Fragments from a Coptic Martyrdom of *Heraklides (martyr of Alexandria, S00937) recount how the saint effected miracles while imprisoned, was approached by Julius of Aqfahs to treat his brother Timotheos (a notorious persecutor of Christians), and was himself healed after torture. Written probably in the 6th c., preserved in a manuscript of the 9th/11th c.
E01847
Literary - Hagiographical - Accounts of martyrdom
Part of the cycle of Julius of Aqfahs
Julius of Aqfahs entreats the saint to cure his brother, seemingly from a ‘disease’ causing him to punish Christians.
K09506, p. 35:
ϩⲱⲙⲉⲟⲥ ⲇⲉ ⲟⲛ ⲛⲉⲩⲛⲧⲉ ⲓⲟⲩⲗⲓⲟⲥ ⲡⲃⲟⲏⲑⲟⲥ <ⲙ>ⲡⲕⲟⲙⲉⲛⲧⲁⲛⲏⲥⲓⲟⲥ ⲛⲟⲩⲥⲟⲛ ⲉⲡⲉϥⲣⲁⲛ ⲡⲉ ⲇⲓⲙⲟⲑⲉⲟⲥ ·:· ⲁϥϭⲱ ⲉϥⲇⲓⲱⲕⲉⲓ ⲛⲥⲁ
ⲛⲉⲭⲣⲏⲥⲧⲁⲛⲟⲥ ⲉⲧϩⲙ ⲡⲉϣⲧⲉⲕⲟ ⲉϥϯ ϩⲓⲥⲉ ⲛⲁⲩ ⲉⲡⲉϩⲟⲩⲟ · ⲉϥϫⲱⲕ ⲉⲃⲟⲗ ⲙⲡ̣[ⲟⲩⲉ]ϩ̣ⲥ̣ⲁϩⲛⲉ ⲙⲡⲣⲣⲟ ⲛⲁⲛⲟⲙⲟⲥ ·
‘Now, Julius, the assistant of the commentariensis (κομμενταρήσιος), had a brother named Timotheos. He continued to persecute the Christians in prison making them suffer tremendously by fulfilling the edict of the lawless emperor.’
K09506, p. 36:
ⲓⲟⲩⲗⲟⲥ ⲇⲉ · ⲁϥⲥⲱⲧⲙ ⲉⲧⲃⲉ ⲛⲉϭⲟⲙ · ⲙⲛ ⲛⲉϣⲡⲏⲣⲉ · ⲉⲧⲉⲣⲉ ⲡϩⲁⲅⲓⲟⲥ ⲁⲡⲁ ϩⲩⲣⲁⲕⲗⲓⲧⲉ ⲉⲓⲣⲉ ⲙⲙⲟⲟⲩ ϩⲙ ⲡⲉϣⲧⲉⲕⲟ ·:· ⲁϥⲧⲱⲟⲩⲛ
ⲁϥ[ⲃ]ⲱ̣[ⲕ] ϣ̣ⲁⲣⲟϥ · ⲁϥ[ϭⲱ ⲉϥ]ⲡⲁⲣⲁⲕⲁ[ⲗⲉⲓ ⲙ]ⲙⲟϥ · ⲉⲧ[ⲃⲉ ⲡ]ⲉϥⲥⲟⲛ · ϫⲉ[ⲕ]ⲁⲥ · ⲉϥⲉⲑⲩⲣⲁⲡⲉⲩⲉ ⲙⲙⲟϥ ⲛϥⲧⲁⲗϭⲟϥ·
‘Julius, however, heard about the miracles and wonders which the saint Apa Heraklites performed in prison. He rose and went to him and continued to entreat him concerning his brother, so that he (the saint) would treat and cure him.’
When accused of performing acts of magic in prison, Heraklides argues that he simply acts as a medium of divine power.
K 09607, p.41:
ⲡⲉϫⲉ ⲡϩⲁⲅⲓⲟⲥ ⲛⲁϥ · ϫⲉ ⲛⲉϩⲃⲏⲩⲉ ⲛⲧⲁⲕⲥⲱⲧⲙ ϫⲉ ⟨ⲁⲓ⟩ⲉⲣⲉ ⲙⲙⲟⲟⲩ · ⲛⲉⲉⲣⲉ ⲙⲙⲟⲟⲩ ⲁⲛ ϩⲛ ⲟⲩⲙⲛⲧⲙⲁⲅⲟⲥ ·:· ⲁⲗⲗⲁ · ⲛⲧⲁⲓⲁⲁⲩ
ϩⲛ ⲧϭⲟⲙ ⲙⲡⲁϫⲟⲉⲓⲥ ⲓⲥ ⲡⲉⲭⲥ ·:·
‘The saint said to him: “The things you have heard me do, I have not done them through magic, but I have accomplished them through the power of my Lord Jesus Christ.”’
