E00179: Coptic child donation document of 19 August 775, certifying the gift of a male child to Apa *Phoibammon (soldier and martyr of Assiut, S00080) at Deir el-Bahari (Upper Egypt), after the child's healing at the shrine and monastery of Apa Phoibammon on the mountain of Jeme. The parents had pledged the boy to the saint at birth, but had failed to honour the agreement, leading to his severe illness.
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posted on 2014-11-18, 00:00authored byBryan
P.KRU 96
Phoibamon, the son of Athanasios, donates his son whom he had originally pledged to the saint at birth. He broke his oath when the boy was growing up. Thus, the boy falls ill and the parents realise their sinful act of dishonouring an agreement with the saint. They bring the child to the saint’s shrine at the monastery and pray for the healing of their son, promising that if the saint will grant him healing, they will donate him as a servant to the saint at the monastery. The legal document drawn up confirms and regulated this gift of the boy.
'In the name of God, the Almighty. Written in the month Mesore, on day 26, of the 13th indiction year. I Phoibamon, the son of Athanasios, who provides a scribe to sign for him and requests trustworthy witnesses to let them witness this inviolable, indestructible, and, through the existing laws, indissoluble donation document. I write to the legal body (dikaion) of the holy martyr, saint Phoibammon, of the mountain of Jeme, represented through you, Sourous, the most pious deacon, and through anyone who will be in charge after you in this same monastery of saint Phoibammon. The law of God orders and encourages anyone to let each one do the good and the useful, which he desires with that which is his own. When the mercy of God commanded and my son was born to me, I remembered my sins and I determined that, if he lives, I will give him to the monastery of Apa Phoibammon for the salvation of my soul. But when the small child grew up and was progressing well, I wanted to break the oath, the one I had made with God and his saint. Afterwards, the young child fell into a great illness, which was very harsh and severe. We continued to remain in great sadness because of the young child and we were envious seeing all the healthy young children being a consolation to their parents. We discussed it, his mother and I, that perhaps God and his saint did this to us, because we violated the agreements which we had made with him. We came to the conclusion, "Let us rise and take the young child and go to the holy monastery, and beseech the holy martyr, 'Forgive us the insolence we have done'. Perhaps he asks God and he gives healing to the young child." So we took the young child and brought him into the holy monastery. We remained entreating God and his saint, the holy Phoibammon, crying and begging the martyr, “Forgive us the sin we have committed.” We remained partaking in the holy mysteries with the young child and by the end of a whole month, he who listened to the prayer of the blessed Anna, the mother of Samuel the prophet, listened to us as well. He granted healing to the young child and we went back home glorifying God. We considered that this young child was counted among the dead, before he gained the healing. And now he is well. "May he live as a servant for the holy monastery, the place in which he received healing." So when we came today, we considered that perhaps a resident of our village may seek to cause difficulty over the young child, and I went forward and produced this donation document. I gave it to our father, the bishop and oikonomos, so that he will keep it in the library of the holy monastery, so that, if the young child is hindered to be a servant at the holy monastery, it can be presented. If it is read out, one will avoid the great condemnation. And whoever among the Christians will ever dare to demand this young child back from the holy monastery, will be under the judgement which the Lord (gave) through the mouth of Moses, the hierophant, concerning the ones who will hinder the oath to the Lord. Furthermore, if this young child wishes not to be a servant of the holy monastery, all that he will bring forth from his hands’ work, he shall give to the holy monastery, in the manner in which he will agree with the oikonomos (of the monastery) at the given time. As security for the legal body (dikaion) of the holy monastery, I have produced this donation document. It is fixed and valid at any place where it will be presented. It was read out to me by the notary and pleased me. I have validated it through a scribe and trustworthy witnesses and have carried it out according to the demand of the laws. I, Patlole, the son of the blessed Abraham, from the hamlet (epoikion) of And(rew?), I bear witness. I, Koumete, son of Paphora, I bear witness. I, John, son of Sanagap, from the epoikion of And(rew?), I bear witness. I, Senouthios, son of Ioannakis, from Hermonthis, I bear witness. Done through me, Elisaios, the least presbyter, from Hermonthis.'
(Text: W. E. Crum and G. Steindorff, German trans. W. C. Till, Engl. trans. G. Schenke)
History
Evidence ID
E00179
Saint Name
Phoibammon, soldier and martyr of Assiut : S00080
Sourous, Apa Sourous, superior and holy man at the monastery of Apa Phoibammon on the mountain of Jeme : S01584
Cult activities - Non Liturgical Practices and Customs
Prayer/supplication/invocation
Cult Activities - Miracles
Miracle after death
Healing diseases and disabilities
Punishing miracle
Cult Activities - Protagonists in Cult and Narratives
Children
Ecclesiastics - abbots
Other lay individuals/ people
Women
Ecclesiastics - monks/nuns/hermits
Source
P.KRU 96, complete papyrus document located at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, 8736.
