Bible Lexicons

εἰκών is the term used for the description of individuals in official documents, e.g. BGU IV. 1059.7 (bill of sale of a female slave—i/B.C.) ἧς τὰ ἔτη καὶ αἱ εἰκόνις ὑπόκεινται : cf. P Tebt I. 32.21 (B.C. 145?) ὑποτετάχ ̣[α ]μ ̣εν δὲ κα [ὶ ] τὴν εἰκόνα αὐ [τοῦ ] καὶ τοῦ υἱοῦ τὸ ὄνομα, ";we have, further, appended the description of him and the name of his son,"; P Strass I. 79.10 (B.C. 16) ἐν ᾧ αἱ εἰκόνες αὐτῆς δηλοῦν [ται. For a similar use of εἰκονισμός see P Ryl II. 156.33 (i/A.D.) where the heading ε ̣ἰ ̣κ ̣(ονισμοί) is followed by the names and descriptions of various individuals. If Wilcken’s restoration can be accepted we have an interesting instance of the diminutive εἰκόνιον in BGU II. 423.21 (ii/A.D.) (= Chrest. I. p. 566, Selections, p. 92), where a soldier-son writing home to his father from Italy adds—ἔπεμψά σο [ι εἰ ]κόνιν μ [ου ] διὰ Εὐκτήμονος, ";I send you a little portrait of myself at the hands of Euctemon."; A further diminutive εἰκονίδιον occurs several times in a Return of Temple Property, P Oxy XII. 1449 (A.D. 213–17). With the Pauline phrase of the believer’s being renewed κατ᾽ εἰκόνα τοῦ κτίσαντος αὐτόν (Colossians 3:10) and the descriptions of Christ as εἰκὼν τοῦ θεοῦ (e.g. 2 Corinthians 4:4) we may compare OGIS 90.8 (the Rosetta stone—B.C. 196) εἰκόνος ζώσης τοῦ Διός, with reference to Ptolemy Epiphanes. Later in the same inscr..38 we hear of a statue (εἰκόνα) of Ptolemy being erected ἐν ἑκάστωι ἱερῶι ἐν τῶι ἐπιφα [νεστάτωι τόπωι, and for this common usage cf. further ib. 332.22 (B.C. 138–2), 383.27 (mid. i/B.C.) In Syll 888.5 (ii/A.D.) τὰς τούτων τῶν ἀγαλμάτων εἰκόνας is explained by Dittenberger on the assumption that the ἀγάλματα comprise the sculptor’s whole work, of which the actual bust is a part. Thieme (p. 26 f.) has well pointed out how the ancient practice of erecting εἰκόνες of their gods would give a concrete force to such Bibl. passages as are cited above, and instances as of special interest Magn 101 (2nd half of ii/B.C.), where not only do three ambassadors receive each his εἰκών at the hands of the grateful Larbeni, but it is also decided to erect εἰκόνα χαλκῆν in honour of the ";Magnesian people"; (τὸν δῆμον τὸν Μαγνήτων) themselves. In P Fay 36.23 (A.D. 111–2) the verb is used = ";draw up,"; ";write";—Κάστωρ νομογράφος εἰκόνικα φαμένου μὴ εἰδέναι γράμματα, ";I, Castor, scribe of the nome, have drawn up this deed, since (Sanesneus) stated that he could not write"; : cf. P Meyer 4.26 (A.D. 161) with the editor’s note, and Preisigke Fachwörter, p. 66. See the intr. to P Oxy I. 34 on the εἰκονισταί. In P Ryl II. 161.15 (A.D. 71) μέχρι τοῦ ἐσομένου ἑτεροῦ ἰκονισμοῦ ἀπογραφῆς, the reference is to the next census.