The saint is then asked to sacrifice to the imperial gods and promised a high-ranking position, if he complies. He refuses and is tortured to the point of death, limbs and eyes destroyed. He prays to God to send his angel to save him and restore him back to life.
K 09607, p.42:
ⲁⲩⲱ ⲛⲧⲉⲩⲛⲟⲩ ⲉⲓⲥ ⲡⲁⲅⲅⲉⲗⲟⲥ ⲙⲡϫⲟⲉⲥ ⲁϥⲉⲣ ⲡⲉⲥⲙⲟⲧ ⲛⲟⲩϭⲣⲟⲙⲡⲉ ⲛⲟⲩⲟⲉⲓⲛ · ⲁϥⲣⲱϩⲧ ⲛⲛⲉϥⲧⲉⲛϩ ⲛⲟⲩⲟⲉⲓⲛ ⲉϩⲟⲩⲛ ϩⲙ ⲡⲉϥϩⲟ ·
ⲁⲛⲉϥⲃⲁⲗ ⲟ̣ⲩⲱ̣ⲛ ⲁϥⲛⲁ̣ⲩ̣ ⲉ̣ⲃ̣ⲟ̣ⲗ̣ ⲁϥⲁϩⲉⲣⲁ̣ⲧ̣ϥ̣ ⲉϫⲙ ⲡⲃⲏⲙⲁ ⲉ̣ϣ̣ϫⲉ ⲙⲡⲟⲩⲃⲁⲥⲁⲛⲓⲍⲉ ⲙⲙⲟϥ ⲉⲡⲧⲏⲣϥ
‘And behold, immediately the angel of the Lord took the form of a luminous dove. He struck his face with his luminous wings and his eyes opened. He saw (again) and stood on the platform, as if he had not been tortured at all.’
Text: W.C. Till
Translation and summary: G. Schenke
Composing and translating saint-related texts
Transmission, copying and reading saint-related texts
MiraclesMiracle during lifetime
Miracles experienced by the saint
Protagonists in Cult and NarrativesOfficials
Source
K 09506 and K 09607 are both parchment leaves belonging to a former codex containing the martyrdom of Heraklides. Both leaves are housed at the Papyrus Collection in Vienna. The manuscript is datable to between the 9th and 11th century.For more information on the parchment fragment visit:
K 09506
http://data.onb.ac.at/rec/RZ00013704
and
K09607
http://data.onb.ac.at/rec/RZ00013704
The appearance of Julius of Aqfahs who in many martyrdom accounts appears as a contemporary of the Diocletianic martyrs and as their biographer, suggests a date for the composition of these texts in the 6th/7th century.
A parchment leaf at the Pushkin Museum in Moscow, I.1.b.292 (4779, Copt. 15), datable on palaeographical grounds to the 10th century, comes from the White Monastery near Sohag. In this fragment, from the beginning of the Martyrdom, Apa Heraklides prepares the members of his family for his imminent departure to seek martyrdom, by inviting them to his house to celebrate his new birthday. His mother is very worried for him. Fragments in Paris (BN 129.16, fols. 47–48) and London (BL Or. 3581 B (43)) are part of the same codex.
More fragmentary manuscripts attesting this story are known in Coptic, for which see Till, KHML I, 33, for details.
Discussion
Heraklides is not found in the Synaxarium of the Coptic Church and has so far not appeared in any documentary evidence. Whether he is identical with the martyr *Herakleides (S00942), mentioned by Eusebius of Caesarea in his Greek Ecclesiastical History in 311/325, amongst other martyrs of Alexandria in the early 3rd century, remains a possibility only. See E01853.The text as preserved here makes it appear as if Julius is asking the saint to heal his brother from his madness driving him to persecute Christians.
Bibliography
Text and German translation:Till, W.C., Koptische Heiligen- und Martyrlegenden. Vol. 1 (Rome: Pont. institutum orientalium studiorum, 1935), 19–20.
O'Leary, De L., Saints of Egypt (London: SPCK, 1937), 151–152.
Text and English translation of the fragment in Moscow:
Elanskaya, A.I., The Literary Coptic Manuscripts in the A. S. Pushkin State Fine Arts Museum in Moscow (Leiden, 1994), 120–125.
Gesa Schenke
19/9/2016
| ID | Name | Name in Source | Identity | S00937 | Heraklides, martyr of Alexandria | ⲁⲡⲁ ϩⲩⲣⲁⲕⲗⲓⲧⲉ | Certain |
|---|
Please quote this record referring to its author, database name, number, and, if possible, stable URL:
Gesa Schenke, Cult of Saints, E01847 - http://csla.history.ox.ac.uk/record.php?recid=E01847