Bible Lexicons

αὐλητής is found in P Hib I. 54.6 (c. B.C. 245) where the writer gives instructions regarding a forthcoming festival—ἀπό [σ ]τειλον . . . τὸν αὐλητὴν Πετωῦν ἔχοντ [α ] τούς τε Φρυγίους αὐλ [ο ]ὺς καὶ τοὺς λοιπούς . So in P Oxy X. 1275.9 (iii/A.D.), where ο ̣̔ προεστὼς συμφωνίας αὐλητῶν καὶ μουσικῶν is engaged with his ";company"; (συμφωνία ) for a five days’ village festival. The festival for which the flute-player is wanted is more unmistakably secular in the fragmentary menu, P Giss I. 93.14. Generally he belongs to the apparatus of religion. So apparently in Cagnat IV. 135.4 (B.C. 46—a revision of Syll 348), recording the prayer of Σωτηρίδης Γάλλος —a priest of the Magna Mater at Cyzicus—on behalf of his ";partner"; (σύμβιος ) M. Stlaccius, an αὐλητής , who had been taken captive in a military expedition and sold. Syll 612.18 (B.C. 24) gives us an αὐλητής in a list of functionaries connected with the temple of Zeus at Olympia : Dittenberger tells us this was the vernacular for σπονδαύλης , a title found always in ii/A.D. An αὐλητὴς τραγικός is mentioned in OGIS 51 (iii/B.C.) amongst the ἀδελφοί who formed the ";synod"; of the priest Zopyrus for ceremonial purposes. In Magn 98.45 the στεφανηφόρος has to provide αὐλητὴν συριστὴν κιθαριστήν for a festival of Zeus Sosipolis; while ib. 237 is illustrated by an interesting sketch showing the triclinium ἱερῶν αὐλητρίδων καὶ ἀκροβατῶν attached to the temple of Archegetis of Chalchis. In the fragment of an uncanonical Gospel, composed before A.D. 200, reference is made to the washing of the outside skin όπερ [κα ]ὶ αἱ πόρναι καὶ α [ἱ ] αὐλητρίδες μυρί [ζ ]ου [σιν κ ]αὶ λούουσιν κτλ . (P Oxy V. 840.35 ff.)