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The Cult of Saints in Late Antiquity


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


Greek private letter of unknown Egyptian provenance mentioning a shrine (topos) dedicated to *Menas (presumably the soldier and martyr of Abu Mena, S00073); datable to the 5th century.

Evidence ID

E04286

Type of Evidence

Late antique original manuscripts - Papyrus sheet

Documentary texts - Letter

P.Alex inv. 209

0[ -ca.?- ] θαυμασιωτάτῳ καὶ
[  ̣  ̣  ̣ τ]άτῳ καὶ εὐ[λαβ]εστάτῳ κ(αὶ) περιβλέπτῳ
[κυ]ρίῳ ἡμῶν [π]α[ρὰ] Ωθεου γεούχου
[τ(οῦ) τό]που τ(οῦ) ἁ[γίου] Μηνᾶ· πρὸ μὲν πάντων
5
προσκυνο
(*) καὶ ὑ(*)μνο(*) τὴν σὴν μεγαλο-
πρεπεστατω
(*). κατὼς(*) ἔγραψει(*) ἡ ἀρετή σο[υ]
διὰ τῶν καμήλων οὐδὶς
(*) κολυσεν(*) αὐτοῖ[ς -ca.?- ]
[4 lines missing]
12
ἔρρ(ωσο) πολλοῖς
χρόνοις


For a full record of the document see:

http://papyri.info/ddbdp/p.alex;;inv209

Cult Places

Cult building - unspecified

Source

This papyrus document P. 209 is housed at Alexandria, Graeco-Roman Museum. The dating is on palaeographical grounds.


Bibliography

Text:
Swiderek, A., and Vandoni, M., Papyrus grecs du Musée Gréco-Romain d'Alexandrie (Travaux du Centre d'Archéologie Méditerranéenne de l'Académie Polonaise des Sciences 2; Warsaw, 1964). Nos. 1—40 on pp. 47—79; otherwise a catalogue of descriptions and other material relating to the Alexandria papyri, p. 43.

http://papyri.info/ddbdp/p.alex;;inv209


Record Created By

Gesa Schenke

Date of Entry

6/11/2017

Related Saint Records
IDNameName in SourceIdentity
S00073Menas, soldier and martyr buried at Abu MenaΜηνᾶς Certain


Please quote this record referring to its author, database name, number, and, if possible, stable URL:
Gesa Schenke, Cult of Saints, E04286 - http://csla.history.ox.ac.uk/record.php?recid=E04286