E04408: Coptic letter from Kellis (Dakhleh Oasis) mentioning a kingdom of the saints (unnamed); datable to the 4th century.

online resource

posted on 2017-11-27, 00:00 authored by gschenke

P.KellisCopt. 34 As one of the private Manichean letters from Kellis, this fragmentary papyrus document makes a mention to the kingdom of the saints in line 14. Lines 13–15 read as follows: ⲧⲇⲓⲁⲕⲟⲛⲓⲁ ⲙⲡⲛⲟⲩⲧⲉ ⲉⲧⲁⲩⲧⲉⲥ ⲁⲧⲟⲧⲕ ϩⲛ ⲟ̣[ⲩ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ⲧⲙ]ⲛⲧⲣⲣⲟ ⲛⲛⲉⲧⲟⲩⲁⲃⲉ ϣⲁ ⲁ̣ⲛⲏϩⲉ· ‘…] the service of God, which was laid out in your hands by […] the kingdom of the saints forever.’ (Text and trans.: I. Gardner, A. Alcock and W.-P. Funk)

History

Evidence ID

E04408

Saint Name

Unnamed saints (or name lost) : S00518 All Saints : S01151

Related Saint Records

Type of Evidence

Late antique original manuscripts - Papyrus sheet Documentary texts - Letter

Language

Coptic

Evidence not before

350

Evidence not after

400

Activity not before

350

Activity not after

400

Place of Evidence - Region

Egypt and Cyrenaica

Place of Evidence - City, village, etc

Kellis

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

Kellis Hermopolis ϣⲙⲟⲩⲛ Ashmunein Hermopolis

Cult activities - Non Liturgical Practices and Customs

Prayer/supplication/invocation

Cult Activities - Protagonists in Cult and Narratives

Heretics

Source

The papyrus document was found in House 3, room 13a2, deposit 3 + room 11, deposit 2. It has been reconstructed from various fragments, but still remains incomplete.

Bibliography

Text and Translation: Gardner, I., Alcock, A., and Funk, W.-P., Coptic Documentary Texts from Kellis I, with a contribution by C.A. Hope and G.E. Bowen, Papyri from Kellis V, 1999. (Dakhleh Oasis Project: Monograph No. 9), 220–223.