File(s) not publicly available

E04106: Coptic document from the monastery of Apa Apollo at Bawit (Middle Egypt), presumably containing an oracle question, possibly directed at Apa *Apollo (founder of the monastery, 00160); datable to the 7th/8th century.

online resource

posted on 2017-10-04, 00:00 authored by Bryan

P.Louvre Bawit 66

This very abraded text seems to have been an oracle question produced to be taken into a saint’s shrine. Whether it addresses a local Bawit saint, such as Apollo, Phib, or Anoup, or was prepared to be brought further away to a famous oracle shrine, remains unknown.
Lines 1–2 read as follows:

+ ⲡ̣ⲛ̣ⲟ̣ⲩ̣ⲧⲉ ⲛⲫⲁ̣ⲅ̣ⲓ̣ⲟ̣ⲥ̣ . . . . [ ]
ⲉϣⲱⲡ̣ⲉ

‘God of saint …[…], if …’

(Text: S. J. Clackson/A. Delattre; trans. G. Schenke)

History

Evidence ID

E04106

Saint Name

Saints, name wholly or largely lost : S01744 Apa Apollo (founder of the monastery at Bawit, 4th century ) : S00160

Related Saint Records

Type of Evidence

Liturgical texts - Divinatory texts and oracle questions Late antique original manuscripts - Papyrus sheet

Language

Coptic

Evidence not before

600

Evidence not after

799

Activity not before

600

Activity not after

799

Place of Evidence - Region

Egypt and Cyrenaica

Place of Evidence - City, village, etc

Bawit

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

Bawit Hermopolis ϣⲙⲟⲩⲛ Ashmunein Hermopolis

Cult activities - Places

Cult building - monastic

Cult activities - Non Liturgical Practices and Customs

Divination

Source

The small papyrus document is kept as inv. E 27590 at the Musée du Louvre in Paris. The dating is based on palaeographical grounds.

Bibliography

Text and French translation: †Clackson, S.J., and Delattre, A., Papyrus grecs et coptes de Baouît conservés au Musée du Louvre (Bibliothèque d'Études coptes 22; Cairo, 2014), 107.