Coptic fragment from the Acts of *Thomas (the Apostle, S00199), of unknown Egyptian provenance, preserving part of the only posthumous miracle presented in the Acts of Thomas, involving a contact relic of the deceased saint, to be obtained from his grave, to heal the king’s son from a demon; perhaps written originally in the early 3rd c. and translated into Coptic sometime between the 4th and 6th c.
E01149
Late antique original manuscripts - Parchment codex
Literary - Hagiographical - Accounts of martyrdom
Literary - Hagiographical - Collections of miracles
The parchment fragment I.1.b.666 (4784, Copt.13) of the Pushkin Museum in Moscow preserves the following passage describing events after the saint’s death and burial. King Misdai (here Mistheos), who had been responsible for the saint’s death, expects a miracle through a contact relic:
p. 62, col. 2:
ⲙⲛⲛⲥⲁ ⲟⲩⲟⲉϣ ⲇⲉ ⲁⲟⲩⲁ ϩⲛ ⲛⲉϣⲏⲣⲉ ⲙⲙⲥⲑⲉⲟⲥ · ϣⲱⲱϭⲉ ϩⲧⲛ ⲟⲩⲇⲉⲙⲱⲛⲟⲛ · ⲙⲡⲉ ⲗⲁⲁⲩ ⲉϣϭⲙϭⲟⲙ ⲉⲧⲁⲗϭⲟϥ ·
ⲛⲉⲣⲉ ⲡⲇⲉⲙⲱⲛⲟⲛ ⲅⲁⲣ ⲛⲁϣⲧ ⲉⲙⲁⲧⲉ :
ⲁϥⲙⲉⲕⲙⲟⲩⲕ[ϥ] ⲇⲉ ⲛϭ ⲡⲣⲣ̣[ⲟ] ⲉϥϫⲱ ⲙ̣[ⲙⲟⲥ] ϫⲉ ϯⲛⲁ[ⲟⲩ]ⲱⲛ ⲙⲡ[ⲧⲁ]ⲫⲟⲥ ⲙⲡⲁⲡ[ⲟⲥ]ⲧⲟⲗⲟⲥ ⲙⲡⲛⲟⲩⲧⲉ · ⲧⲁϥ
ⲛⲧⲉϥⲕⲁⲥⲉ ⲧⲁⲙⲟⲣⲥ ⲉⲡⲁϣⲏⲣⲉ · ⲁⲩⲱ ϯⲡⲥⲧⲉⲩⲉ ϫⲉ ϥⲛⲁⲗⲟ : –
ⲁϥⲃⲱⲕ ⲇⲉ ⲉϩⲣⲁ ⲛϭ ⲙⲥⲑⲉⲟⲥ ⲉⲉⲣⲉ ⲙⲡⲉⲛⲧⲁϥⲙⲉⲉⲩⲉ ⲉⲣⲟϥ · ⲡⲁ̣ⲡⲟⲥⲧⲟⲗⲟⲥ ⲇⲉ ⲉⲧ[ⲟ]ⲩ[ⲁⲁⲃ …
‘After some time, one of Mistheos’ sons was afflicted with a demon. No one was able to cure him, because the demon was very powerful.
The king thought to himself, saying: “I will open the tomb of the Apostle of God and take his burial shroud and tie it to my son. I believe he will be healed.” And Mistheos went up to do what he had considered. But the holy Apostle […’
Here the text of this fragment breaks off. But according to the Greek version, the Apostle appeared to the king assuring him that Christ will have mercy on him, even though he did not believe before.
But since the saint’s body had been secretly removed, the king was able only to obtain some of the dust where the body had been. Once, however, the dust was put onto his suffering son, he was healed. The king was thus converted and with this the Acts of Thomas end.
Text and translation: A. I. Elanskaya, lightly modified.
Visiting graves and shrines
MiraclesMiracle after death
Saint denying or suspending miracles
RelicsContact relic - cloth
Protagonists in Cult and NarrativesOther lay individuals/ people
Source
The fragmentary parchment leaf has been dated to the 10th century and is kept at the Pushkin Museum in Moscow. For Coptic manuscripts of the Acta Thomae see Elanskaya, 60.Bibliography
Edition and translation:Elanskaya, A.I., The Literary Coptic Manuscripts in the A. S. Pushkin State Fine Arts Museum in Moscow (Leiden, 1994), 60–67.
Gesa Schenke
2/11/2018
| ID | Name | Name in Source | Identity | S00199 | Thomas, the Apostle | Certain |
|---|
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