E01147: Coptic emphyteutic contract (permanent lease) of a small house belonging to an oratory which is to receive annual rent payments for it, from Hermopolis (Middle Egypt), written in the 7th century.

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posted on 2016-02-24, 00:00 authored by CSLA Admin

CPR 4 128

The rent payments agreed are four carats (keratia) annually and something else. The small house seems to come with land which is to be cultivated.

CPR 4 128,10–12:

ⲁⲩⲱ ⲁⲃⲁⲙⲁϩⲉ ⲕⲁⲧ ⲉ̣ⲙⲫⲩⲧⲉⲩⲥⲓⲛ ⲛⲡ̣[ⲓ]ⲕⲟ̣ⲩ̣ⲓ ⲛⲏⲓ ⲧⲏⲣϥ ⲛϥϭⲱ ⲛⲧ̣[ -ca.?- ]
ⲉϥ̣ⲭ̣ⲟⲣⲏⲅ̣[ⲉⲓ] ⲁⲩⲱ ⲉϥⲥⲩⲛⲧⲉⲗⲉⲓ ⲉⲡⲇⲓⲕⲁⲓⲟⲛ ⲛⲡⲉⲩⲕⲧⲏⲣⲓⲟⲛ ⲉⲧⲟ̣ⲩⲁⲁ[ⲃ -ca.?- ]
ⲛⲁⲧⲱϫⲛ [ⲕ]ⲁⲧⲁ ⲣⲟⲙⲡⲉ ⲛ[ⲧⲉⲓϥⲧ]ⲟ ⲛⲕⲉⲣⲁⲧⲓⲛ [ ̣ ̣ ̣] ⲙⲛⲧⲏ ⲡⲉϫ[ ̣]ⲛ̣ⲟ̣[ -ca.?- ]

“He has taken the entire small house on a permanent lease (κατ᾿ ἐμφύτευσιν), so that he remains […] supplying and contributing to the dikaion of the holy oratory [of …] continuously every year [these four] carats […] fifteen … […].”

A full record of the text is available at: http://papyri.info/ddbdp/cpr;4;128

History

Evidence ID

E01147

Type of Evidence

Documentary texts - Lease or rental document

Language

Coptic

Evidence not before

600

Evidence not after

699

Activity not before

600

Activity not after

699

Place of Evidence - Region

Egypt and Cyrenaica

Place of Evidence - City, village, etc

Hermopolis

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

Hermopolis Hermopolis ϣⲙⲟⲩⲛ Ashmunein Hermopolis

Cult activities - Places

Cult building - unspecified

Source

CPR 4 128 is a fragmentary papyrus belonging to the Papyrus Collection in Vienna, inv. K 6090. The handwriting of the document has been dated to the 7th century.

Discussion

The papyrus document is very fragmentary so that many questions remain. What seems to be clear is that a small house belonging to an oratory is leased out on a permanent basis to bring in annual rent payments. Whether this is the oratory of Abba Theodore Stratelates mentioned in other documents (cf. E01146) or that of *John (cf. E01145) remains unknown.

Bibliography

Text: Till, W.C., Corpus Papyrorum Raineri IV (CPR IV): Die koptischen Rechtsurkunden der Papyrussammlung der Österreichischen Nationalbibliothek (Vienna, 1958), 121-123. http://papyri.info/ddbdp/cpr;4;128