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The Cult of Saints in Late Antiquity


from its origins to circa AD 700, across the entire Christian world


Coptic Life of *Onnophrios, the Anchorite (Egyptian anchorite, 4th c., S00055), written probably in the 5th/6th c. in the Sketis (Lower Egypt), describes miraculous events at the saint's death, and his burial.

Evidence ID

E00110

Type of Evidence

Literary - Hagiographical - Lives of saint

Late antique original manuscripts - Papyrus codex

Late antique original manuscripts - Parchment codex

Paphnoutios of Scetis, Life of Onnophrios, the Anchorite

Paphnoutios describes events at the death of Onnophrios and his burial:

ⲁⲩⲱ ⲁϥϯ ⲙⲡⲉϥⲡⲛⲁ ⲛⲛϭⲓϫ ⲙⲡⲛⲟⲩⲧⲉ ϩⲛ ⲥⲟⲩ ⲙⲛⲧⲁⲥⲉ ⲙⲡⲉⲃⲟⲧ ⲡⲁⲱⲛⲉ
ⲁⲛⲟⲕ ⲇⲉ ⲁⲓⲥⲱⲧⲙ ⲉϩⲉⲛⲫⲱⲛⲏ ⲛⲁⲅⲅⲉⲗⲟⲥ ⲉⲩϩⲩⲙⲛⲉⲩⲉ ϩⲓⲑⲏ ⲙⲡⲙⲁⲕⲁⲣⲓⲟⲥ ⲁⲡⲁ ⲟⲛⲛⲟϥⲣⲓⲟⲥ ⲁⲩⲱ ⲛⲉⲣⲉ ⲟⲩⲛⲟϭ ⲛⲟⲩⲣⲟⲧ ϣⲟⲟⲡ ϩⲛ
ⲧⲉϥϭⲓⲛⲁⲡⲁⲛⲧⲁ ⲉⲡⲛⲟⲩⲧⲉ ⲁⲛⲟⲕ ⲇⲉ ⲁⲓⲕⲁⲧ ⲕⲁϩⲏⲩ ⲛⲧⲁⲗⲟⲃⲏⲧⲉ ⲉⲧⲧⲟ ϩⲓⲱⲱⲧ ⲁⲓϯ ⲛⲧⲉⲥⲡⲁϣⲉ ⲉⲧⲕⲁⲓⲥⲉ ⲧⲕⲉⲡⲁϣⲉ ⲇⲉ ⲁⲓϭⲟⲗⲧ ⲙⲙⲟⲥ ϫⲉ ⲛⲛⲉⲓϭⲱ ⲉⲓⲕⲏ ⲕⲁϩⲏⲩ ⲁⲓϯ ⲇⲉ ⲙⲡⲉϥⲥⲱⲙⲁ ⲉⲡⲉⲥⲏⲧ ⲉⲡⲟⲩⲱϣ ⲛⲟⲩⲡⲉⲧⲣⲁ ⲁⲓⲥⲱⲧⲙ ⲉⲡⲉϩⲣⲟⲟⲩ ⲛⲟⲩⲙⲏⲏϣⲉ ⲛⲁⲅⲅⲉⲗⲟⲥ ⲉⲩⲣⲁϣⲉ ⲁⲩⲱ ⲉⲩⲱϣ ⲉⲃⲟⲗ ϫⲉ ⲁⲗⲗⲏⲗⲟⲩⲓⲁ
ⲁⲓϯ ⲇⲉ ⲙⲡⲁϣⲗⲏⲗ ⲉϩⲣⲁⲓ ⲉϫⲱϥ ⲁⲩⲱ ⲁⲓϭⲱⲗ ⲛⲟⲩⲁϣⲏ ⲛⲱⲛⲉ ⲉϩⲣⲁⲓ ⲉϫⲱϥ ⲁⲓⲁϩⲉⲣⲁⲧ ⲁⲓϣⲗⲏⲗ ⲡⲙⲉϩ ⲥⲡ ⲥⲛⲁⲩ ⲁⲩⲱ ⲛⲧⲉⲩⲛⲟⲩ
ⲁⲧⲃⲛⲛⲉ ϩⲉ
ⲁⲛⲟⲕ ⲇⲉ ⲁⲓⲣϣⲡⲏⲣⲉ ⲉⲙⲁⲧⲉ ⲙⲡⲉⲛⲧⲁϥϣⲱⲡⲉ

'He handed his spirit over to the hands of God on day sixteen of the month Pauni.
I heard angelic voices singing in front of the blessed Apa Onnophrios. There was great joy at his appearance before God. But I took off my garment which I wore. I used its one half for the burial. With the other half I covered myself, so that I would not continue being naked. I laid his body down in the gap of a rock. I heard the voice of an angelic multitude being joyful and calling out, "Alleluia!"
I delivered my prayer over him and collected a number of stones onto him. I stood up and prayed for the second time and immediately the date palm-tree fell. I was very much amazed at what had happened.'


