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E05706: Coptic letter from Jeme (Upper Egypt) concerning a donation made to *Michael the Archangel (S00181); datable to the 7th century.

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posted on 2018-06-12, 00:00 authored by gschenke
O.CrumST 177

The document is addressed to a bishop whose name is lost, but who was presumably in charge of the shrine dedicated to the Archangel Michael. It is written by two men, Georgios and Enoch, who report on the details of the donation made by a craftsman named Souai on his deathbed. A list of the items donated to the shrine seems to have once been attached to the letter.

Lines 2–4 of the document read as follows:

ⲉⲧⲃⲉ ⲫⲱⲃ ⲛⲥⲟⲩⲁⲓ ⲫⲁⲙ ⲡⲣⲟⲥ ⲧⲉ[ⲇⲱⲣⲉⲁ ⲉ]ϩⲟⲩⲛ ⲉⲡϩⲁⲅⲓⲟⲥ ⲙⲓⲭⲁⲏⲗ ⲡⲁⲣⲓⲁⲅⲅⲉⲗⲟⲥ [ⲧⲁⲓ ⲛⲧ]ⲁϥⲥⲙⲛⲧⲥ ⲉϥⲥⲏⲕ ⲉⲡⲙⲟⲩ

‘Concerning the matter of Souai, the craftsman, with respect to the [donation] to saint Michael the Archangel [which] he made as he was approaching death.’


(Text: W. E. Crum/W. C. Till; trans.: G. Schenke)

History

Evidence ID

E05706

Saint Name

Michael, the Archangel : S00181

Saint Name in Source

ⲙⲓⲭⲁⲏⲗ ⲡⲁⲣⲓⲁⲅⲅⲉⲗⲟⲥ

Type of Evidence

Late antique original manuscripts - Papyrus sheet Documentary texts - Letter

Language

  • Coptic

Evidence not before

600

Evidence not after

699

Activity not before

600

Activity not after

699

Place of Evidence - Region

Egypt and Cyrenaica

Place of Evidence - City, village, etc

Jeme

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

Jeme Hermopolis ϣⲙⲟⲩⲛ Ashmunein Hermopolis

Cult activities - Places

Cult building - unspecified

Cult activities - Non Liturgical Practices and Customs

Bequests, donations, gifts and offerings

Source

The fragmentary papyrus document is kept at Cheltenham Phillipps Library.

Bibliography

Text: Crum, W.E., Short Texts from Coptic Ostraca and Papyri (Oxford, 1921), 45. German translation: Till, W.C., Erbrechtliche Untersuchungen auf Grund der koptischen Urkunden (Vienna, 1954), 223–224.

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    Evidence -  The Cult of Saints in Late Antiquity

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