E04141: Coptic ostracon from Edfu/Apollonopolis (Upper Egypt) with a letter of a bishop Moyses, urging his addressee to gather the (monastic) congregation at the 'place' of Apa *Kyrikos (presumably the child martyr of Tarsus, S00007); datable to the 7th century.

O.EdfouIFAO (= O. EdfouCopte) 18

Bishop Moyses sending this message to the presbyter Joseph seems to ask for the (monastic?) community to be summoned to the shrine of Kyrikos where he presumably intended to offer a morning sermon for them.

The text makes use of the word ma (‘place’), the Coptic equivalent of the Greek word topos, which can refer to either a monastery or a shrine. The editor of the text suggested that Joseph was to gather all the monks at the monastery (ma). But since this would be the place where they presumably resided, they would be gathered there already, so that any extra requested gathering was most likely to take place at the shrine, the place where the bishop would offer his sermon.

ⲙⲁⲣⲉ ⲧⲉⲕ-
ⲙⲛⲧϣⲏⲣⲉ ⲥⲱ-
ⲟⲩϩ ⲛⲉⲥⲛⲏⲩ ⲧⲏⲣⲟⲩ
ⲉⲡⲙⲁ ⲛⲁⲡⲁ ⲕⲩⲣⲓⲕⲟⲥ
ⲛⲧⲁⲁⲥⲡⲁⲍⲉ ⲙⲙⲟⲟⲩ ⲛ-
[ϣ]ⲟⲣⲡ ⲛⲣⲁⲥⲧⲉ
ⲧⲁⲁⲥ ⲛⲓⲱⲥⲏⲫ ⲡⲡⲣ(ⲉⲥⲃⲩⲧⲉⲣⲟⲥ)
ϩⲓⲧⲛ ⲙⲱⲩⲥⲏⲥ ⲡⲉⲗⲁⲭ(ⲓⲥⲧⲟⲥ)
ⲛⲉⲡⲓⲥⲕ(ⲟⲡⲟⲥ)

‘May your sonship gather all the brothers at the place of Apa Kyrikos, and I may address/greet them tomorrow morning.
Give it (the message) to Joseph, the presbyter, from Moyses, the most humble bishop.’


(Text: S. Bacot; trans.: G. Schenke)