Coptic document from the monastery of Apa Apollo at Bawit (Middle Egypt), concerning an agreement over responsibilities for monastic property, ensuring the validity of the agreement with an oath sworn by the throne of *Mark (the Evangelist, S00293), and mentioning a church/shrine (topos) dedicated to *Apollo (monk and monastic founder, S00774). An agreement reached in this document is confirmed by an oath; datable to the 8th century.
E04038
Late antique original manuscripts - Papyrus sheet
Documentary texts - Other private document
P.Mon.Apollo 25 (KSB 1 49):
This document is one of many associated with the monastery of Apa Apollo at Bawit, see E04037.
It concerns the renunciation of responsibility for monastic property by a monk who feels he has been given too heavy a burden. The document is addressed to the legal body (dikaion) of the monastery under its current abbot Daniel. The introductory phrase of the document suggests that there was a shrine associated with the monastery of Apa Apollo.
Lines 1–3 read as follows:
+ ⲁⲛⲟⲕ ⲡⲁⲥⲟⲛ ⲥⲁⲕ ⲡⲙⲟⲛⲟⲭⲟⲥ ⲙⲡⲧⲟⲡⲟⲥ ⲛⲁⲡⲁ ⲁⲡⲟⲗⲗⲱ ⲉⲥϩⲁ ⲙⲡⲇⲓⲕⲁⲟⲛ ⲙⲡⲙⲟⲛⲁⲥⲧⲏⲣⲓⲟⲛ ⲙⲡⲧⲟⲡⲟⲥ ⲛⲁⲡⲁ ⲁⲡⲟⲗⲗⲱ
ϩⲧⲟⲟⲧϥ ⲙⲡⲙⲁⲛⲟⲩⲧⲉ ⲛⲱⲧ ⲉⲧⲟⲩⲁⲁⲃ ⲁⲡⲁ ⲇⲁⲛⲏⲗ ⲡⲁⲣⲭⲏⲙⲁⲛⲇ(ⲣⲓⲧⲏⲥ) ⲁⲩⲱ ⲡⲓ[ⲱⲧ ⲙⲡⲧⲟⲡⲟⲥ]
‘I, brother Isak, the monk of the monastery (topos) of Apa Apollo, am writing to the legal body (dikaion) of the monastery at the shrine (topos) of Apa Apollo, under the pious and holy father Apa Daniel, the archimandrite and father [of the monastery (topos)].’
The validity of the agreement reached in this document is confirmed by an oath sworn by the throne of Mark, the Evangelist.
Lines 9–10 read as follows:
ⲉⲱⲣⲕ ⲙⲡⲛⲟⲩⲧⲉ <ⲡ>ⲡⲁⲛⲧⲱⲕⲣⲁⲧⲟⲣ ⲙⲛ ⲧⲕⲁⲑⲟⲗⲓⲕⲏ ⲛⲉⲕⲗⲏⲥⲓⲁ ⲙⲛ ⲡⲉⲩϫⲁ ⲙⲡⲉⲑⲣⲟⲛ[ⲟⲥ] ⲙⲡⲉⲛⲉ̣ⲓⲱⲧ̣ ⲙⲁⲣⲕⲟⲥ ⲡⲉⲩⲁⲛⲕⲉⲗⲓⲥⲧⲏⲥ ϫ<ⲉ> ⲛⲛⲉ ⲉⲃⲟⲗ ⲉⲡⲓϩⲱⲃ ϣⲁ ⲉⲛⲉϩ
‘I swear by God, the Almighty, and by the Catholic church, and by the well-being of the throne of our father Mark, the Evangelist, that I shall never proceed against this matter.’
(Text: M. Hasitzka/S. J. Clackson, trans. G. Schenke)
Cult building - monastic
Non Liturgical ActivityOath
Source
The papyrus document P.Würzburg 43 is housed at the Würzburg University Library. The document is believed to come from Bawit and has been dated to the 8th century on palaeographical grounds.Discussion
It is of course quite possible that the phrase ⲡⲇⲓⲕⲁⲟⲛ ⲙⲡⲙⲟⲛⲁⲥⲧⲏⲣⲓⲟⲛ ⲙⲡⲧⲟⲡⲟⲥ ⲛⲁⲡⲁ ⲁⲡⲟⲗⲗⲱ was intended to mean 'the legal body of the monastery at the monastery (topos) of Apa Apollo', though this would be quite unusual. We could also simply be dealing with a scribal error. On the other hand, it is not inconceivable and rather to be expected that the monastery of Apa Apollo was located by a church or shrine (topos) dedicated to its patron saint.Bibliography
Text and Translation:Clackson, S.J., Coptic and Greek Texts Relating to the Hermopolite Monastery of Apa Apollo (Oxford, 2000), 80–85.
Hasitzka, M.R.M., Koptisches Sammelbuch I (KSB I) (Vienna, 1993), 37–38.
Gesa Schenke
26/9/2017
| ID | Name | Name in Source | Identity | S00293 | Mark the Evangelist | ⲙⲁⲣⲕⲟⲥ ⲡⲉⲩⲁⲛⲕⲉⲗⲓⲥⲧⲏⲥ | Certain | S00774 | Apollo, Phib, and Anoup, monks and monastic founders | ⲁⲡⲁ ⲁⲡⲟⲗⲗⲱ | Certain |
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Gesa Schenke, Cult of Saints, E04038 - http://csla.history.ox.ac.uk/record.php?recid=E04038