Coptic will of Susanna, from Jeme (Upper Egypt), bequeathing her property to her five grandchildren, mentioning a church dedicated to Apa *Patermoute (saint with cult at Jeme, S01222) at Jeme, of which she owns a fifth, as well as land property located near the church of the *Apostles (S00084) at castron Jeme; dated some time before the year 749.
E04030
Late antique original manuscripts - Papyrus sheet
Documentary texts - Will
P.KRU 66 and 76:
Susanna/Susanne is the granddaughter of Elisaios, the archdeacon of the church (topos) of saint Apa Patermoute at castron Jeme. Part of her property is a fifth of the church dedicated to Apa Patermoute which she bequeaths to her three grandsons. Her granddaughters are not allowed to deal with the financial affairs of the church and its property, but are to be allowed to join in freely during the church festivals, as well as the saint’s feast day.
P.KRU 66, lines 26–31 read as follows:
Ϯⲟⲩⲱϣ ⲁⲩⲱ ϯⲕⲉⲗⲉⲩⲉ ⲛⲧⲉϩⲉ ⲧⲣⲉⲛⲁⲙⲉⲣⲁⲧⲉ ⲛϣⲏⲣⲉ ⲉⲧⲉ ⲛⲁⲓ ⲛⲉ ϩⲩⲙⲁⲓ ⲙⲛ ϣⲉⲛⲟⲩⲑⲓⲟⲥ ⲙⲛ ⲥⲧⲉⲫⲁⲛⲟⲥ ⲛϣⲏⲣⲉ ⲙⲡⲁⲙⲁⲕⲁⲣⲓⲟⲥ
ⲛϣⲏⲣⲉ ⲅⲉⲣⲙⲁⲛⲟⲥ ⲛⲁⲉⲓ ⲉϩⲟⲩⲛ ⲉⲧⲁⲕⲗⲏⲣⲟⲛⲟⲙⲓⲁ ⲛⲧⲁⲥⲉⲓ ⲉϫⲱⲓ ϩⲁ ⲧⲥⲓⲁ ⲧⲁⲙⲁⲕⲁⲣ(ⲓⲟⲥ) ⲙⲙⲁⲁⲩ ⲧⲁⲓ ϩⲱⲱⲥ ⲛⲧⲁⲥⲉⲓ ⲉϫⲱⲥ ϩⲱⲱⲥ
ϩⲁ ⲉⲗⲁⲓⲥⲁⲓⲟⲥ ⲡⲁⲣⲭⲏⲇⲓⲁⲕⲟⲛⲟⲥ ⲙⲡⲧⲟⲡⲟⲥ ⲡⲁⲓ ⲉⲧⲣⲟⲩⲟⲉⲓⲛ ⲉⲃⲟⲗ ϩⲛ ⲛⲉⲧⲟⲩⲁⲁⲃ ⲡϩⲁⲅⲓⲟⲥ ⲁⲡⲁ ⲡⲁⲧⲉⲣⲙⲟⲩⲑⲓⲟⲥ ⲙⲡⲕⲁⲥⲧⲣⲟⲛ ϫⲏⲙⲉ
ⲉⲓϯ ⲁⲩⲱ ϯϩⲟⲣⲓⲍⲉ ⲙⲡⲣⲁⲧⲓⲟⲩ ⲧⲏⲣϥ ϩⲛ ⲧⲉⲕⲕⲗⲏⲥⲓⲁ ⲙⲛ ⲡⲉⲥⲃ{ⲃ}ⲉ ⲙⲛ ⲡⲉϥϩⲟⲓ ⲙⲛ ⲡⲉϥⲇⲓⲙⲟⲥ(ⲓⲟⲛ) ⲙⲛ ⲛⲉϥⲁϩⲟⲩ ⲙⲛ ⲡⲉϥⲥⲙⲟⲩ ⲧⲏⲣϥ
ⲙⲟⲛⲟⲛ ⲛⲛⲉⲩⲕⲱⲗⲱ ⲛⲛⲁϣⲉⲉⲣⲉ ⲛⲥϩⲓⲙⲉ ⲉⲧⲉ ⲛⲉⲩⲥⲛⲏⲩ ⲛⲥⲉⲉⲓ ⲉϩⲣⲁⲓ ϩⲛ ⲛϣⲁ ⲉⲡⲓⲥⲟⲙⲟⲛ ⲙⲛ ⲡϣⲁ ⲙⲡⲧⲟⲡⲟⲥ ⲛⲥⲉⲟⲩⲱⲙ ⲛⲥⲉⲥⲱ
ⲛⲁⲧⲕⲱⲗⲉ ⲙⲙⲟⲟⲩ ⲛⲥⲉⲃⲱⲕ ⲙⲉⲧⲁ ⲕⲁⲗⲟⲩ
‘I wish and I order as follows, to let my beloved sons, which are Hymai, Shenouthios, and Stephanos, the sons of my blessed son Germanos, enter my inheritance which has come upon me from my blessed mother Tsia, this one onto whom it has come in turn from Elaisaios, the archdeacon of the topos (of) this one which shines forth from among the saints, saint Apa Patermouthios at castron Jeme.
