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Ostraka

1910 New Catholic Dictionary

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1910 New Catholic Dictionary
• Ostraka
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The Catholic Encyclopedia
• Christian Ostraka

(Greek: ostrakon, an earthen vessel)

Term applied to inscriptions, profane and ecclesiastical, on clay, wood, metal or other hard materials, which form a literary source for early Christianity. They are identified with oriental countries, particularly Egypt. The oldest extant ostrakon is Greek and dates from the 6th century.