Coptic donation document addressing the dikaion of the topos of *Markos (presumably Mark, the Evangelist,S00293) located in the south of Hermopolis (Middle Egypt); datable to the 7th-8th c.
E01143
Documentary texts - Donation document
CPR 4 32:
The widow Mariam of a shepherd from Hermopolis authorises this donation document to the monastery or shrine (topos) of Markos located in the south of Hermopolis. Neither the object of the donation nor a reason for donation are preserved.
CPR 4 32, line 3–5:
[ -ca.?- ⲡ]ϣⲱⲥ ⲡⲣⲱⲙ[ⲉ] ϣⲙⲟⲩⲛ [ⲉ]ⲓ̣ⲥ̣ϩ̣ⲁ̣ ⲛⲡⲇⲓⲕⲁⲓⲟⲛ ⲛ[- ca.6 -]
[ -ca.?- ]ⲧ[ⲟⲡⲟⲥ] ⲛⲫⲁⲅⲓ̣ⲟ̣ⲥ ⲙⲁⲣⲕⲟⲥ [ⲡⲉⲧ]ϩⲛ ⲡⲥⲁⲣⲏⲥ ⲛⲧⲓⲡⲟⲗⲓⲥ
[ⲛⲟⲩⲱⲧ -ca.?- ] ϩⲓⲧⲟⲟⲧⲥ̣ ⲛⲧⲛ̣ ̣ⲛ̣ⲁ ̣ ̣ⲙⲁ̣ⲣⲟ̣ⲩ̣ ⲡ̣ⲟ̣ⲓⲕⲟⲛⲟⲙⲟⲥ ⲛⲡⲉⲓ̣ⲧⲟⲡⲟⲥ 5
[ⲛⲟⲩⲱⲧ -ca.?-]
'… the shepherd, inhabitant of Hermopolis. I am writing to the […] dikaion of [the topos?] of saint Markos, located in the south of this [same] city, represented through NN, the oikonomos of the [same] topos.'
On the other side of the papyrus (verso), information on the type of the legal document is given:
+ ⲧ̣ⲇⲱⲣⲉⲁ ⲛⲙⲁ̣ⲣⲓϩⲁⲙ ⲧⲉⲛⲧⲁⲥ vac. ? ϣⲱⲡⲉ ⲛⲥϩⲓ[ⲙⲉ -ca.?- ]
vac. ? ⲡϣⲱⲥ ⲉⲧⲃⲉ ̣ ̣[ -ca.?- ]
'The gift of Mariam, the one who was a wife [to NN], the shepherd, concerning [type of gift/donation specified] …'
Translation: G. Schenke
A full record of the text is available at: http://papyri.info/ddbdp/cpr;4;32
Cult building - monastic
Places Named after SaintMonastery
Non Liturgical ActivityBequests, donations, gifts and offerings
Protagonists in Cult and NarrativesWomen
Ecclesiastics - monks/nuns/hermits
Other lay individuals/ people
Source
CPR 4 32 is a fragmentary papyrus belonging to the Papyrus Collection in Vienna, inv. K 3146. The handwriting of the document has been dated to the 7th–8th centuryDiscussion
Of what value Mariam’s gift had been and whether it was given annually, or just once after having received a favour from the monastery/shrine of Markos remains equally unknown. One possibility would be that the donation was intended for the salvation of her deceased husband’s soul.Bibliography
http://papyri.info/ddbdp/cpr;4;32Papaconstantinou, A., Le culte des saints en Égypte des Byzantins aux Abbassides (Paris: CNRS, 2001), 141–144, 423.
Till, W.C., Corpus Papyrorum Raineri IV (CPR IV): Die koptischen Rechtsurkunden der Papyrussammlung der Österreichischen Nationalbibliothek (Vienna, 1958), 36–37.
Gesa Schenke
22/2/2016
| ID | Name | Name in Source | Identity | S00293 | Mark the Evangelist | ⲫⲁⲅⲓ̣ⲟ̣ⲥ ⲙⲁⲣⲕⲟⲥ | 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, E01143 - http://csla.history.ox.ac.uk/record.php?recid=E01143