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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 of Erica wood purchases from Buto in the area of Memphis (Middle Egypt), mentioning a monastery of *Serenos/Sirenos (possibly the saint with martyr shrine at Oxyrhynchos, S00134), presumably a church of Apa *Apollo (possibly the monk and monastic founder, S00774), and of *Paul (possibly the Apostle, S00008); datable to the 7th century.

Evidence ID

E02169

Type of Evidence

Documentary texts - List

CPR 14 52, lines 21–32

The document consists of three different texts written by different hands. Two of these texts are letters, while one is a list of suppliers of Erica wood sold to an estate for payments in wheat. Besides various individuals, three of these suppliers of wood are presumably churches, while one is a monastery. The text runs as follows:

(hand 3) † σὺν θ(εῷ) γνῶσι(ς) ξύλ(ων) ἐρικ(ίνων) ἀγορασθ(έντων) π(αρὰ) διαφόρ(ων)
γεωργ(ῶν) Βουτὼ εἰ(ς) λόγ[ο]ν τοῦ ἐνδοξ(οτάτου) γ(εού)χ(ου) τοῦ   ̣  ̣  ̣  ̣δ  ̣[  ̣  ̣]ου μη(νὶ) Τῦβι ιε ἰν[δ(ικτίονος)]
οὕτως
π(αρὰ) Πκαροῦς Εὐδαίμονος ἐρικ(  ) α εἰ(ς) σί(του) (ἀρτάβας) [ -ca.?- ]  ̣
25
π(αρὰ) Ἰωαννης Ἀνίτου ἐρικ(  ) α εἰ(ς) σί(του) (ἀρτάβας) ε
π(αρὰ) τῶν παιδ(ίων) Ἰωάννου Τιβίου ἐρικ(  ) α εἰ(ς) σί(του) (ἀρτάβας) δ
π(αρὰ) Ἀκωολ Ψυγίου (καὶ) κοιν(  ) ἐρικ(  ) α εἰ(ς) σί(του) (ἀρτάβας) δ
𐅵
π(αρὰ) Ἀνοῦφ πρεσβ(υτέρου) Ἀνδρέου ἐρικ(  ) β εἰ(ς) σί(του) (ἀρτάβας) κβ
π(αρὰ) τοῦ ἁγίου ἄπα Ἀπολλ  ̣  ̣ ἐρικ(  ) α εἰ(ς) σί(του) (ἀρτάβας) γ
30
π(αρὰ) τοῦ ἁγίου Παύλου ἐρικ(  ) α εἰ(ς) σί(του) (ἀρτάβας) γ
π(αρὰ) τοῦ μοναστηρίου τοῦ ἁγί(ου) Σερίνου ἐρικ(  ) α εἰ(ς) σί(του) (ἀρτάβας) ε
παρὰ τοῦ ἁγίου Παλο  ̣  ̣ ἐρικ(  ) [α] εἰ(ς) σί(του) (ἀρτάβας) γ

'With God. List of Erica wood bought from different farmers of Bouto for the account of the glorious landlord, the … […] month of Tybi of the 15th indiction, as follows:
From Pkarous, son of Eudaimon: 1 Erica for […] artabas of wheat.
From John Anitos, presbyter: 1 Erica for 5 artabas of wheat.
From the children of John Tibios: 1 Erica for 4 artabas of wheat.
From Akaol Psugius and co-operative (?): 1 Erica for 4 1/2 artabas of wheat.
From Anouph, presbyter, son of Andrew: 2 Erica for 22 artabas of wheat.
From saint Apa Apollo: 1 Erica for 3 artabas of wheat.
From saint Paul: 1 Erica for 3 artabas of wheat.
From the monastery of saint Serenos: 1 Erica for 5 artabas of wheat.
From saint Pal…: 1 Erica for 3 artabas of wheat.'


Text and translation: G. Fantoni, lightly modified.

A full record of this document complete with image can be found at: http://papyri.info/ddbdp/cpr;14;52

Cult Places

Cult building - monastic
Cult building - independent (church)

Protagonists in Cult and Narratives

Ecclesiastics - lesser clergy

Source

The papyrus P.Vindob. G 39928 belongs to the papyrus collection in Vienna. The document is dated on palaeographical grounds.


Discussion

The religious institutions selling Erica wood must have had land holdings on which it was cultivated.


Bibliography

Edition:
Fantoni, G., "52. Two Letters and an Account of Erica Wood Purchases," in: Corpus Papyrorum Raineri XIV, Griechische Texte X, Greek Papyri of the Byzantine Period (Vienna, 1989), 101–104.

Further reading:
Papaconstantinou, A., Le culte des saints en Égypte des Byzantins aux Abbassides (Paris: CNRS, 2001), 424.


Record Created By

Gesa Schenke

Date of Entry

13/1/2017

Related Saint Records
IDNameName in SourceIdentity
S00008Paul, the ApostleΠαῦλοςUncertain
S00134Sirenos/Serenos, saint with martyr shrine at OxyrhynchosΣερῖνοςUncertain
S00774Apollo, Phib, and Anoup, monks and monastic foundersἈπολλ[ος?]Uncertain


Please quote this record referring to its author, database name, number, and, if possible, stable URL:
Gesa Schenke, Cult of Saints, E02169 - http://csla.history.ox.ac.uk/record.php?recid=E02169