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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.

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posted on 2016-12-21, 00:00 authored by gschenke

CPR 4 190:

The document includes the following lines (8-10):

[ -ca.?- ] ̣ⲉ ϫⲉ ⲛⲧⲁⲓⲕⲁ ⲛⲁⲕⲟⲩⲓ ϣⲏⲣⲉ ϩⲛ ⲧ̣ϫⲓⲛⲉϫⲱⲣ ⲛⲧⲗⲩⲭⲛⲟⲯⲓⲁ̣ ⲛⲡ ̣ ̣[ -ca.?- ]
[ -ca.?- ⲕⲟ]ⲗⲗⲟⲩⲑⲉ ⲁⲓϣⲗⲏⲗ ⲁⲛ̣ⲉⲓ̣ⲙⲉ ⲛⲧⲉⲩⲛⲟⲩ ϫⲉ ⲙⲛⲧⲁϥ ⲃⲓ(*) ⲛⲉ̣ⲥ ̣[ ̣ ̣]ⲩ[ -ca.?- ]
[ -ca.?- ] ⲉⲣ̣ⲉ ⲧⲉⲥϩⲓⲙⲉ ϩⲛ ⲫⲁⲅⲓⲟⲥ ⲕⲟⲗⲗⲟⲩⲑⲉ

'[…] … 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

Saint Name in Source

ⲕⲟⲗⲗⲟⲩⲑⲉ

Related Saint Records

https://oxford.figshare.com/articles/Kollouthos_physician_and_martyr_of_Antinoopolis_Middle_Egypt_/13730809

Type of Evidence

Documentary texts - Other private document

Language

Coptic

Evidence not before

700

Evidence not after

799

Activity not before

700

Activity not after

799

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

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.