Petros, metropolitan bishop of Sardes and servant of the servants of God, 2nd half of the 9th century. Seal (Lead, 28 mm, 12.54 g, 12 h). +ΘЄOTOKЄ [ROHΘ] Tω Cω ΔOVΛω ("Mother of God, help your servant") The Mother of God “Hodegetria”, nimbate, standing facing, wearing chiton and maphorion, pointing with her right hand towards Christ seated on her left arm. Rev. +ΠЄTPω / MHTPOΠΛ CAP/ΔHC Δ૪Λ, T, Δ૪/[Λ]ωN T૪ Θ[V] ("Petros, metropolitan bishop of Sardes and servant of the servants of God") in four lines, decoration above. Unpublished in the standard references. An attractive seal of a major church official with an intriguing and uncommon turn of phrase in the legend. Some cracks along the channel, otherwise, very fine.

The phrase "servant of the servants of God" (servus servorum Dei) was introduced by Pope Gregory I (AD 590-604), reportedly as a criticism of the patriarch of Constantinopolis. It is only very rarely found in Greek on episcopal Byzantine seals (cf. Laurent, Corpus II 834 and 960), but it is still used in modern-day papal bulls