Coptic invocation to unnamed martyrs for help to punish a married couple, probably from the area south of Assiut (Upper Egypt); datable to the 4th-5th c.
E00699
Documentary texts - Other private document
Liturgical texts - Invocations, prayers and spells
Late antique original manuscripts - Papyrus sheet
P.Mich. inv. 1523
This text illustrates the private attempt of a woman named Theodora to gain the assistance of holy martyrs in a very personal matter. Theodora seeks the martyrs’ help to see her opponents punished and destroyed.
Ϯⲥⲁⲡⲥⲡ ϯⲡⲁⲣⲁⲕⲁⲗⲉⲓ ϯⲧⲱⲃϩ ⲙⲙⲱⲧⲛ ⲙⲙⲁⲣⲧⲩⲣⲟⲥ̣
ⲉⲧⲟⲩⲁⲁⲃ ⲁ̣ⲛⲁⲕ ⲑ̣ⲉⲱⲇⲟⲣⲁ ϯⲥϩⲓⲙⲉ ⲉⲧϫⲏⲩ ⲛϭⲁⲛⲥ
ϯϯ ⲙⲡⲓⲗⲓⲃⲉⲗⲗⲟⲥ ⲉϩⲟⲩⲛ ϩⲁ ⲡϫⲟⲣ ⲙⲛ ⲧϥⲥϩⲓⲙⲉ
4 ⲉⲡⲱϩⲧ ⲙⲙⲟ ⲛⲧⲉⲧⲛⲙⲛⲧⲁⲅⲁⲑⲟⲥ ϫⲉⲕⲁⲁⲥ
ⲁⲧⲉⲧⲛⲁⲣ̣ⲡⲁϩⲉ̣ⲡ ⲙⲛ ⲡϫⲟⲣ ⲙⲛ ⲧϥⲥϩⲓⲙⲉ
ⲧⲉⲧⲛⲡ[ⲁ]ⲧ̣ⲁⲥⲥ̣[ⲉ] ⲙⲙⲟⲟ̣ⲩ̣ ⲧⲉⲧⲛϫⲟⲣⲟⲩ ⲁ̣ⲃⲁⲗ
ⲧⲉ ⲡⲥⲁϩ̣ⲟⲩ ⲧ[ⲉ] ⲡϥⲛⲧ ⲙⲛ ⲡϫⲟⲩⲣ̣ⲉ ⲁⲃⲁⲗ
8 ⲧⲉϩⲁⲩ ⲧⲉ ⲧⲟⲣ̣[ⲅ]ⲏ ⲙⲡⲛ̣ⲟⲩⲧⲉ ⲧⲉϩⲟ ⲡϫⲟⲣ
ⲙⲛ ⲧϥⲥϩⲓⲙⲉ ⲙⲛ ⲡⲉⲧϣⲟⲟⲡ ⲛⲁϥ ⲧⲏⲣϥ
ⲧⲉ ⲟⲩⲛⲟϭ ⲛⲑⲗⲓⲯⲓⲥ ⲙ̣ⲛ ⲟⲩⲛⲁϭ ⲛ̣ⲁϣϭⲁⲡ
ϣ̣ⲱⲡⲉ ϩⲓϫⲛ ⲡϥⲏ ⲙⲛ ⲧϥⲥϩⲓⲙⲉ
12 ⲛ̣ⲑ̣ⲉ ⲉ[ⲩ]ϣⲉ ⲛ̣ⲉ̣ⲧ̣ⲛϭⲓϫ ⲁϫⲱ[ⲟⲩ ⲧ]ⲉ̣ⲧ̣ϭⲓϫ ⲉⲧϫⲟⲟⲣ
ⲙ̣ⲛ ⲡ̣ϭ̣ⲃ̣ⲁ̣ⲓ̣ ⲉⲧ̣ϫⲁⲥⲉ ⲉⲓ ⲉϫⲱⲟⲩ ϩⲓⲟⲩⲥⲟⲡ
ⲛⲧⲟϥ̣ ⲙⲛ ⲧϥⲥ̣ϩⲓⲙⲉ ⲙⲙⲁⲣⲧⲩ̣ⲣⲟⲥ ⲉⲧⲟⲩⲁⲁⲃ
ⲁⲧⲉⲧⲛⲁ̣ϭⲉⲡⲏ ⲧⲉⲧⲛⲣⲡⲁϩⲉⲡ ⲛⲉⲙⲉⲩ
16 [ⲁⲩⲁⲛ]ⲁ̣ⲩ ⲉ̣ⲛⲉⲧⲛϭⲟⲙ ⲙⲛ <ⲛ>ⲉⲧⲛϣⲡⲏⲣⲉ
[ⲙⲙⲁⲣⲧⲩ]ⲣⲟⲥ ⲉⲧ̣[ⲟ]ⲩ̣ⲁⲁⲃ ⲁ̣ⲧⲉⲧⲛⲁ̣ⲣⲡⲁϩⲉⲡ
[ⲛⲉⲙⲉⲩ] ⲧⲉ ⲡ[ⲉ]ⲩ̣ⲛⲕⲟ ⲗⲟϫⲉ
'I entreat, I beg, and I beseech you, holy martyrs! (2) I, Theodora, this ill-treated woman, (3) I hand in this petition (libellos) concerning Pjor and his wife. (4) I bow before your righteousness, so that (5) you will conduct my case against Pjor and his wife, (6) and so that you will strike them and destroy them, (7) and so that the curse, the worm, and the destruction will befall them, (8) and the wrath of God will come upon Pjor, (9) his wife, and everything that is his, (10) and so that a great suffering and a great outcry (11) will be on his house and his wife, (12) just as a smack from your hands upon them, and so that the strong hand (13) and the raised arm shall come upon them all at once, (14) him and his wife! Holy martyrs, (15) you shall hasten and conduct my case against them. (16) [They shall] see your powers and miracles! (17) Holy martyrs, you shall conduct my case (18) [against them] and [their] property shall be removed!
Text and translation: Worrell 1935, modified with new readings by Gesa Schenke.
Cult building - unspecified
Use of ImagesPraying before an image
Non Liturgical ActivityPrayer/supplication/invocation
Magic
MiraclesPunishing miracle
RelicsUnspecified relic
Protagonists in Cult and NarrativesOther lay individuals/ people
Women
Source
