E00164: Greek Calendar of Church Services to be performed at different churches in Oxyrhynchus (Middle Egypt) from the end of October to the end of March of the years 535–536, providing information on the names of many churches, and on the saints’ days celebrated in the city.
List of services after the bishop went down to Alexandria, as follows:
14th indiction (year 535)
Phaophi 23rd at Phoibammon’s, Sunday (Sun 21 (20) Oct) Phaophi 25th at Saint Serenos’, day of Repentance (Tue 23 (22) Oct) Phaophi 30th at the Martyrs’, Sunday (Sun 28 (27) Oct)
Hathyr 3rd at Phoibammon’s, day of Epimachus (Wed 31 (30) Oct) Hathyr 7th at the Evangelist’s, Sunday (Sun 4 (3) Nov) Hathyr 12th at Saint Michael’s, his day (Fr 9 (8) Nov) Hathyr 13th at the same (Sat 10 (9) Nov) Hathyr 14th at Saint Ioustos’, his day (Sun 11 (10) Nov) Hathyr 15th at Saint Menas’, his day (Mon 12 (11) Nov) Hathyr 16th at the same (Tue 13 (12) Nov) Hathyr 17th at Saint Ioustos’ (Wed 14 (13) Nov) [… six lines lost …]
[Choiak] 7th at Saint Viktor’s (Tue 4 (3) Dec) [Choiak] 12th at the church of Anniane, Sunday (Sun 9 (8) Dec) [Choiak] 15th at Saint Kosmas’, day of Ision (Wed 12 (11) Dec) [Choiak] 19th at the Evangelist’s, Sunday (Sun 16 (15) Dec) [Choiak] 22nd at Saint Philoxenos’, his day (Wed 19 (18) Dec) [Choiak] 23rd at the same (Thu 20 (19) Dec) [Choiak] 24th at the same (Fr 21 (20) Dec) [Choiak] 25th likewise at the same (Sat 22 (21) Dec) [Choiak] 26th at Saint Serenos’, Sunday (Sun 23 (22) Dec) [Choiak] 27th at the same (Mon 24 (23) Dec) [Choiak] 28th at Saint Mary’s, Nativity of Christ (Tue 25 (24) Dec) [Choiak] 29th at the same (Wed 26 (25) Dec) [Choiak] 30th at the same likewise (Thu 27 (26) Dec)
Tybi 1st at Saint Peter’s, [his day]; likewise also at Saint [Paul’s, his day] (Fr 28 (27) Dec) Tybi 3rd at Phoibammon’s, Sunday (Sun 30 (29) Dec) (Year 536) Tybi 11th at Phoibammon’s, [Epiphany of Christ] (Mon 7 (6) Jan) Tybi 12th at the Southern [church] (Tue 8 (7) Jan) Tybi 13th at Saint Philoxenos’ (Wed 9 (8) Jan) Tybi 14th at Saint Michael’s, [day of …] ; (and) at Ama [Herais’, her day?] (Thu 10 (9) Jan) Tybi 15th at Saint Euphemia’s, [day of …]; (and) at the Evangelist’s (Fr 11 (10) Jan) Tybi 16th at Phoibammon’s, [day of Philotheus?] (Sat 12 (11) Jan) Tybi 17th at the church of Anniane, [Sunday (Sun 13 (12) Jan) Tybi 21st at Saint Mary’s, [her day?] (Thu 17 (16) Jan) Tybi [24th at Saint] Jeremiah’s, [Sunday?] (Sun 20 (19) Jan) Tybi [? at the] Baptist’s
[Mecheir 1st? at Saint] Ioulianos’, [his day?] (Sun 27 (26) Jan?) [Mecheir ? at Saint] Abba […, his day?] [Mecheir ? likewise also at] the [Northern martyr’s shrine?] [Mecheir ?] at Saint Euphemia’s [Mecheir 8th] at Saint Zechariah’s, [Sunday?] (Sun 3 (2) Feb?) [Mecheir] 9th at Saint Serenos’ (Mon 4 (3) Feb) [Mecheir] 11th at Saint Gabriel’s, [his day?] (Wed 6 (5) Feb) [Mecheir 12th] at the same (Thu 7 (6) Feb) [Mecheir 14th?] at Saint Apa Noup’s, day of […] (Sat 9 (8) Feb) [Mecheir] 15th at Phoibammon’s, [Sunday] (Sun 10 (9) Feb) [Mecheir] 21st at Saint Philoxenos’, [day of …] , likewise also at Saint […] (Sat 16 (15) Feb) [Mecheir] 22nd at the same, [Sunday] (Sun 17 (16) Feb) [Mecheir] 28th at the Southern [church, day of …] (Sat 23 (22) Feb) [Mecheir] 29th at the same, [Sunday] (Sun 24 (23) Feb)
Phamenoth [6th ?] at Saint Theodotos’, [his day?] (Sun 2 March) Phamenoth [12th?] at Saint Philoxenos’, [day of …] (Sat 8 March) Phamenoth [13th ?] at Saint Theodoros’, [his day] (Sun 9 March) Phamenoth [19th?] at Phoibammon’s, [day of Colluthus] (Sat 15 March) Phamenoth [20th?] at the same, [Sunday] (Sun 16 March) Phamenoth [26th?] at Saint [Mary’s, day of …?] (Sat 22 March) …
Text and Translation: Grenfell and Hunt, modified by Gesa Schenke.
