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The Cult of Saints in Late Antiquity


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


Greek list concerning grain payments for cleaning services at saints' feasts, mentioning the feast of Apa *Sion (Arsinoite saint, S01177), from the region of Hermopolis (Middle Egypt) or the Fayum (Lower Egypt); datable to the 5th century.

Evidence ID

E02164

Type of Evidence

Documentary texts - List

CPR 9 68

βρέπιων καθάρ(σεως)
οὕτως
ἐν ἡμέρ(ᾳ) τοῦ ἁγίου ἄπα Σίωνος
σίτ(ου) (ἀρτάβαι) β
5
ἐν ἡμέρ(ᾳ) τοῦ ἁγίου ἄπ̣[α   ̣  ̣  ̣]
[σ]ί̣[τ(ου) (ἀρτάβαι) -ca.?- ]
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

'List of cleaning (activity) as follows:
On the feast day of saint Apa Sion: two artabas of wheat.
On the feast day of saint Apa […]: […] artabas of wheat.
…’

Text and German translation: W.C. Till
English translation: G. Schenke

A full record of the document complete with image is available at: http://papyri.info/ddbdp/cpr;9;68

Festivals

Saint’s feast

Source

The papyrus P.Vindob. G 25430 is housed at the papyrus collection at Vienna. The inventory number suggested a provenance from the area of Hermopolis, although a saint Apa Sion or Apasion is so far only attested in the area of the Fayum (Arsinoites). The text has been dated to the 5th century on palaeographical grounds.


Discussion

The payments mentioned here in measures of wheat are mentioning the place of cleaning, most likely the church or monastery of Apa Sion rather than a town district or street named after the saint. The recipients of the payment are not mentioned.

A monastery of Apa Sion is known from the area of the Fayum, see E02180 , as well as E02181


Bibliography

Edition:
Diethart, J.M., Corpus Papyrorum Raineri vol. 9, Griechische Texte 6 (Vienna, 1984), 87–88.

Further reading:
Papaconstantinou, A., Le culte des saints en Égypte des Byzantins aux Abbassides (Paris: CNRS, 2001), 191.


Record Created By

Gesa Schenke

Date of Entry

27/12/2016

Related Saint Records
IDNameName in SourceIdentity
S01177Sion or Apasion, saint venerated in the Fayumἄπα ΣίωνCertain


Please quote this record referring to its author, database name, number, and, if possible, stable URL:
Gesa Schenke, Cult of Saints, E02164 - http://csla.history.ox.ac.uk/record.php?recid=E02164