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The Cult of Saints in Late Antiquity


from its origins to circa AD 700, across the entire Christian world


Coptic ostrakon from Wadi Sarga (Upper Egypt) with an invocation to *Peter (the Apostle, S00036), the *Seven Hundred Martyrs of Thone (S00771, Middle Egypt), and a list of holy men; datable to the 6th–8th century.

Evidence ID

E01245

Type of Evidence

Liturgical texts - Invocations, prayers and spells

Late antique original manuscripts - Ostracon/Pot-sherd

O.Sarga 54

+ ⲡⲉⲓⲱⲧ ⲡ[ϣⲏⲣⲉ]
ⲡⲉⲡⲛⲁ ⲉⲧⲟⲩⲁⲁⲃ̣ [ⲟ ⲁⲅⲓⲟⲥ]
ⲡⲉⲧⲣⲟⲥ : ⲡⲥⲁϣϥ ⲛϣⲉ̣ [ⲛⲙⲁⲣ-]
ⲧⲩⲣⲟⲥ ⲛⲑⲱⲛⲉ : ⲙⲛ ⲡⲉ̣[ⲛⲉⲓⲱⲧ]
ⲁⲡⲁ ⲑⲱⲙⲁⲥ : ⲙⲛ ⲁⲡⲁ [ⲡⲉⲧⲣⲉ]
ⲙⲛ ⲁⲡⲁ ⲱⲥⲏⲫ : ⲙⲛ ⲁ[ⲡⲁ ⲁⲛⲟⲩⲡ]
ⲙⲛ ⲁⲡⲁ ⲡⲁⲙⲟⲩⲛ [
ⲙⲛ ⲁⲡⲁ ⲟⲩⲥⲧⲉ [: ⲙⲛ
ⲁⲡⲁ ⲁⲙ̣[ⲱⲛⲉ? ⲁⲙ̣[ⲟⲩⲛ? :


'
Father, [Son], (and) Holy Spirit. [Saint] Peter, the Seven Hundred martyrs of Thone, and [our father] Apa Thomas with Apa [Petre], and Apa Joseph, and Apa [Anoup], and Apa Pamoun, [and …?] and Apa Juste, [and] Apa Am[one?/ Am[oun? , and …'


Text: W.E. Crum.
Translation: G. Schenke.


For a full reference with an earlier edition, a translation, and images see:
http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=121388&partId=1 (accessed 8 July 2019).

Non Liturgical Activity

Prayer/supplication/invocation

Source

The ostrakon (British Museum EA 55804) was been found at Wadi Sarga and is now housed in the British Museum in London.


Discussion

The list is incomplete and the reason for this invocation lost. The names in the list are not explicitly given with the title ⲡϩⲁⲅⲓⲟⲥ 'saint' or ⲉⲧⲟⲩⲁⲁⲃ 'holy', as far as the text is preserved, but many of them are familiar figures. The list also seems to include holy men, i.e. abbots and former abbots of the monastery at Wadi Sarga. The figures invoked seem to be in descending order of importance, i.e. from major Biblical saints via martyrs to holy men, for the latter of whom there is very little evidence of significant cult. The formula used is similar to invocations heading funerary inscriptions: see E01247–E01249.

Martyrs of Thone are mentioned as a general group in an invocation on a grave stele most likely from Bawit: see E01302.


Bibliography

Edition and translation:
Bell, H.I., and Crum, W.E., Wadi Sarga: Coptic and Greek Texts from the Excavations Undertaken by the Byzantine Research Account (Copenhagen: Gyldendalske Boghandel-Nordisk Forlag, 1922), 73-74.

Further reading
Revillout, E., “Mélanges d’épigraphie et de linguistique égyptienne,” Mélanges d’ Archéologie égyptienne et assyrienne 2 (1875), 166-196, esp. 175.

Trismegistos 372002 (http://www.trismegistos.org/text/372002).


Record Created By

Gesa Schenke

Date of Entry

6/4/2016

Related Saint Records
IDNameName in SourceIdentity
S00036Peter, the Apostle[ⲟ ⲁⲅⲓⲟⲥ] ⲡⲉⲧⲣⲟⲥCertain
S00771700 martyrs of Thone (Middle Egypt)ⲡⲥⲁϣϥ ⲛϣⲉ̣ [ⲛⲙⲁⲣ]ⲧⲩⲣⲟⲥ ⲛⲑⲱⲛⲉCertain


Please quote this record referring to its author, database name, number, and, if possible, stable URL:
Gesa Schenke, Cult of Saints, E01245 - http://csla.history.ox.ac.uk/record.php?recid=E01245