Site logo

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), recounts how monks of the Sketis wrote down the account for future presentation.

Evidence ID

E00111

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

The Life of Onnophrios as presented by Paphnoutios to monks of Scetis is written down for public presentation:

ⲁⲩⲱ ⲡⲉⲩⲙⲁ ⲛϣⲱⲡⲉ ⲡⲉ ϣⲓⲏⲧ ⲁⲩϭⲉⲡⲏ ⲇⲉ ⲁⲩⲥϩⲁⲓ ⲛⲛⲉⲓϣⲁϫⲉ ⲛⲧⲁⲩⲥⲟⲧⲙⲟⲩ ⲉⲃⲟⲗ ϩⲓⲧⲟⲟⲧϥ ⲛⲁⲡⲁ ⲡⲁⲡⲛⲟⲩⲧⲉ ⲁⲩⲧⲁⲭⲩ ⲁⲩⲧⲁⲁⲩ ⲉⲩϫⲱⲱⲙⲉ ⲁⲩϫⲟⲟⲩϥ ⲉϣⲓⲏⲧ ⲁⲩⲕⲁⲁϥ ϩⲛ ⲧⲕⲕⲗⲏⲥⲓⲁ ⲉⲩϩⲏⲩ ⲛⲛⲉⲧⲛⲁⲥⲱⲧⲙ ⲉⲣⲟϥ

'Their place of residence was Sketis. They made haste and wrote down these words which they heard from Apa Papnoute [Paphnoutios]. They hurried and made them into a book. It was sent to Sketis and placed in the church, as a benefit to those who shall hear it.'


For a summary of the complete text, see E0089.


Text: Budge 1914, p. 223, fol. 21a–b
Translation: Gesa Schenke

Cult Places

Cult building - independent (church)
Cult building - monastic

Non Liturgical Activity

Oral transmission of saint-related stories
Composing and translating saint-related texts
Transmission, copying and reading saint-related texts

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and Pierpont Morgan Library, New York, M580, fol. 1–36, from Hamuli in the Fayum, dated to the year 889/890 (unpublished), one in Bohairic (Vatican Library, Coptic 65, fols. 99–120v, dated to the year 978/979).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

This is a prime example of how historicity was ascribed to manuscripts of saints’ lives used in churches and monasteries and read out to the congregation.


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).

Translation:
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

7/11/2014

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, E00111 - http://csla.history.ox.ac.uk/record.php?recid=E00111