Fragment of a Coptic Miracle of *Kollouthos (physician and martyr of Antinoopolis, S00641), probably associated with the shrine at Peneueit in the district of Achmim/Panopolis (Upper Egypt), describing the healing there of a Greek woman and the reaction of her enraged Greek husband who then tries to destroy the shrine; written perhaps in the 6th c.
E00668
Literary - Hagiographical - Collections of miracles
Late antique original manuscripts - Parchment codex
In this story, a Greek husband on the lookout for his missing wife and servants finds out that his wife had been healed in the saint’s martyr shrine. He become very angry and swears by Apollo to destroy that shrine. He gathers manpower in the area to attack the shrine, but ends up punished, and most likely a convert to Christianity once personally confronted by the saint.
British Library Or. 3581 B(38)r col. I,7–II,26:
ⲕⲁⲧⲁ ⲟⲩⲟⲓⲕⲟⲛⲟⲙⲓⲁ ⲇⲉ ⲛⲧⲉ ⲡⲛⲟⲩⲧⲉ ⲉⲓⲥ ⲟⲩⲣⲱⲙⲉ ⲛⲭⲣⲓⲥⲧⲓⲁⲛⲟⲥ ⲁϥⲉⲓ ⲉϥⲡⲁⲣⲁⲅⲉ · ⲁϥⲥⲱⲧⲙ ⲉⲕⲩⲡⲣⲓⲁⲛⲟⲥ ⲡϩⲗⲗⲏⲛ ⲉϥϣⲁϫⲉ ⲙⲛ
ϩⲉⲛⲕⲉϩⲗⲗⲏⲛ ⲛⲧⲉϥϩⲉ ⲉϥϫⲱ ⲙⲙⲟⲥ ϫⲉ ⲙⲡⲉⲓϩⲉ ⲉⲧⲁⲥϩⲓⲙⲉ ⲟⲩⲇⲉ ⲛⲁϩⲙϩⲁⲗ ϩⲙ ⲡⲁⲏⲓ ⲡⲣⲱⲙⲉ ⲛⲭⲣⲓⲥ[ⲧⲓⲁ]ⲛⲟⲥ · ⲁϥ[ⲟⲩⲱ]ϣⲃ ⲡⲉϫⲁϥ
[ⲛⲁ]ϥ ϫⲉ ϣⲉ ⲛ[ six lines missing ⲁϥⲧ]ⲁⲗϭ[ⲟⲥ ⲅⲁⲣ] ϩⲙ ⲡⲉⲥϣ[ⲱ]ⲛⲉ · ⲕⲩⲡⲣⲓ[ⲁ]ⲛⲟⲥ ⲇⲉ ⲛⲧⲉⲣⲉϥⲥⲱⲧⲙ ⲉⲛⲁⲓ ⲉϥϣⲓⲡⲉ ⲉⲙⲁⲧⲉ ϩⲛ
ⲧⲙⲏⲧⲉ ⲛⲛⲉϥϣⲃⲏⲣ ϩⲗⲗⲏⲛ · ⲉⲧⲃⲉ ⲡⲣⲁⲛ ⲙⲡϩⲁⲅⲓⲟⲥ ⲕⲟⲗⲗⲟⲩⲑⲟⲥ · ⲁⲩⲱ ⲁϥϩⲟϫϩϫ ϩⲙ ⲡⲉϥⲡⲛⲁ · ⲁⲩⲱ ⲡⲉϫⲁϥ ϫⲉ ϣⲉ ⲡⲁⲡⲟⲗⲗⲱⲛ
ⲡⲛⲟϭ ⲛⲛⲟⲩⲧⲉ ϯⲛⲁϣⲟⲣϣⲣ ⲙⲡⲧⲟⲡⲟⲥ ⲉⲧⲙⲙⲁⲩ
‘According to God’s plan, behold, a Christian came walking by. He heard Kyprianos, the Greek, speaking with other Greeks in his manner saying: “I neither found my wife nor my servants at my house.” The Christian man answered and said to him: “Go to [six lines missing most likely directing the Greek to the martyr shrine of saint Kollouthos] [For he has] healed [her] from her illness. Kyprianos, however, when he heard these things, was very embarrassed in the midst of his Greek friends because of the name of saint Kollouthos. He was distressed in his spirit and said: “By Apollo, the great God, I will destroy that shrine.”’
