E01856: Coptic fragment with the end of a Martyrdom of *Ignatios (bishop of Antioch and martyr of Rome, S00649), giving his feast day as 25 June; composed most likely during the 5th–7th century.

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posted on 2016-09-15, 00:00 authored by gschenke

K 07587

This fragment contains the end of the Martyrdom of Ignatios. It cites from a letter of condolence most likely on the occasion of his death, and describes the letters of Ignatios as having been collected and copied by the scribe for the benefit of those who read them. The text records the feast day of Ignatios of Antioch as the 1st of Epeiph (25 June).

ⲡⲣⲡⲙⲉⲉⲩⲉ ⲇⲉ ⲙⲡⲉϩⲟⲟⲩ ⲛⲧⲁⲑⲗⲏⲥⲓⲥ ⲙⲡⲅⲉⲛⲛⲁⲓⲟⲥ ⲙⲙⲁⲣⲧⲩⲣⲟ[ⲥ] ⲁⲩⲱ ⲛⲉⲡⲓⲥⲕⲟⲡⲟⲥ
ⲅⲛⲁⲧⲓⲟⲥ ⲡⲙⲁⲛⲟⲩⲧⲉ ⲡⲉ ⲥⲟⲩ ⲁ ⲙⲡⲉⲃⲟⲧ ⲉⲡⲏⲫ ⲕⲁⲧⲁ ⲛⲣⲙⲛⲕⲏⲙⲏ

‘The remembrance day of the contest of the noble martyr and bishop Ignatios, the pious, is the first day of the month Epeiph according to the Egyptians.’

Transcription from online image, and translation: Gesa Schenke.

History

Evidence ID

E01856

Saint Name

Ignatius, bishop of Antioch, martyred in Rome ob. 98/117 : S00649

Saint Name in Source

ⲉⲡⲓⲥⲕⲟⲡⲟⲥ ⲅⲛⲁⲧⲓⲟⲥ

Related Saint Records

https://oxford.figshare.com/articles/Ignatios_bishop_of_Antioch_and_martyr_of_Rome/13730827

Type of Evidence

Literary - Hagiographical - Accounts of martyrdom

Language

Coptic

Evidence not before

400

Evidence not after

1099

Activity not before

100

Activity not after

110

Place of Evidence - Region

Egypt and Cyrenaica

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

Hermopolis ϣⲙⲟⲩⲛ Ashmunein Hermopolis

Cult activities - Festivals

Saint’s feast

Cult activities - Non Liturgical Practices and Customs

Composing and translating saint-related texts

Source

The parchment fragment K 07587 is kept in the Papyrus Collection of the Austrian Library in Vienna, datable by its script to the 9th–11th century. For publication details, dating, size and images of the parchment fragment visit: http://data.onb.ac.at/rec/RZ00007656

Discussion

Various different dates for the feast day of Ignatios of Antioch are mentioned in the sources. While the Syriac tradition, recorded in the Martyrology of 411, celebrates him on 17 October (see E01569), the Eastern and Coptic Orthodox Church observe it on 20 December (24th of Choiak). But there are also other days recorded, see E00990 (25 December), and E01840 (1 July), in addition to the record here for 25 June. The Synaxarium of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria records two different feast days, having created two bishops named Ignatios. Ignatios, bishop of Antioch, martyred in Rome under Trajan, 24th of Choiak (20 December), appears there next to another Ignatius, bishop of Rome, martyred under Hadrian, 7th of Epeiph (1 July).

Bibliography

German translation: Till, W.C., Koptische Heiligen- und Martyrlegenden. Vol. 1 (Rome: Pont. institutum orientalium studiorum, 1935), 20–21. Further reading: O'Leary, De L., Saints of Egypt (London: SPCK, 1937), 157.