E05701: Coptic document from Hermonthis (Upper Egypt) acknowledging the receipt of payment for building activity at the city’s shrine (tops) of the *Forty Martyrs (presumably those of Sebaste, S00103) and of *Theophilos (possibly the Decian martyr of Egypt, S00236); datable to the 7th/8th c.
online resource
posted on 2018-06-12, 00:00authored bygschenke
O.CrumST 46
In this document, two brothers from city Hermonthis acknowledge that they have received their payment for the woodwork they had carried out on their city’s shrine dedicated to the Forty Martyrs and saint Theophilos. The list of diverse payment consists of two gold coins as well as various measures of wine, corn and meat.
The beginning of the document, lines 1–4 read as follows:
‘We, Isaak (son of) Hatre, the [inhabitant of Hermonthis, as well as Dios?] and Apa Biktor, brothers with one another, the sons of Apa [personal name, inhabitants of Hermonthis], are writing to the most God loving Apa Ioannes, son of Isaak, [the steward (oikonomos)?] at the holy place of the Forty Martyrs and of saint Theophilos [in the] same [city] Hermonthis, rejoice!’
(Text: W. E. Crum; trans.: G. Schenke)
History
Evidence ID
E05701
Saint Name
Forty Martyrs of Sebaste : S00103
Theophilos, Decian martyr of Egypt : S00236
Late antique original manuscripts - Papyrus sheet
Documentary texts - Other private document
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
Hermonthis
Place of evidence - City name in other Language(s)
Hermonthis
Hermopolis
ϣⲙⲟⲩⲛ
Ashmunein
Hermopolis
Cult activities - Places
Cult building - independent (church)
Cult activities - Places Named after Saint
Church
Source
The papyrus document R 93 is kept at the Musée du Louvre in Paris.
Bibliography
Text:
Crum, W.E., Short Texts from Coptic Ostraca and Papyri (Oxford, 1921), 16.
German Translation:
Till, W.C., Die Koptischen Rechtsurkunden aus Theben (Vienna, 1964), 219–220.