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E03576: Coptic fragment of the Martyrdom of *Thekla (virgin and martyr of Egypt, S00777), daughter of Kyros, from Assiut (Upper Egypt), mentioning Apa *Pamoun (S00775 or S00776) and Apa *Klaudios (S01470) invoking God, Christ, all the saints, and the archangels at the trial under the governor Arianos, possibly at Antinoopolis (Middle Egypt); written most likely in the 6th/7th century.

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posted on 2017-08-18, 00:00 authored by gschenke
The scene seems to be one at the trial of a number of martyrs by Arianos, possibly at Antinoopolis (Middle Egypt). The text starts with Apa Pamoun and Apa Klaudios singing and invoking the power of God, Christ, all the saints, and the archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael.

The governor Arianos then turns to the virgin Thekla and asks for her name and that of her parents. She answers that she has a father named Kyros.

Till, KHML 2, p. 131, lines 5–10:
ⲡϩⲏⲅⲉⲙⲱⲛ ⲇⲉ ⲁϥⲥϩⲁⲓ ⲙⲡⲉⲥⲣⲁⲛ · ⲉⲩⲭⲁⲣⲧⲏⲥ ⲉϥϫⲱ ⲙⲙⲟⲥ · ϫⲉ ⲑⲉⲕⲗⲁ ⲧϣⲉⲉⲣⲉ ⲛⲕⲩⲣⲟⲥ ⲡⲡⲟⲗⲓⲧⲉⲩⲙⲉⲛⲟⲥ ⲛⲥⲓⲟⲟⲩⲧ ⲉⲡⲓⲇⲏ
ⲁⲥⲧⲟⲗⲙⲁ · ⲙⲁⲩ[ⲁⲁⲥ] ⲁⲥⲓ ⲉⲡⲇⲓⲕⲁⲥⲧⲏⲣⲓⲟⲛ ⲁⲥⲥⲱϣ ⲛⲛⲛⲟⲩⲧⲉ ⲙⲡⲣⲣⲟ · ⲁⲩⲱ ⲁⲥⲟⲩⲁϩⲥ ⲛⲥⲁ ⲧⲙⲁⲅⲓⲁ ⲛⲛⲉⲭⲣⲏⲥⲧⲓⲁⲛⲟⲥ · ϯⲕⲉⲗⲉⲩⲉ
ⲉⲧⲣⲉⲩϥⲓ ⲛⲧⲉⲥⲁ[ⲡⲉ]

‘The governor (hegemon) wrote her name onto a (piece of) papyrus, saying: “Thekla, the daughter of Kyros, the councillor (politeuomenos) of Assiut, since she ventured by herself and came to the court, she despised the gods of the emperor and followed the magic of the Christians, I command to have her head taken off.”’


(Text: W. C. Till, KHML 2, 129–132; summary and trans. G. Schenke)

History

Evidence ID

E03576

Saint Name

Pamoun and his monastic brother Sarmata : S00776 Pamoun : S00775 Thekla, virgin martyr from Assiut : S00777 Klaudios, Apa Klaudius, martyr with Apa Pamoun and Thekla of Assiut, possibly at Antinooplis : S01470

Saint Name in Source

ⲁⲡⲁ ⲡⲁⲙⲟⲩⲛ ⲁⲡⲁ ⲡⲁⲙⲟⲩⲛ ⲑⲉⲕⲗⲁ ⲁⲡⲁ ⲕⲗⲁⲩⲇⲓⲟⲥ

Type of Evidence

Literary - Hagiographical - Accounts of martyrdom Late antique original manuscripts - Parchment codex

Language

  • Coptic

Evidence not before

500

Evidence not after

900

Activity not before

304

Activity not after

900

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

Source

One leaf of a former parchment codex preserved in the papyrus collection in Vienna, K 9503. Layout and script suggest a date of production somewhere in the 9th–11th century.

Bibliography

Text and German translation: Till, W.C., Koptische Heiligen- und Martyrlegenden. Vol. 2 (Rome: Pont. institutum orientalium studiorum, 1936), 129–132.

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    Evidence -  The Cult of Saints in Late Antiquity

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