Coptic Homily on *Michael the Archangel (S00181), from the monastery of the Archangel Michael near Hamouli in the Fayum (Lower Egypt), attributed to Gregory of Nazianzus (the Theologian), asked to discuss status and function of the archangel and his contrast to the devil; allegedly written in 4th century and translated presumably sometime between the 5th and the 9th century.
E04835
Late antique original manuscripts - Parchment codex
Literary - Sermons/Homilies
Gregory Nazianzenus
Homily on the Archangel Michael, attributed to Gregory of Nazianzus
The text is introduced as follows:
M592, fol. 8r–16v:
ⲟⲩⲗⲟⲅⲟⲥ ⲉⲁϥⲧⲁⲩⲟϥ ⲛϭⲓ ⲡⲉⲛⲡⲉⲧⲟⲩⲁⲁⲃ ⲛⲉⲓⲱⲧ ⲉⲧⲧⲁⲓⲏⲩ ⲕⲁⲧⲁ ⲥⲙⲟⲧ ⲛⲓⲙ ⲡϩⲁⲅⲓⲟⲥ ⲅⲣⲏⲅⲟⲣⲓⲟⲥ ⲡⲑⲉⲟⲗⲟⲅⲟⲥ ⲁⲩⲱ
ⲡⲉⲡⲓⲥⲕⲟⲡⲟⲥ ⲉⲧⲟⲩⲁⲁⲃ ϩⲙ ⲡⲧⲣⲉϥⲁⲓⲧⲉⲓ ⲙⲙⲟϥ ϩⲛ ⲟⲩⲥⲡⲟⲩⲇⲏ ⲛϭⲓ ⲡⲑⲉⲟⲥⲉⲃⲏⲥⲧⲁⲧⲟⲥ ⲙⲡⲣⲉⲥⲃⲩⲧⲉⲣⲟⲥ ⲁⲩⲱ
ⲛⲁⲣⲭⲏⲙⲁⲛⲇⲣⲓⲧⲏⲥ ⲉⲩⲥⲉⲃⲓⲟⲥ ⲡϩⲩⲅⲟⲩⲙⲉⲛⲟⲥ ⲙⲡⲧⲟⲟⲩ ⲛⲁⲣⲁⲣⲁⲧ ⲛⲧⲉ ⲑⲁⲣⲙⲉⲛⲓⲁ ⲡⲙⲁ ⲛⲧⲁ ⲧⲕⲓⲃⲱⲧⲟⲥ ⲛⲛⲱϩⲉ ⲟⲩⲱϩ
ϩⲓϫⲱϥ ⲉⲁϥⲥϩⲁⲓ ϣⲁ ⲡⲡⲉⲧⲟⲩⲁⲁⲃ ⲅⲣⲏⲅⲟⲣⲓⲟⲥ ϩⲛ ⲟⲩⲛⲟϭ ⲛⲥⲟⲡⲥ ⲉϥϫⲱ ⲙⲙⲟⲥ ϫⲉ ⲙⲁⲧⲁⲙⲟⲓ ϫⲉ ⲉⲧⲃⲉ ⲟⲩ ⲥⲉϫⲱ ⲙⲙⲟⲥ
ⲛϭⲓ ⲛⲉⲧⲏⲡ ⲉⲑⲁⲓⲣⲉⲥⲓⲥ ⲙⲙⲁⲛⲏ ϫⲉ ⲁϥⲧⲁϩⲟ ⲉⲣⲁⲧϥ ⲙⲙⲓⲭⲁⲏⲗ ⲛⲁⲣⲭⲁⲅⲅⲉⲗⲟⲥ ⲉⲡⲙⲁ ⲙⲡⲇⲓⲁⲃⲟⲗⲟⲥ ⲙⲏ ⲛⲧⲟϥ ⲡⲉ ⲡⲇⲓⲁⲃⲟⲗⲟⲥ ⲁϥϣⲱⲡⲉ ϩⲱⲗⲟⲥ ⲛⲁⲣⲭⲁⲅⲅⲉⲗⲟⲥ ϫⲓⲛⲛ ⲛϣⲟⲣⲡ ϫⲓⲛ ⲙⲡⲉ ϯⲥⲟⲡⲥ ϭⲉ ⲛⲧⲉⲕϩⲁⲅⲓⲱⲥⲩⲛⲏ ⲙⲁⲧⲁⲙⲟⲛ ⲉⲡⲉⲓϩⲱⲃ ⲛⲧⲟϥ ⲇⲉ
ⲡⲡⲉⲧⲟⲩⲁⲁⲃ ⲅⲣⲏⲅⲟⲣⲓⲟⲥ ⲁϥϣⲱⲡⲉ ϩⲛ ϩⲉⲛⲛⲟϭ ⲛⲥⲟⲡⲥ ⲙⲛ ϩⲉⲛⲛⲟϭ ⲛⲣⲙⲉⲓⲟⲟⲩⲉ ⲉⲛⲁϣⲱⲟⲩ ⲉϥⲧⲱⲃϩ ⲙⲡϫⲟⲉⲓⲥ
ϣⲁⲛⲧⲉϥⲧⲉⲧ ⲡⲉϥϩⲏⲧ ⲕⲁⲗⲱⲥ ⲉϫⲙ ⲡⲉⲓⲙⲩⲥⲧⲏⲣⲓⲟⲛ ϩⲛ ⲟⲩⲉⲓⲣⲏⲛⲏ ⲛⲧⲉ ⲡⲛⲟⲩⲧⲉ ϩⲁⲙⲏⲛ
‘A homily which our holy and in every way glorious father saint Gregory the theologian and holy bishop delivered, when the most pious priest and archimandrite Eusebios, the hegoumenos of Mount Ararat in Armenia, on which Noah’s Ark had rested, asked him with zeal, when writing to saint Gregory with great supplication, “Tell me why those who belong to the heresy of Mani say that he (God) has installed Michael as archangel in the place of the devil. Is he the devil then? Has he been fully (installed) as archangel from the beginning or not? I implore your holiness, tell us about this.” Saint Gregory then remained in long prayers with strong plentiful tears imploring the Lord, until he had satisfied his heart sufficiently over this mystery. In God’s peace. Amen.’