Papyrus P.Michigan Inv. 1523 is of unknown provenance, though dialectal forms speak for the area south of Assiut/Lykopolis(Upper Egypt) as the place of origin for the spell, which has been dated to the 4th or 5th century on palaeographical grounds. The papyrus leaf measures ca. 31.5 x 20.5 cm.The text was first published in 1935 by William H. Worrell among 'Coptic Magical and Medical Texts', and was later reproduced in translation by Stephen H. Skiles in Meyer’s and Smith’s volume of Coptic magical texts as item no. 108 'Curse against Joor and his wife'. Ever since, this witness has been hidden in the large heap of magical papyri.
Discussion
A woman named Theodora seeks the help of unnamed martyrs against a married couple whom she wishes to be punished. The reason for her anger and demand for justice are not directly stated, but judging from the last line, the underlying dispute seems to be a financial one. All she claims is that she is the 'injured party'. In order to achieve her goal, Theodora claims to 'hand in this petition (libellos) concerning Pjor and his wife'. The libellos mentioned here, most likely refers to the very papyrus in front of us and not to an official legal petition handed in to activate proceedings in a civic law court, though the invocation clearly makes use of such legal terminology. This suggests an invocation for a punishing miracle of the kind commonly performed by martyr saints in their miracle stories. The editor of the text pointed out that the martyrs addressed here might be the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste, who occasionally occur in Coptic magical texts, but this is no more than a possibility. Theodora may just invoke martyrs in general in the hope that one of them will answer her call, or she may be addressing a well-known martyr group.Whether Theodora was addressing an image of the martyrs, or was wearing or holding relics of martyr saints while invoking them is also a matter of pure speculation, but in view of reports from Gregory of Tours (e.g. E00627) in which relics of unknown martyrs were used successfully to ward off evil, this possibility might be worth keeping in mind. The papyrus could well have been deposited in a martyr shrine as a written request.
Bibliography
Editions and translations:Kropp, A., Ausgewählte koptische Zaubertexte, vol. I–III, Brussels 1930/31, esp. vol. II, 220 and vol. III, 103.
Worrell, W.H., “Coptic Magical and Medical Texts”, Orientalia 4 (1935), 1–37 and 184–194, esp. 3–4.
Skiles, S.H., "108: Curse against Joor and his wife’, in: M. Meyer and R. Smith (eds.), Ancient Christian Magic: Coptic Texts of Ritual Power (San Francisco: Harper San Francisco, 1994), 217–218.
Gesa Schenke
9/9/2015
| ID | Name | Name in Source | Identity | S00060 | Martyrs, unnamed or name lost | ⲙⲙⲁⲣⲧⲩⲣⲟⲥ̣ | Certain | S00060 | Martyrs, unnamed or name lost | ⲙⲙⲁⲣⲧⲩⲣⲟⲥ̣ | Certain |
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