Coptic fragment with the beginning of the Martyrdom of *Ignatios 'Theophoros' (bishop of Antioch and martyr of Rome, S00649), giving his feast day as 1 July; composed most likely during the 5th–7th century.
Evidence ID
E01840
Type of Evidence
Literary - Hagiographical - Accounts of martyrdom
K 07588
The short fragment starts with Ignatios of Antioch being taken to Rome where he is being watched by ten imperial guards whose individual names are listed. It gives the date of his martyrdom in Rome as the 7th of Epeiph (1 July).
ⲧⲙⲁⲣⲧⲩⲣⲓⲁ ⲙⲡϩⲁⲅⲓⲟⲥ ⲅⲛⲁⲧⲓⲟⲥ ⲡⲑⲉⲟⲫⲟⲣⲟⲥ · ⲉⲧⲉ ⲡⲉⲧⲫⲟⲛ ⲙⲡⲛⲟⲩⲧⲉ ⲡⲉ ·
ⲡⲉⲛⲧⲁϥⲣ ⲁⲣⲭⲏⲉⲡⲓⲥⲕⲟⲡⲟⲥ ⲉⲧⲁⲛⲧⲓⲟⲭⲓⲁ ⲙⲛⲛⲥⲁ ⲡⲧⲁϣⲉⲟⲓϣ ⲛⲛⲁⲡⲟⲥⲧⲟⲗⲟⲥ ·
ⲛⲧⲁϥϫⲉⲕ ⲧⲉϥⲙⲁⲣⲧⲩⲣⲓⲁ ⲇⲉ ⲉⲃⲟⲗ ϩⲛ ϩⲣⲱⲙⲏ ⲛⲥⲟⲩ ⲥⲁϣϥ ⲛⲉⲡⲏⲡ · ϩⲓ ⲧⲣⲁⲓⲁⲛⲟⲥ ⲡⲣⲣⲟ·
‘The martyrdom of saint Ignatios, the God-bearer’ – which means the one who pours forth God – he who was archbishop at Antioch after the appointment of the Apostles. He fulfilled his martyrdom in Rome on the 7th day of Epeiph under the emperor Trajan.’
Transcription from online image and translation: Gesa Schenke.
FestivalsComposing and translating saint-related texts
Protagonists in Cult and Narratives
Saint’s feast
Non Liturgical ActivityComposing and translating saint-related texts
Transmission, copying and reading saint-related texts
Protagonists in Cult and NarrativesOfficials
Source
The parchment fragment K 07588 is kept in the Papyrus Collection of the Austrian Library in Vienna, datable by its script to the 9th century.For publication details, dating, size and images of the parchment fragment visit: http://data.onb.ac.at/rec/RZ00003990
Discussion
This Coptic version of the Martyrdom of Ignatios contains an explanation of the Greek term θεοφόρος ('God-bearer') for the Egyptian audience. When the translation of this text (which was presumably originally Greek) was produced cannot be specified.Various different dates for his feast day are mentioned in the sources. While the Syriac tradition, recorded in the 411 Syriac Martyrology, celebrates him on 17 October (see E01569), the modern Eastern and Coptic Orthodox Church observe it on 20 December (24th of Choiak). But there are also other days recorded, see E00990: 25 December, and E01856: 25 June, in addition to the record here for 1 July.
The 11th/12th century Synaxarium of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria records two different feast days, having created two bishops named Ignatios. Ignatios, bishop of Antioch, martyred in Rome under Trajan, 24th of Choiak (20 December), appears there next to another Ignatios, bishop of Rome, martyred under Hadrian, 7th of Epeiph (1 July).
Bibliography
German translation:Till, W.C., Koptische Heiligen- und Martyrlegenden. Vol. 1 (Rome: Pont. institutum orientalium studiorum, 1935), 19–20.
Further reading
O'Leary, De L., Saints of Egypt (London: SPCK, 1937), 157.
Record Created By
Gesa Schenke
Date of Entry
9/9/2016
| ID | Name | Name in Source | Identity | S00649 | Ignatios, bishop of Antioch and martyr of Rome | ⲡϩⲁⲅⲓⲟⲥ ⲅⲛⲁⲧⲓⲟⲥ ⲡⲑⲉⲟⲫⲟⲣⲟⲥ | Certain |
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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, E01840 - http://csla.history.ox.ac.uk/record.php?recid=E01840