E00123: Greek private account, from the area of Lykopolis (Upper Egypt), part of the Dioskoros Archive (Aphrodito), referring to expenses for a church of *Onnophrios (Egyptian Anchorite, 4th c., S00055), datable to the 6th c.

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posted on 2014-11-01, 00:00 authored by gschenke

P.Cair.Masp. 3.67289,16

Private account of John, a settler in a village in the Lykopolite nome, mentioning taxes and expenses, one of the payments being for the churches of Apa Anouphios and Apa Onnophrios,

τῶν ἁγί(ων) ἐκ̣κλ̣(ησιῶν) Ἄπα Ἀ[ν]ο(υ)φίο(υ) (καὶ) Ἄ̣π̣α Ὀννοφρίο(υ) κ(εράτια) ζ δ´

'7 ¼ carats for the … of the holy churches of Apa Anouphios and Apa Onnophrios.'

Full text and image available under: http://papyri.info/ddbdp/p.cair.masp;3;67289

Translation: Gesa Schenke

History

Evidence ID

E00123

Saint Name

Onnophrios, Egyptian Anchorite

Saint Name in Source

Ἄπα Ὀννόφριος

Related Saint Records

https://oxford.figshare.com/articles/None/None

Type of Evidence

Documentary texts - Other private document

Language

Greek

Evidence not before

500

Evidence not after

599

Activity not before

500

Activity not after

599

Place of Evidence - Region

Egypt and Cyrenaica Egypt and Cyrenaica

Place of Evidence - City, village, etc

Lykopolis Aphrodito

Place of evidence - City name in other Language(s)

Lykopolis Hermopolis ϣⲙⲟⲩⲛ Ashmunein Hermopolis Aphrodito Hermopolis ϣⲙⲟⲩⲛ Ashmunein Hermopolis

Cult activities - Places

Cult building - independent (church)

Source

P.Cair.Masp. 3.67289 is a fragmentary papyrus leaf.

Discussion

The fact that there is a relatively modest payment made, possibly for the clergy or some other aspect of these churches, strongly indicates that both churches were in use and that some form of cult activity for Onnophrios was going on in one of them. Documentary evidence for church buildings dedicated to Onnophrios is also found in Theagenis (Arsinoites), Aphrodito, and Pallas in the Coptite nome. So far no such evidence seems to come from a city.

Bibliography

Edition: Maspero, J., Catalogue général des antiquités égyptiennes du Musée du Caire. Papyrus grecs d’ époque byzantine, I–III (Cairo: 1911–1916). = P.Cair.Masp. Further reading: Papaconstantinou, A., Le culte des saints en Égypte des Byzantins aux Abbassides (Paris: CNRS, 2001), 161.