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E01845: Fragment from the Coptic Life of *Archellides (S00934), monk at the monastery of Romanos in Palestine and known for performing healing miracles there during his life time; composed most likely during the 5th–7th century.

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posted on 2016-09-12, 00:00 authored by gschenke

K 09438

After witnessing the suffering of someone very ill, the mother of Archellides overhears two tradesmen talking about her son with admiration, stating that he has the ability to perform healing miracles and is filled with divine beauty and wisdom.

ⲛⲉⲡⲣⲁⲅⲙⲁⲧⲉⲩⲧⲏⲥ ⲇⲉ ⲛⲧⲉⲣⲟⲩⲛⲁⲩ ⲉⲡⲉⲛⲧⲁϥϣⲱⲡⲉ · ⲁⲩⲣϣⲡⲏⲣⲉ ⲉⲙⲁⲧⲉ · ⲁⲩⲱ ⲉⲛⲉⲩϣⲁϫⲉ ⲙⲛⲛⲉⲩⲉⲣⲏⲩ · ⲉⲩϫⲱ ⲙⲙⲟⲥ · ϫⲉ
ⲟⲩⲛⲟϭ ⲡⲉ ⲡϩⲥⲉ ⲙⲡⲉⲣⲱⲙⲉ :·· ⲁⲩⲱ ϩⲁⲙⲟ ⲉⲛⲉⲛⲧⲁ ⲡⲁ ⲉϣϭⲙϭⲟⲙ ⲉⲃⲱⲕ ⲉⲡⲙⲟⲛⲁⲥⲧⲏⲣⲓⲟⲛ ⲛⲁⲡⲁ ϩⲣⲱⲙⲁⲛⲟⲥ · ⲛⲧⲉ ⲡⲡⲉⲧⲟⲩⲁⲁⲃ ⲁⲣⲭⲏ̣ⲗⲗⲧⲏⲥ ϣⲗⲏⲗ ⲉϫⲱϥ · ⲁⲩⲱ ϥⲛⲁⲉⲙⲧⲟⲛ ⲡⲉ ⲉⲃⲟⲗ ϩⲙ ⲡⲉϥϩⲥⲉ:··
ϩⲛ ⲛⲟϭ ⲅⲁⲣ ⲛⲉ ⲛⲉϣⲡⲏⲣⲉ ⲛⲧⲁⲡⲛⲟⲩⲧⲉ ⲉⲛⲉⲣⲅⲉ ⲙⲙⲟⲟⲩ ⲉⲃⲟⲗ ϩⲧⲟⲟⲧϥ ·

‘After the tradesmen saw what had happened, they were very much amazed and spoke with each other, saying: “Great is the suffering of this man! If only he would have been able to go to the monastery of Apa Romanos and the saint Archellides would have prayed for him, he would recover from his suffering. For great are the miracles which God has performed through him.”’

Transcription from online image and translation: Gesa Schenke.

History

Evidence ID

E01845

Saint Name

Archellides, monk at the monastery of Romanos in Palestine : S00934 Romanos from Rhosos, monk in Syria, ob. ca. 400 : S00360

Saint Name in Source

ⲁⲣⲭⲏ̣ⲗⲗⲧⲏⲥ

Related Saint Records

Type of Evidence

Literary - Hagiographical - Lives of saint

Language

Coptic

Evidence not before

400

Evidence not after

1099

Activity not before

400

Activity not after

600

Place of Evidence - Region

Egypt and Cyrenaica

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

Hermopolis ϣⲙⲟⲩⲛ Ashmunein Hermopolis

Cult activities - Non Liturgical Practices and Customs

Composing and translating saint-related texts

Cult Activities - Miracles

Miracle during lifetime Healing diseases and disabilities

Source

A leaf from a former parchment codex, K 09438 housed at the Papyrus Collection in Vienna. The manuscript itself is datable to the 9th to 11th centuries. For an image of the parchment leaf and further information concerning measurements etc. visit: http://data.onb.ac.at/rec/RZ00003670

Discussion

The story of Archellides, whom his widowed mother had sent out to Athens and Beirut for the best possible education, is well known from his entrance in the Arabic Synaxarium of the Coptic Church, 13 Tybi (8 January): see Till, 25. Instead of returning to her as a successful member of society, Archellides joined the monastery of Romanos and lived completely withdrawn. His mother spent much of her life trying to find him. Once successful, her son died, before she could see him. This conflict of interests between a monk who has vowed to live a chaste life and to never even look at a woman, on the one hand, and the pain and despair of his mother, on the other, who wants nothing, but to see her only son once again, had become a popular example for religious passion in Egypt, performed in songs and prayers, with responding voices, see e.g. H. Junker, Koptische Poesie des zehnten Jahrhunderts, II, 30ff.

Bibliography

Text: Till, W.C., Koptische Heiligen- und Martyrlegenden. Vol. 1 (Rome: Pont. institutum orientalium studiorum, 1935), 24–26. Further reading: O'Leary, De L., Saints of Egypt (London: SPCK, 1937), 84–85.

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Keywords

S00934 S00360 History

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