God” (of a woman);
RECEPTVS AD DEVM – “Received by God”;
ТЕСVМ PAX CHRISTI – “the peace of Christ be with you”;
SEMPER VIVE IN РАСЕ – “Live for ever in peace”;
IN РАСЕ ET IN DOMO AETERNA DEI – “In peace and in the eternal house of God”.
VIVI IN GLORIA DEI ET IN PACE DOMINI NOSTRI ☧ – “You live in the glory of God and in the peace of our Lord Christ”; here the Savior’s name is written with His monogram ☧;
ELATVS EST, also a kind of acclamation, found only once or twice, can be translated: “he has risen to God”.
Paradise — a place of light
In the epitaphs of the first Christians paradise is called a place of light and radiance; here are a few examples:
CVIVS SPIRITVS IN LVCE DOMINI SVSCEPTVS EST – “His soul has been received into the light of the Lord”.
IN CHRISTVM CREDENS PREMIA LVCIS АВЕТ – “Believing in Christ, he has light as his reward”.
AETERNA TIBI LUX TIMOTHEA IN ☧– “Eternal light to you, Timothea, in (Christ)”.
Book (in Russian): A. von Fricken. The Roman Catacombs and the Monuments of Early Christian Art. Moscow: K. T. Soldatenkov, 1872–1877–1880–1885. [2]