Christ the Magician?
Posted by Kushana Torumekia at 10/1/2008 5:38 PM and is filed under uncategorized 
Listen to this article
An interesting find:http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26972493/?GT1=43001
In the photo you can read the words "dia chraystou" which means "through (or by) [the power of] the Gentle One."
This is not the word for "anointed" or "Christ" in New Testament Greek, but its sound-alike with a different spelling. It was a name often given to slaves which meant "kind" or "gentle". (Either by spelling mistake or in deliberate reference to that meaning, it does appear a few places in the New Testament: http://www.biblestudytools.net/Lexicons/Greek/grk.cgi?number=5543&version=kjv)
Unfortunately, the next to words (or word) are not visible. I can't find any word starting with "ogoi-" or "goist-" (using either the long or short "e" or "o" in Greek either in the New Testament Greek dictionary, above, or in Perseus.org's classical Greek dictionaries.) The word doesn't ring a bell with me, for "magician" I'd expect "pharmakos". (I could, of course, be having a momentary attack of the stupids which can affect even the best translator.)
Update: it is "goist-" or "ogoist-" (http://www.iphpbb3.com/forum/64774768nx21631/other-interesting-matters-f22/mysterious-crestou-inscription-t82.html)
Neither show up at Perseus.org — and the word 'magician' starting with "g" is goays* (or goaytos) with a long "e". This isn't it.)
*This word appears in both Classical and New Testament Greek, however as time went on it less meant 'magician' and more meant 'juggler' or 'charlitain'.
I can find only the one article about this and thus only the one photo. I do wish they'd photograph the more interesting side of the artifact. (Hark! see above.)
(My thanks to LucidusV and Bro.Puma of the Palm Tree Garden for pointing the artifact out to me.)
Some more online discussion: http://iidb.infidels.org/vbb/showthread.php?p=5581607
(I agree, there isn't a Greek letter that looks like "h". It could be an incomplete or badly photographed "H" ... maybe.)
-Kushana
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