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The Cult of Saints in Late Antiquity


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


Coptic land lease document from Hermopolis (Middle Egpyt), mentioning a church dedicated to *Michael (the Archangel, S00181) as part of the property; datable to the 7th century.

Evidence ID

E04261

Type of Evidence

Late antique original manuscripts - Papyrus sheet

Documentary texts - Lease or rental document

P.Ryl.Copt. 158

In this lengthy, yet fragmentary document, a woman from Hermopolis is leasing out land to a man belonging to a nearby hamlet, setting out the further particulars of the arrangement and mentioning a quarter of a church dedicated to the Archangel Michael.

Line 22 reads as follows:

ⲙⲛ ⲡⲧⲉⲧⲁⲣⲧⲟⲛ ⲙⲉⲣⲟⲥ ϩⲛ ⲧⲉⲕⲕⲗⲏⲥⲓⲁ ⲉⲩⲙⲟⲩⲧⲉ ⲉⲣⲟⲥ ϫⲉ ⲡⲁⲣⲭⲉⲁⲅⲅⲉⲗⲟⲥ ⲙⲏⲭⲁⲏⲗ

‘… and the fourth part of the church called “The Archangel Michael”, …’


(Text and trans.: W. E. Crum)

Cult Places

Cult building - independent (church)

Source

The papyrus document is housed at the collection of the John Rylands Library in Manchester. The dating is on palaeographical grounds.


Bibliography

Text and translation:
Crum, W.E., Catalogue of the Coptic Manuscripts in the Collection of the John Rylands Library (Manchester, 1909), 80–83.


Record Created By

Gesa Schenke

Date of Entry

31/10/2017

Related Saint Records
IDNameName in SourceIdentity
S00181Michael, the Archangelⲡⲁⲣⲭⲉⲁⲅⲅⲉⲗⲟⲥ ⲙⲏⲭⲁⲏⲗCertain


Please quote this record referring to its author, database name, number, and, if possible, stable URL:
Gesa Schenke, Cult of Saints, E04261 - http://csla.history.ox.ac.uk/record.php?recid=E04261