(Text and trans. Depuydt 1993, 231, modified)
Cult building - unspecified
Cult building - monastic
Non Liturgical ActivityPrayer/supplication/invocation
Composing and translating saint-related texts
Transmission, copying and reading saint-related texts
Theorising on SanctityConsiderations about the hierarchy of saints
Considerations about the succession of saints
Source
This is the second (ff. 8r–16v) of eight homilies all dedicated to the archangel Michael and all contained in the same parchment codex M592. For the other homilies on Michael in M592, see E04640, E04641, E04642 and E04836, E04837, E04838, and E04839.The production of the codex is datable to the 9th or early 10th century on the basis of securely dated codices (AD 822/3–913/14) found together with it at the monastery of the Archangel Michael near Hamouli in the Fayum.
Another fragmentary manuscript of the same text is BL Or. 6782, f. 9v, from a parchment codex dated to the year 989/990; see B. Layton, Catalogue of Coptic Literary Manuscripts in the British Library Acquired Since the Year 1906 (London, 1987), No. 151.
Discussion
For literature and a brief overview of the Christian Egyptian tradition concerning the special sacred status attributed to Michael, see van Esbroeck 1991.Bibliography
Text and translation:Depuydt, L, Catalogue of Coptic Manuscripts in the Pierpont Morgan Library: Corpus of Illuminated Manuscripts (Leuven, 1993), p. 231
Introduction and codicology:
Ibid. pp. 230–235.
Text, Latin translation and discussion:
Lafontaine, G., “Une homélie copte sur le diable et sur Michel, attribuée à Grégoire le Théologien,” Le Muséon 92 (1979), 37–60.
Further reading:
Esbroeck, M. van, "Michael the Archangel, saint," in: A.S. Atiya (ed.), The Coptic Encyclopedia, vol. 5 (New York, 1991), 1616–1620.
Gesa Schenke
2/2/2018
| ID | Name | Name in Source | Identity | S00181 | Michael, the Archangel | ⲙⲓⲭⲁⲏⲗ | Certain |
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