For a summary of the complete text, see E0089.


Text: Budge, p. 217, fol. 15a–b
Translation: Gesa Schenke

Cult Places

Cult building - monastic

Non Liturgical Activity

Prayer/supplication/invocation
Composing and translating saint-related texts
Transmission, copying and reading saint-related texts

Miracles

Assumption/otherworldly journey
Miraculous sound, smell, light
Power over objects

Protagonists in Cult and Narratives

Ecclesiastics - monks/nuns/hermits

Source

The Coptic Life of Onnophrios, the Anchorite is known through three complete manuscripts, two in Sahidic: British Library, London, Oriental 7027, fols. 1–21v, from Edfu, with a colophon giving the year 1004/5 (ed. Budge, Coptic Martyrdoms) and Pierpont Morgan Library, New York, M580, fol. 1–36, from Hamuli in the Fayum, dated to the year 889/890 (unpublished), one in Bohairic (Vatican Library, Coptic 65, fols. 99–120v, dated to the year 978/979). There are also codex fragments: a papyrus leaf dated on palaeographical grounds to the 7th century (ed. Lefort, 1945, 97–100), a fragmentary papyrus leaf from the end of the story, dated on palaeographical grounds to the 6th/7th century (ed. Orlandi), and two parchment leaves of a codex from the so called White Monastery (ed. Till). There are therefore good reasons to think that the text is 6th century or earlier.


Discussion

The burial of the anchorite seems just as austere as his life had been. The falling date tree, which would henceforth not supply any more fruit to sustain life in the desert, is the last sign Onnophrios sends to ensure that Paphnoutios does not stay on, but fulfils his mission to make the anchorite’s life known to others in Egypt.


Bibliography

Editions:
Budge, E.A.W., Coptic Martyrdoms etc. in the Dialect of Upper Egypt (Coptic Texts 4; London: British Museum, 1914), 205-224.

Lefort, L.T., “Fragments coptes,”
Le Muséon 58 (1945), 97-120.

Orlandi, T.,
Papiri copti di contenuto teologico (Vienna: In Kommission bei Verlag Brüder Hollinek, 1974), 158-161.

Till, W.C., Koptische Heiligen- und Martyrlegenden. Vol. 1 (Rome: Pont. institutum orientalium studiorum, 1935), 14–19.

Translations:
Vivian, T., Paphnutius, Histories of the Monks of Upper Egypt and the Life of Onnophrius (Cistercian Studies 140; Kalamazoo: Cistercian Publications, 1993). [With an introduction and evaluation of the text, as well as an English translation, all three of rather questionable value]

Further reading:
Coquin, R.-G., “Onophrius, Saint,” in: A.S. Atiya (ed.), The Coptic Encyclopedia. 8 vols. (New York: Macmillan, 1991), vol. 6, 1841-1842.

O'Leary, De L.,
Saints of Egypt (London: SPCK, 1937), 210.

Sauget, J.-M., “S. Onofrio anacoreta in Tebaide,”
Bibliotheca Sanctorum 9 (1987), 1187-1197.

Williams, C.A.,
Oriental Affinities of the Legend of the Hairy Anchorite. Part II: Christian (University of Illinois Studies in Language and Literature 11/4; Urbana IL: University of Illinois Press, 1926).

For a full range of the documentary evidence on Onnophrios:
Papaconstantinou, A., Le culte des saints en Égypte des Byzantins aux Abbassides (Paris: CNRS, 2001), 161-162.


Record Created By

Gesa Schenke

Date of Entry

6/11/2014

Related Saint Records
IDNameName in SourceIdentity
S00055Onnophrios, Egyptian anchorite, 4th c.ⲁⲡⲁ ⲟⲛⲛⲟϥⲣⲓⲟⲥCertain


Please quote this record referring to its author, database name, number, and, if possible, stable URL:
Gesa Schenke, Cult of Saints, E00110 - http://csla.history.ox.ac.uk/record.php?recid=E00110