British Library Or. 3581 B(38)v col. I,6–II,25:
[ ϩ]ⲙ ⲡϯ[ⲙⲉ ·] ⲛⲧⲉⲣⲟⲩ[ⲥ]ⲱⲟⲩϩ ⲇⲉ ⲁϥϫⲓ ⲏⲡⲉ ⲙⲙⲟⲟⲩ · ⲁϥϩⲉ ⲉⲣⲟⲟⲩ ⲉⲩⲉⲓⲣⲉ ⲛⲥⲁϣϥ ⲛϣⲉ ⲙⲯⲩⲭⲏ ⲁⲩⲱ ⲁϥⲧⲣⲉⲡⲟⲩⲁ ⲡⲟⲩⲁ
ⲁⲙⲁϩⲧⲉ ⲛⲟⲩⲛⲕⲁ ⲛϭⲱϫⲉ ⲉϥϫⲱ ⲙⲙⲟⲥ ϫⲉ ⲁⲗⲏⲑⲱⲥ ϯⲛⲁϣⲟⲣϣⲣ ⲙⲡⲧⲟⲡⲟⲥ ⲉⲧⲙⲙⲁⲩ ⲧⲁⲧⲟⲧϥ ⲉⲃⲟⲗ ⲙⲛ ⲡⲕⲁϩ ϩⲁⲡⲗⲱⲥ ⲁⲩϯ
ⲡⲉⲩⲟⲩⲟⲉⲓ ⲁⲩ[ ⲧⲛ]ⲏⲥⲉ [ⲉⲧϩⲁ]ϩⲧⲙ ⲡϣⲏⲓ [ⲁⲩ]ⲱ ϩⲛ ⲧⲉⲩⲛ[ⲟ]ⲩ ⲉⲧⲙⲙⲁⲩ ⲉⲓⲥ ⲡϩⲁⲅⲓⲟⲥ ⲕⲟⲗⲗⲟⲩⲑⲟⲥ ⲁϥⲉⲓ ⲉⲃⲟⲗ ϩⲙ ⲡⲧⲟⲡⲟⲥ
ⲉⲣⲉ ⲟⲩⲟⲛ ⲛⲓⲙ ⲑⲉⲱⲣⲉⲓ ⲙⲙⲟϥ ⲛϩⲟ ϩⲓ ϩⲟ · ⲁⲩⲱ ⲁϥⲛⲓϥⲉ ⲉϩⲟⲩ(ⲛ) ϩⲙ ⲡⲉⲩϩⲟ ⲁⲩⲣⲃⲗⲗⲉ ⲧⲏⲣⲟⲩ ϫⲓⲛ ⲡⲉⲩⲛⲟϭ ϣⲁ ⲡⲉⲩⲕⲟⲩⲓ · ⲁⲩⲱ
ⲁⲩⲣϣⲟⲙⲛⲧ ⲛϩⲟⲟⲩ ⲙⲛ ϣⲟⲙⲧⲉ ⲛⲟⲩϣⲏ ⲉⲩⲛⲏϫ ⲉⲃⲟⲗ ϩⲁϩ[ⲧⲛ] ⲧⲛⲏⲥⲉ [ⲙⲡⲧⲟ]ⲡⲟⲥ ⲉⲩⲟ ⲛ[ⲃⲗⲗⲉ]
‘ […] in the village. When they had gathered, he counted them and found that they were seven hundred souls. He let each one grab a cutting tool saying: “Truly, I will destroy that shrine and I will level it with the ground.”
At once they made their way […] the step [which is] by the cistern. And at that moment, behold saint Kollouthos came forth from the shrine, while everyone was seeing him face to face. He blew into their face and they all went blind from the oldest to the youngest. They spent three days and three nights lying about by the step of the shrine being [blind].’
Text and translation: G. Schenke
Martyr shrine (martyrion, bet sāhedwātā, etc.)
Non Liturgical ActivityComposing and translating saint-related texts
Transmission, copying and reading saint-related texts
MiraclesMiracle after death
Punishing miracle
Miracles causing conversion
Healing diseases and disabilities
Protagonists in Cult and NarrativesWomen
Pagans
Source
Fragment of a parchment leaf said to come from Achmim/Panopolis, British Library Or. 3581 B(38), palaeographically datable to the 9th century.Discussion
The fact that the story takes place in a village and not in a city, suggests that this miracle story is associated with the saint’s shrine at Pneueit (see E00667) rather than at Antinoopolis (see 00666). In addition the cistern mentioned by the step of the shrine suggests that this is the cistern said to contain the martyr’s blood at the shrine in Pneueit. If so, this miracle could be part of the encomion on Kollouthos, by Phoibamon, bishop of Panopolis, which would give a date of composition in the 6th century.Bibliography
Text, Translation and Commentary:G. Schenke, Das koptisch hagiographische Dossier des Heiligen Kolluthos – Arzt, Märtyrer und Wunderheiler, eingeleitet, neu ediert, übersetzt und kommentiert, CSCO 650 Subsidia 132, Louvain: Peeters 2013, 193–211.
Gesa Schenke
5/7/2017
| ID | Name | Name in Source | Identity | S00641 | Kollouthos, physician and martyr of Antinoopolis | ⲕⲟⲗⲗⲟⲩⲑⲟⲥ | Certain |
|---|
Please quote this record referring to its author, database name, number, and, if possible, stable URL:
Gesa Schenke, Cult of Saints, E00668 - http://csla.history.ox.ac.uk/record.php?recid=E00668