I hand over and I determine the entire fifth of the church and of the entrance, and of its field, of its land-tax, of its storehouses, and of its entire income.
Only my (grand-)daughters, that is their siblings, shall not be prevented, so that they come in during the important festivals and the feast of the topos, and they eat and drink unhindered, and leave with a good feeling.’
The granddaughters, in turn, inherit among other things a field near the church of the Apostles.
P.KRU 66, line 81 reads as follows:
ⲁⲗⲗⲁ ⲉⲩⲛⲁϥⲓ ⲡⲁⲙⲉⲣⲟⲥ ⲛⲕⲁϩ ⲃⲣⲃⲱⲣ ϩⲓ ⲧⲡⲁⲕⲉ ⲉⲧϩⲓ ⲛⲁⲡⲟⲥⲧⲟⲗⲟⲥ
‘But they (the granddaughters) shall receive my part of the sloping fields from the part which is at (the church of) the Apostles.’
The scribe of the document is a priest of the church of Apa Patermoute, acting also as a witness.
P.KRU 76, line 89 reads as follows:
+ ⲁⲛⲟⲕ ⲕⲟⲙⲉⲥ ⲡⲓⲉⲗⲁⲭ(ⲓⲥⲧⲟⲥ) ⲙⲡⲣⲉⲥⲃⲩ(ⲧⲉⲣⲟⲥ) ⲙⲡϩⲁⲅⲓⲟⲥ ⲁⲡⲁ ⲡⲁⲧⲉⲣⲙⲟⲩⲑ(ⲓⲟⲥ) ⲙⲡⲕⲁⲥⲧⲣⲟⲛ ⲛϫⲏⲙⲉ ⲁⲥⲟⲩⲥⲁⲛⲛⲁ ⲉⲓⲧⲉ
ⲙⲙⲟⲓ ⲁⲓⲥⲙⲛ ⲧⲓⲧⲓⲁⲑⲏⲕⲏ ⲛⲧⲁϭⲓϫ ⲁⲩⲱ ⲟⲛ ϯⲱ ⲙⲙⲛⲧⲣⲉ +++
‘I, Komes, the least presbyter of (the church of) the saint Apa Paterouthios at castron Jeme, Susanna has asked me, and I have issued this will in my own hand, acting also as a witness.’
(Text: W. E. Crum and G. Steindorff, German trans. W. C. Till, Engl. trans. G. Schenke)
Cult building - independent (church)
Source
The two papyrus documents are housed in the British Museum in London (Papyrus cii) and the papyrus collection in Berlin (P. 3138).The two documents concern the same will and offer the same content, but are not exact copies of each other. Since both documents are incomplete, lacking the beginning, any information given on whether one is an earlier version of the other, is lost.
Bibliography
Edition and Translation:Crum, W.E., and Steindorff, G., Koptische Rechtsurkunden des achten Jahrhunderts aus Djeme (Theben) (Leipzig, 1971), 200–206 and 245–251.
Till, W.C., Erbrechtliche Untersuchungen auf Grund der koptischen Urkunden (Vienna, 1954), 158–169 (German Translation).
Gesa Schenke
22/9/2017
ID | Name | Name in Source | Identity | S00084 | Apostles, unnamed or name lost | ⲛⲁⲡⲟⲥⲧⲟⲗⲟⲥ | Certain | S01222 | Patermouthios, saint with cult at Jeme (Upper Egypt) | ⲁⲡⲁ ⲡⲁⲧⲉⲣⲙⲟⲩⲑⲓⲟⲥ | Certain |
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