★ Extremely rare office ★

Iconographic Seals with circular invocations circa AD 700-900. George, Paraphylax of the lord Theologos.
PB Seal

26mm., 11,64g.

+KЄROIΘIΠPsTCΘЄωT[O]KOV circular inscription beginning at twelve o'clock, Tω Cω Δ૪ Λω in angles of a cross / +ΓЄω PΓIωΠA P,ΦV,T,Ks T,ΘЄΛs(sic) in four lines. Translation: Lord, help, through the intercessions of the Mother of God, your servant George, paraphylax of the lord Theologos.

very fine

Stavrakos C., Die Byzantinischen Bleisiegel -; DO Seals -; BLS -.

For a similar seal with the office of Paraphylax, see: DO Seals 3, 14.1 and BLS 2283. (Zacos-Veglery note a suggestion of V. Laurent that the word κυροῦ should indicate the governor of Theologos and that the whole phrase should translate as “paraphylax of the governor of Theologos”; but they prefer to understand that κυρός is indicating St. John himself). Thus, we can assume that our George is a guardian of John the Theologos, whose church and relics in Ephesos were inside the walls of the fortress that he governed.