Miscellanea Epigraphica Nubica V: The Names of the Four Creatures of the Apocalypse in Christian Nubia

Abstract

The fifth paper in the series brings the focus onto the inscriptions accompanying the famous wall paintings from Christian Nubia, more particularly the legends naming the Four Creatures of the Apocalypse. The identification of a very probable source of inspiration for the particular names used in Nubia turns the attention to the ritual power of such names and the role of orality in the transmission of such textual traditions.