History
Evidence ID
E00164
Saint Name
Menas, soldier and martyr Abu Mena : S00073
Theodotos and Eusthatios, martyrs in Antioch : S01049
Sirenos, martyr of Alexandria : S00134
Michael, the Archangel : S00181
John the Baptist : S00020
Viktor, son of Romanos, Egyptian martyr : S00749
Liturgical texts - Calendars and martyrologies
Late antique original manuscripts - Papyrus sheet
Language
Greek
Evidence not before
535
Evidence not after
536
Activity not before
535
Activity not after
536
Place of Evidence - Region
Egypt and Cyrenaica
Place of Evidence - City, village, etc
Oxyrhynchos
Place of evidence - City name in other Language(s)
Oxyrhynchos
Hermopolis
ϣⲙⲟⲩⲛ
Ashmunein
Hermopolis
Cult activities - Liturgical Activity
Service for the Saint
Cult activities - Places
Martyr shrine (martyrion, bet sāhedwātā, etc.)
Source
The papyrus is slightly fragmentary, resulting in text loss and some insecure readings. The list is written in two columns. The beginning of the list is intact, stating that it refers to the services scheduled while the bishop is away in Alexandria, though it does not say why this listing was necessary. According to the list, his absence seems to last for a period of roughly five and a half months.
Discussion
The list mentions a total of 26 different churches or cult buildings in which services were to be held: a building dedicated to *Phoibammon (soldier and martyr of Assiut, S00080; mentioned eight times), one for *Philoxenos (a saint with cult at Oxyrhynchus, S00443; mentioned seven times), one for *Mary (the Mother of Christ, S00033; mentioned four times), one for *Sirenos (probably a martyr of Oxyrhynchus, S00134; mentioned four times), a south church (mentioned three times), one for 'the Evangelist' (probably *John, the Apostle and Evangelist, S00042; mentioned three times), one for *Michael (the Archangel, S00181; mentioned three times), one for *Ioustos (soldier and martyr of Antinoopolis, S00172; mentioned twice), one for *Menas (soldier and martyr buried at Abu Mena, S00073; mentioned twice), a church 'of Anniane' (not a saint; mentioned twice), one for *Euphemia (martyr of Chalcedon, S00017; mentioned twice), and one for *Gabriel (the Archangel, S00192; mentioned twice), as well as thirteen other different cult buildings mentioned only once: for unnamed *Martyrs (S00060), for *Viktor (son of Romanos, martyr of Egypt, S00749), for *Kosmas (physician martyr of Syria, S00385), for *Peter (the Apostle, S00036), for an Ama (Herais?), for *John the Baptist (S00020), probably for a saint *Ioulianos (of uncertain identification), for *Zechariah (probably the father of John the Baptist, S00597), for a 'saint Apa Noup' (probably *Nouphios, presbyter and martyr of Alexandria, S01074) for *The(odotos), one for *Theo(…), for a 'saint Ie...' (possibly the Old Testament prophet, S01421), and for an 'Abba' whose name is lost. Furthermore, five unidentified entries are included in the list which might refer to buildings already mentioned, but could also be additional ones.
Within these churches a total of 60 services are to be held within a period of five month.
Some of these services are specifically to be held on the feast days of the saints concerned: Ioustos, Menas, Michael, Philoxenos, and many others.
Bibliography
Edition:
P.Oxy. XI 1357.
Further reading:
Papaconstantinou, A., "La liturgie stationale à Oxyrhynchos dans la première moitié du 6e siècle. Réédition et commentaire du POxy XI 1357," Revue des études byzantines 54 (1996), 135-159.
For a full range of the documentary evidence on Menas:
Papaconstantinou, A., Le culte des saints en Égypte des Byzantins aux Abbassides (Paris: CNRS, 2001), 146–154.