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The Cult of Saints in Late Antiquity


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


Coptic contract, from the monastery of Epiphanios at Thebes (Upper Egypt), mentioning a topos of *Mark (the Evangelist, S00293) on the mountain of Jeme; datable to the first half of the 7th century.

Evidence ID

E02435

Type of Evidence

Documentary texts - Other private document

Late antique original manuscripts - Ostracon/Pot-sherd

P.Mon.Epiph. 84

The document is a contract between a priest of a topos of Apa John in the desert and a camel herder concerning the conditions under which the latter is to tend to the animals.

The scribe of the document who also acts as one of the witnesses to this contract is a priest of a
topos of Mark the Evangelist, located on the mountain of Jeme.

Lines 30–39 read as follows:

ⲙⲁⲣⲕⲟⲥ ⲡⲉⲉⲗⲁⲭ(ⲓⲥⲧⲟⲥ) ⲙⲡⲣⲉⲥⲃ(ⲩⲧⲉⲣⲟⲥ) ⲙⲡⲧⲟⲡⲟⲥ ⲙⲫⲁⲅⲓⲟⲥ ⲙⲁⲣⲕⲟⲥ ⲡⲉⲩⲁⲅⲅⲉⲗⲓⲥⲧⲏⲥ ϩⲓ ⲡⲧⲟⲟⲩ ⲛϫⲏⲙⲉ ⲁⲩⲁⲓⲧⲉⲓ
ⲙⲙⲟ ⲁⲥϩⲁ ⲧⲉϩⲟⲙⲟⲗⲟⲅⲓⲁ ⲛⲧⲁϭⲓϫ


'Mark, this humble priest of the
topos of St Mark, the Evangelist, in the hill of Jeme, I was asked and I wrote this agreement with my hand, …'


Text and translation: W. E. Crum

Cult Places

Cult building - monastic
Cult building - independent (church)

Source

The ostracon was found at the monastery of Epiphanios at Thebes and is housed at the Museum in Cairo, Inv. 44674.69. It has been dated on palaeographical grounds.


Bibliography

Edition and translation:
Crum, W.E., and Evelyn White, H.G., The Monastery of Epiphanius at Thebes, Part II (The Metropolitan Museum of Art Egyptian Expedition; New York, 1926), p. 27 (text), p. 173 (trans.).


Record Created By

Gesa Schenke

Date of Entry

2/3/2017

Related Saint Records
IDNameName in SourceIdentity
S00293Mark the Evangelistⲙⲁⲣⲕⲟⲥ ⲡⲉⲩⲁⲅⲅⲉⲗⲓⲥⲧⲏⲥCertain


Please quote this record referring to its author, database name, number, and, if possible, stable URL:
Gesa Schenke, Cult of Saints, E02435 - http://csla.history.ox.ac.uk/record.php?recid=E02435