Fragment from a Coptic Life of *Archellides (monk at the monastery of Romanos in Palestine, S00934), known for performing healing miracles during his lifetime; composed most likely during the 5th–7th c., preserved in a manuscript of the 9th/11th c.
E01845
Literary - Hagiographical - Lives of saint
K 09438
After witnessing the suffering of someone very ill, the mother of Archellides overhears two tradesmen talking about her son with admiration, stating that he has the ability to perform healing miracles and is filled with divine beauty and wisdom.
ⲛⲉⲡⲣⲁⲅⲙⲁⲧⲉⲩⲧⲏⲥ ⲇⲉ ⲛⲧⲉⲣⲟⲩⲛⲁⲩ ⲉⲡⲉⲛⲧⲁϥϣⲱⲡⲉ · ⲁⲩⲣϣⲡⲏⲣⲉ ⲉⲙⲁⲧⲉ · ⲁⲩⲱ ⲉⲛⲉⲩϣⲁϫⲉ ⲙⲛⲛⲉⲩⲉⲣⲏⲩ · ⲉⲩϫⲱ ⲙⲙⲟⲥ · ϫⲉ
ⲟⲩⲛⲟϭ ⲡⲉ ⲡϩⲥⲉ ⲙⲡⲉⲣⲱⲙⲉ :·· ⲁⲩⲱ ϩⲁⲙⲟ ⲉⲛⲉⲛⲧⲁ ⲡⲁ ⲉϣϭⲙϭⲟⲙ ⲉⲃⲱⲕ ⲉⲡⲙⲟⲛⲁⲥⲧⲏⲣⲓⲟⲛ ⲛⲁⲡⲁ ϩⲣⲱⲙⲁⲛⲟⲥ · ⲛⲧⲉ ⲡⲡⲉⲧⲟⲩⲁⲁⲃ ⲁⲣⲭⲏ̣ⲗⲗⲧⲏⲥ ϣⲗⲏⲗ ⲉϫⲱϥ · ⲁⲩⲱ ϥⲛⲁⲉⲙⲧⲟⲛ ⲡⲉ ⲉⲃⲟⲗ ϩⲙ ⲡⲉϥϩⲥⲉ:··
ϩⲛ ⲛⲟϭ ⲅⲁⲣ ⲛⲉ ⲛⲉϣⲡⲏⲣⲉ ⲛⲧⲁⲡⲛⲟⲩⲧⲉ ⲉⲛⲉⲣⲅⲉ ⲙⲙⲟⲟⲩ ⲉⲃⲟⲗ ϩⲧⲟⲟⲧϥ ·
‘After the tradesmen saw what had happened, they were very much amazed and spoke with each other, saying: “Great is the suffering of this man! If only he would have been able to go to the monastery of Apa Romanos and the saint Archellides would have prayed for him, he would recover from his suffering. For great are the miracles which God has performed through him.”’
Transcription from online image, and translation: Gesa Schenke.
Composing and translating saint-related texts
Transmission, copying and reading saint-related texts
MiraclesMiracle during lifetime
Healing diseases and disabilities
Source
A leaf from a former parchment codex, K 09438 housed at the Papyrus Collection in Vienna. The manuscript itself is datable to the 9th to 11th centuries.For an image of the parchment leaf and further information concerning measurements etc. visit: http://data.onb.ac.at/rec/RZ00003670
Discussion
The story of Archellides, whom his widowed mother had sent out to Athens and Beirut for the best possible education, is well known from his entrance in the Arabic Synaxarium of the Coptic Church, 13 Tybi (8 January): see Till, 25. Instead of returning to her as a successful member of society, Archellides joined the monastery of Romanos and lived completely withdrawn. His mother spent much of her life trying to find him. Once successful, her son died, before she could see him.This conflict of interests between a monk who has vowed to live a chaste life and to never even look at a woman, on the one hand, and the pain and despair of his mother, on the other, who wants nothing, but to see her only son once again, had become a popular example for religious passion in Egypt, performed in songs and prayers, with responding voices, see e.g. H. Junker, Koptische Poesie des zehnten Jahrhunderts, II, 30ff.
Bibliography
Text:Till, W.C., Koptische Heiligen- und Martyrlegenden. Vol. 1 (Rome: Pont. institutum orientalium studiorum, 1935), 24–26.
Further reading:
O'Leary, De L., Saints of Egypt (London: SPCK, 1937), 84–85.
Gesa Schenke
13/9/2016
| ID | Name | Name in Source | Identity | S00360 | Romanos from Rhosos, monk of Syria, ob. c. 400 | Uncertain | S00934 | Archellides, monk at the monastery of Romanos in Palestine | ⲁⲣⲭⲏ̣ⲗⲗⲧⲏⲥ | Certain |
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