E02159: Coptic document from the area of Hermopolis (Middle Egypt) mentioning a visit to the shrine of *Kollouthos (physician and martyr of Antinoopolis, S00641), datable to the 8th century.
'[…] … that I have left my young children at the examining of the illumination at the topos (?) [of saint ?] Kollouthos. I have prayed and we have understood immediately that he does not have … […] while the woman was at (the topos of) saint Kollouthos.'
Text and German translation: W.C. Till. English translation: G. Schenke.
A full record of this document can be found at:
http://papyri.info/ddbdp/cpr;4;190
History
Evidence ID
E02159
Saint Name
Kollouthos, physician and martyr from Antinoopolis (Middle Egypt), ob. early 4th cent. : S00641
Place of evidence - City name in other Language(s)
Hermopolis
Hermopolis
ϣⲙⲟⲩⲛ
Ashmunein
Hermopolis
Cult activities - Places
Cult building - unspecified
Cult activities - Places Named after Saint
Church
Cult activities - Non Liturgical Practices and Customs
Pilgrimage
Source
This fragmentary papyrus document K 1309 belongs to the papyrus collection in Vienna. The document is dated on palaeographical grounds.
Discussion
The document is issued by and concerns inhabitants of Hermopolis who seem to report a problem. At the end of the document, two witnesses, likewise from Hermopolis, testify to the validity of the claims made.
The document mentions a woman being in the shrine of Kollouthos which could refer to his famous healing shrine located in Antinoopolis, across the Nile from Hermopolis. But there is also a shrine of Kollouthos known in Hermopolis directly. It is also not clear whether the party issuing the document is involved in a legal battle and hence reporting on someone swearing an oath at the shrine to tell the truth, or whether this was just a general visit to pray or invoke the saint' intercession.
Whether the phrase ϩⲛ ⲧ̣ϫⲓⲛⲉϫⲱⲣ ⲛⲧⲗⲩⲭⲛⲟⲯⲓⲁ̣ 'at the examining of the illumination' in line 8 refers to divination practices by the use of a lamp, or just to a lighting ceremony of a lamp, remains difficult to decide without enough context of the document.
Bibliography
Text and translation:
Till, W.C., Corpus Papyrorum Raineri IV (CPR IV): Die koptischen Rechtsurkunden der Papyrussammlung der Österreichischen Nationalbibliothek (Vienna, 1958), 174–175.
Mention:
Papaconstantinou, A., Le culte des saints en Égypte des Byzantins aux Abbassides (Paris: CNRS, 2001), 424.