Coptic will of Petros, head of the monastery of Apa *Phoibammon (soldier and martyr of Assiut, S00080) at Deir el-Bahari (Upper Egypt), of 4 December 634 or 3 May 645, regulating the future of the monastery and including a reference to the duty of celebrating the saint’s feast day.
Evidence ID
E00233
Type of Evidence
Documentary texts - Will
Late antique original manuscripts - Papyrus sheet
P.KRU 77
Apa Petros, the superior of the monastery of Apa Phoibammon, hands over all responsibilities to his successor, a man named Jacob mentioned later on in the document.
Amongst the rights and responsibilities mentioned are the celebration of the saint’s feast day as well as the commemoration of the former superiors who have died, including the present one, the testator of this testament. He expects a proper burial and a yearly remembrance on his name day.
Summary: G. Schenke
Festivals
Saint’s feast
Cult PlacesCult building - monastic
Places Named after SaintMonastery
Non Liturgical ActivityBequests, donations, gifts and offerings
Source
Fragmentary papyrus document, beginning missing, overall slightly damaged, privately owned in Lyon.Discussion
The date provided at the end of the document, 3 May 645, differs from that given in the beginning, 4 December 634, which might indicate that changes have been made and added to the testament within the period of those years.Bibliography
Edition:Crum, W.E., and Steindorff, G., Koptische Rechtsurkunden des achten Jahrhunderts aus Djeme (Theben) (Leipzig, 1971), 252 (P. KRU 77).
German Translation:
Till, W.C., Die Koptischen Rechtsurkunden aus Theben (Vienna: H. Böhlaus, 1964), 144-148.
Further reading:
Biedenkopf-Ziehner, A., Koptische Schenkungsurkunden aus Thebais: Formeln und Topoi der Urkunden, Aussagen der Urkunden, Indices (Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz, 2001).
Godlewski, W., Deir el-Bahari V: Le monastère de St. Phoibammon (Warsaw: PWN, 1986).
For a full range of the documentary evidence on Phoibammon:
Papaconstantinou, A., Le culte des saints en Égypte des Byzantins aux Abbassides (Paris: CNRS, 2001), 204–214.
Record Created By
Gesa Schenke
Date of Entry
23/12/2014
| ID | Name | Name in Source | Identity | S00080 | Phoibammon, soldier and martyr of Assiut | ⲁⲃⲃⲁ ⲫⲟⲓⲃⲁⲙⲙⲱⲛ | Uncertain |
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Please quote this record referring to its author, database name, number, and, if possible, stable URL:
Gesa Schenke, Cult of Saints, E00233 - http://csla.history.ox.ac.uk/record.php?recid=E00233