E06907: Coptic Encomion on *John the Baptist (S00020), from Edfu (Upper Egypt), attributed to John Chrysostom; allegedly originally written in the early 5th century and translated presumably sometime between the 5th and 9th centuries.

Brit. Mus. Ms. Oriental 7024:

ⲟⲩⲉⲅⲕⲱⲙⲓⲟⲛ ⲉⲁϥⲧⲁⲩⲟⲟϥ ⲛϭⲓ ⲡⲉⲛⲡⲉⲧⲟⲩⲁⲁⲃ ⲛⲉⲱⲧ ⲉⲧⲧⲁⲏⲩ ⲕⲁⲧⲁ ⲥⲙⲟⲧ ⲛⲓⲙ · ⲫⲁⲅⲓⲟⲥ ⲁⲡⲁ ⲓⲱϩⲁⲛⲛⲏⲥ ⲡⲁⲣⲭⲉⲡⲓⲥⲕⲟⲡⲟⲥ
ⲛⲕⲱⲥⲧⲁⲛϯⲛⲟⲩⲡⲟⲗⲥ · ⲁⲩⲱ ⲡⲉⲭⲣⲩⲥⲟⲥⲧⲟⲙⲟⲥ ⲉⲧⲟⲩⲁⲁⲃ · ⲉⲡⲉⲟⲟⲩ ⲙⲛ ⲡⲧⲁⲟ ⲙⲡϩⲁⲅⲓⲟⲥ ⲓⲱϩⲁⲛⲛⲏⲥ ⲡⲃⲁⲡϯⲥⲧⲏⲥ · ⲁⲩⲱ
ⲡⲉⲡⲣⲟⲇⲣⲟⲙⲟⲥ ⲉⲧⲟⲩⲁⲁⲃ · ⲁⲩⲱ ⲡⲥⲩⲅⲅⲉⲛⲏⲥ ⲙⲡⲉⲭⲥ · ⲡⲉⲧⲉ ⲙⲡⲉϥⲧⲱⲟⲩⲛ ϩⲛ ⲡⲉϫⲡⲟ ⲛⲛⲉϩⲟⲙⲉ ⲛϭⲓ ⲡⲉⲧⲟ ⲛⲛⲟϭ ⲉⲣⲟϥ ·
ⲡⲉⲛⲧⲁⲡⲛⲟⲩⲧⲉ ϫⲁⲥⲧϥ ϩⲙ ⲡⲧⲁⲟ · ⲙⲛ ⲡⲉⲟⲟⲩ · ⲡⲁⲣⲁ ⲛⲉⲧⲟⲩⲁⲁⲃ ⲧⲏⲣⲟⲩ · ⲡⲉⲧⲟⲩⲟⲧⲃ ⲉⲛⲁⲅⲅⲉⲗⲟⲥ ϩⲙ ⲡⲧⲃⲃⲟ ·

‘An encomion which our holy and in every respect honourable father, saint Apa John, the archbishop of Constantinople and holy Chrysostom, delivered concerning the glory and honour of saint John the Baptist, the holy forerunner and kinsman of Christ, he who no one born from women is greater than him, he whom God exalted through honour and glory beyond all the saints, he who surpasses the angels in purity.’

The text claims that the name of John the Baptist has healing powers working like a medicine. It relates the circumstances of the murder of John and Christ's reaction when hearing about it. Christ departs into the desert and there celebrates a funerary meal for John with thousands of men, women and children, as one does, when a family member dies.

Relating episodes of John's life, the story of Elisabeth fleeing with John into the desert to avoid Herod's killing is presented, and the way they both lived without trouble among the rocks in the wilderness elaborated.
A large part of the encomion is then spent on the question how the exquisite purity of John was determined.

(Text and trans. E. A. W. Budge, slightly modified; summary G. Schenke)