These documents testify, often in great detail, to a healing cult at the monastery of Apa Phoibammon. Patients remain in the holy place (topos) for a period of time, praying and entreating the saint to grant healing, and receiving the eucharist. Holy water in a basin by the altar seems to play an essential role in the healing miracles performed, when poured over the patient.
Discussion
Of the twenty-six child donation documents known so far, P.KRU 78–103 (E00179–E00204), dating from the years 734–786, nearly half are entirely preserved (P.KRU 79–82 86, 88, 91, 93, 96, 99, 100). In these documents parents state their desire to donate their son as a lifelong servant to Apa Phoibammon. The reason stated in these documents is a miraculous healing bestowed upon these children through the intervention of Apa Phoibammon. It is explicitly stated that parents proceed with this donation for the salvation of their own souls. In most documents, fathers are donating the child with the consent of its mother; occasionally, however, this procedure is carried out by mothers acting independently (P.KRU 79, 81, 86, 95), either as widows, or by simply not mentioning a husband.
Formally, these donation documents following a successful healing are carried out as legal documents, addressed to the managerial body (the dikaion) of the monastery and/or to its current superior. They are written by a professional scribe, read out by a notary, approved by the donor, and signed by several witnesses. They form the final link in a chain of cult events aiming to secure a miracle healing performed in the saint’s sanctuary and are intended to ensure its lasting effect.
Here, Phoibamon donates his son with the consent of his wife, the mother of the boy.
This document belongs to a group of seven child donation documents, which report that a child is pledged to the saint at birth, by analogy to 1 Samuel 1, but because the parents fail to honour this agreement they are punished with a severe illness of their child. They beg the saint for forgiveness and promise to donate their child to the monastery, if the saint should grant him healing. This he does, and the boy is donated in return.
P.KRU 80, 85, 86, 89, 97, and 100 belong to the same group of documents: child pledged at birth, oath dishonoured, punishment by illness, healing of child, donation. The original pledge, which was then dishonoured, was made explicitly for the salvation of the donor’s soul. This appears to have been a purely private promise between the donor and the saint, without any formal documentation or witnessing. P.KRU 86, a similar document of this kind, however, seems to refer to a written contract (homologia) with respect to such an earlier pledge (P.KRU 86, line 32).
Bibliography
Edition:
Crum, W.E., and Steindorff, G., Koptische Rechtsurkunden des achten Jahrhunderts aus Djeme (Theben) (Leipzig, 1971), 253–320 (P. KRU 78–103).
German Translations:
Till, W.C., Die Koptischen Rechtsurkunden aus Theben (Vienna: H. Böhlaus, 1964), 149–186.
Further reading:
Biedenkopf-Ziehner, A., Koptische Schenkungsurkunden aus Thebais: Formeln und Topoi der Urkunden, Aussagen der Urkunden, Indices (Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz, 2001).
Godlewski, W., Deir el-Bahari V: Le monastère de St. Phoibammon (Warsaw: PWN, 1986).
Papaconstantinou, A., "Notes sur les actes de donation d’enfants au monastère thébain de Saint-Phoibammon," The Journal of Juristic Papyrology 32 (2002), 83–105.
Papaconstantinou, A., "Theia oikonomia. Les actes thébains de donation d’enfants ou la gestion monastique de la pénurie," in: Mélanges Gilbert Dagron (Paris: Association des amis du Centre d'histore et civilisation de Byzance, 2002), 511–526.
Richter, T.S., "What’s in a story? Cultural narratology and Coptic child donation documents," The Journal of Juristic Papyrology 35 (2005), 237–264.
Schaten, S., "Koptische Kinderschenkungsurkunden," Bulletin de la Société d’archéologie copte 35 (1996), 129–142.
Schenke, G., "The Healing Shrines of St Phoibammon. Evidence of Cult Activity in Coptic Legal Documents," Zeitschrift für Antikes Christentum (ZAC) 2016, 20(3), 496–523.
Schroeder, C., "Children and Egyptian Monasteries," in: C. B. Horn and R. R. Phenix (eds.), Children in Late Ancient Christianity (Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2009), 317–338.
Thissen, H.–J., "Koptische Kinderschenkungsurkunden. Zur Hierodulie im christlichen Ägypten," Enchoria 14 (1986), 117–128.
Wipszycka, E., "Resources and Economic Activities of the Egyptian Monastic Communities (4th–8th century)," The Journal of Juristic Papyrology 41 (2011), 159–263, esp. 221–227.
For a full range of the documentary evidence on Phoibammon:
Papaconstantinou, A., Le culte des saints en Égypte des Byzantins aux Abbassides (Paris: CNRS, 2001), 204–214.