Greek letter, from Oxyrhynchos (Middle Egypt), requesting help to gain access to a piece of land of a monastery of *Ioustos (saint with martyr shrine at Oxyrrhynchos, S01172), mentioning also the martyr shrine (martyrion) of the saint; datable to the 6th century.
Evidence ID
E02232
Type of Evidence
Documentary texts - Letter
Late antique original manuscripts - Papyrus sheet
P.Oxy. 6 941:
The sender of the letter asks the addressee to help him get access for brick making to a piece of land belonging to the monastery of saint Ioustos.
Lines 3–5 read as follows:
ὡς δὲ λέγει ὅτι ἐὰν σ̣[κ]υ̣λῇ̣ πρὸς τὸν υἱὸν
τοῦ οἰκονόμου τοῦ ἁγίου Ἰούστου παρέχει σοι τόπον ὀλίγον ἢ ἀντὶς τοῦ μαρτυρίου
ἢ ἐξ ἀρ[ι]στερῶν αὐτοῦ ἤγουν ἐκ δεξιῶν
'…, and as he says that, if you will trouble (yourself) to go to the son of the steward (oikonomos) of the monastery of saint Ioustos, he will provide you with a small space, either opposite the martyr's shrine, or on the left of it, or on the right, …'
Text and translation: B.P. Grenfell and A.S. Hunt
A complete record of the text, with images, can be found at: http://papyri.info/ddbdp/p.oxy;6;941
Cult PlacesCult building - monastic
Cult building - monastic
Martyr shrine (martyrion, bet sāhedwātā, etc.)
Source
The papyrus is kept at the Sackler Library in Oxford. The document has been dated on palaeographical grounds.Discussion
It is interesting to see that the area for brick making is expected to be located close to the martyr shrine, presumably of Ioustos to whom the monastery is dedicated, and from which the spot is to be obtained. Whether this is in line with workshops centred around sites of pilgrimage, or a specific situation, perhaps to facilitate immediate building activities or repairs at the shrine, remains unknown.For this martyrion of Ioustos, see also E02292. The fact that Ioustos had a martyrion at Oxyrrhynchos suggests he was a local martyr (though martyria are also documented away from the principal place of burial of a saint).
Bibliography
Edition:Grenfell, B.P., and Hunt, A.S., The Oxyrhynchus Papyri, vol. VI, Published by the Egypt Exploration Society in Graeco-Roman Memoirs (London, 1908), 310–311.
Further reading:
O'Leary, De L., Saints of Egypt (London: SPCK, 1937), 175–176.
Papaconstantinou, A., Le culte des saints en Égypte des Byzantins aux Abbassides (Paris: CNRS, 2001), 108–109.
See further literature at: http://papyri.info/ddbdp/p.oxy;6;941
Record Created By
Gesa Schenke
Date of Entry
18/1/2017
| ID | Name | Name in Source | Identity | S01172 | Ioustos, saint with martyr shrine at Oxyrrhynchos | Ἰοῦστος | 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, E02232 - http://csla.history.ox.ac.uk/record.php?recid=E02232