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BOAZ ZISSU, BAR-ILAN UNIVERSITY

PRAYERS TO THE SAINT. During the fifth century, at the site of Horvat Qasra in the Judean foothills, Byzantine Christians converted Jewish burial caves dating to the early Roman period (first century BCE–second century CE) into a Christian chapel dedicated to St. Salome. Inside the converted complex are numerous prayers and dedicatory inscriptions, including this Greek inscription carved into an archway that leads to where the chapel’s reliquary was housed. The inscription, made inside a tabula ansata frame, reads, “Holy Salome, have mercy on Zacharias, son of Cyrillos, Amen.” The references to Salome as “Holy” and “Lady” in the cave’s inscriptions affirm her saintly status. But who was Salome, and why was she important to early Christians?